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cybersquatters SC

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cybersquatters SC

by prachi18oct » Thu May 18, 2017 9:35 am
The proliferation of so-called cybersquatters, people who register the Internet domain names of high-profile companies in hopes of reselling the rights to those names for a profit, led to passing the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act in 1999, allowing companies to seek up to $100000 in damages against those who register domain names with the sole intent of selling them later.

a)passing the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act in 1999, allowing companies to seek up to $100000 in damages against those who register domain names with the sole intent of selling

b)the passage of the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act in 1999, which allows companies to seek up to $100000 in damages against those who register domain names with the sole intent that they will sell

c)the passage in 1999 of the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, which allows companies to seek up to $100000 in damages against those who register domain names with the sole intent of selling

d)the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, which was passed in 1999, and it allows companies to seek up to $100000 in the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, which was passed in 1999, and it allows companies to seek up to $100000 in damages against those who register domain names with the sole intent to sell

e)the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, passed in 1999 and allowed companies to seek up to $100000 in damages against those who register domain names with the sole intent of selling

My doubt is
a) whether the use of "which" in B is incorrect here ? and if so why ? Is there any other place the prep modifier "in 1999" can be placed ?
b) In OA C, is the construction "the passage in 1999 of " correct/okay ? What is the other way which could have had it better worded.

I feel the construction should be " passage of X in 1999" is better .
Please suggest.
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by Ali Tariq » Thu May 18, 2017 11:04 pm
My doubt is
a) whether the use of "which" in B is incorrect here ? and if so why ? Is there any other place the prep modifier "in 1999" can be placed ?
b) In OA C, is the construction "the passage in 1999 of " correct/okay ? What is the other way which could have had it better worded.

I feel the construction should be " passage of X in 1999" is better .


All this can be discussed, but why not eliminate that choice for two very important reasons:
B) intent that they will sell them later.
they and them necessarily refer to same antecedent, leading to illogical meaning.

B) intent that they will sell them later.
intent necessarily refers to future. Future tense, thus, is redundant.
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by prachi18oct » Thu May 18, 2017 11:47 pm
Yes I agree to that explanation.
But I am also looking for answers to my query not only for getting this question right but also for understanding the concept right.
Please explain.
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by Ali Tariq » Fri May 19, 2017 1:08 am
whether the use of "which" in B is incorrect here ?
Yes, incorrect here!
and if so why ?
which clause cannot jump prep phrase that serves the purpose of an adverb.

We do have instances in official material, albeit very few, in which touch rule was compromised even when we don't have any subject verb disagreement issue with the noun that which clause was supposed to modify and noun that which clause end up touching( that too without having any S-V disagreement with that noun, as is the case in B).

I have talked about it here:https://www.beatthegmat.com/confused-abo ... 94016.html

However, in all those instances, the intervening modifier between noun and which clause was adjectivial.
adjectivial modifiers need to be placed as close as possible to the noun they modify.
adverbials, on the other hand, can be bit flexible.

Any given prep phrase can serve the purpose of adj or adv only( infinitive,however, can also serve the purpose of subject(noun)).
In this particular case, however, prep phrase is adverbial: adjectivial interpretation is downright nonsensical.

which clause cannot jump verb.
which clause cannot jump non essential modifier( modifier enclosed by two commas)
Similarly,which clause cannot jump adverbial prep phrase.
Why?
because adverbials are not as rigid vis-a-vis placement as adjectivials are .

prep phrase in 1990 modifies not ACT but led(verb).
Therefore, if in 1990 doesnot modify ACT but instead modifies verb, does it make sense to place it closer to that verb?
Yes, makes perfect sense!

But does that mean that particular placement is incorrect?
Had there been no which clause trying to modify ACT, that placement of in 1990 wouldn't have been incorrect.
Why?
because prep phrase that appears in the following structure-
Subject +verb...+ noun + prep phrase
can be taken as adjectivial or adverbial: which ever interpretation makes sense, we pick it up.

Therefore, following sentence has no issues-
The proliferation of cybersquatters led to the passage of the ACP Act in 1999
in 1990 modifies led-
When?
in 1990.
However, the following one has-
The proliferation of cybersquatters led to the passage of the ACP Act in 1999,which allows companies to seek up to $100000

Is there any other place the prep modifier "in 1999" can be placed ?
prep phrase as an initial modifier is adverbial;i.e it modifies verb(nearest), as we would have required here.
Thus, that placement wouldn't have been incorrect technically(grammatically and from meaning point of view); however, it would have been poor stylistically because of a huge intervening appositive modifier,which ended up increasing the distance between modifier and the modified element considerably(it is an issue of style/efficient writing; on style issues per se, two answer choices never differentiate; therefore concision,which is a style issue, is never a deal breaker).

In 1999, the proliferation of so-called cybersquatters, people who register the Internet domain names of high-profile companies in hopes of reselling the rights to those names for a profit, led to the passage of the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, which allows companies to seek up to $100000 in damages against those who register domain names with the sole intent of selling --> technically correct,stylistically poor
b) In OA C, is the construction "the passage in 1999 of " correct/okay ?
It is correct.
I feel the construction " passage of X in 1999" is better .
Yes,had it not for which clause.
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by prachi18oct » Fri May 19, 2017 2:31 am
Awesome ! Thank you so much for this brilliant explanation.
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by Ali Tariq » Fri May 19, 2017 5:58 am
My pleasure.
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