Sentence Correction

All these days i beleived that not x..but y..is correct usage..but here is rare question which violates the rule..can someone explain the answer.




OA..D

lokesh r wrote:All these days i beleived that not x..but y..is correct usage..but here is rare question which violates the rule..can someone explain the answer.




OA..D

The problem is that it's not "not x . . . but y"; it's "not only x . . . but y", where the GMAT expects a "not only" to be paired with a "but also."

Is (A) wrong because did is paired with 'gave'. I didn't understand the above explanation..

i try to explain the above sentence though i pretty weak in SC and any objections are highly appreciated
a) not only did....... but it also......-this conctruction violates ||. it`s better to say
not only did...... but also it-that i guess is better ( here we remove pronoun it )
besides i think that second verb gave must be give as for || purposes did is implied before the gave ( in this concept i am not sure)

b)here || not only..... but also seems correct but another problem lack of the subject in the second part of construction
it is better to say
not only did ..... but also it.... ( it- is missed in B) i don`t see any more mistakes

c) i don`t see a working verb here , and c is totaly wrong many mistakes....

d) notice that this sentence does not employ the construction not only but also, rather it uses simple conjunction- but- to show negative effect - causes erosion and deforested....

e)difficult case for me to understand,seems like the construction -not only created......but it also wrong, we need- not only created, but also caused, pronoun it must be deleted

Jim@Grockit wrote:

lokesh r wrote:All these days i beleived that not x..but y..is correct usage..but here is rare question which violates the rule..can someone explain the answer.




OA..D

The problem is that it's not "not x . . . but y"; it's "not only x . . . but y", where the GMAT expects a "not only" to be paired with a "but also."

I agree with you..but why would B be wrong..can you explain?

My understanding of the idiom "not only X but also Y" is that we need to have two situations X and Y which are both parallel to each other.

In option 'b', X talks about the positives while 'Y' talks about the negatives of the flood that had occurred.
Here, option 'd' clearly serves the purpose by presenting the negative situation of an event clearly by using the simple construction 'but'

I hope this clears some air

lokesh r wrote:All these days i beleived that not x..but y..is correct usage..but here is rare question which violates the rule..can someone explain the answer.




OA..D

Not only did the systematic clearing of forests in the United States create farmland (especially in the Northeast) and gave consumers relatively inexpensive houses and furniture, but it also caused erosion and very quickly deforested whole regions.

A. Not only did the systematic clearing of forests in the United States create farmland (especially in the Northeast) and gave consumers relatively inexpensive houses and furniture, but it also
B. Not only did the systematic clearing of forests in the United States create farmland (especially in the Northeast), which gave consumers relatively inexpensive houses and furniture, but also
C. The systematic clearing of forests in the United States, creating farmland (especially in the Northeast) and giving consumers relatively inexpensive houses and furniture, but also
D. The systematic clearing of forests in the United States created farmland (especially in the Northeast) and gave consumers relatively inexpensive houses and furniture, but it also
E. The systematic clearing of forests in the United States not only created farmland (especially in the Northeast), giving consumers relatively inexpensive houses and furniture, but it

Nope, the idea is wrong:

Please, please MIND {LOOK AT} the meaning of the sentence:

When do we use "Not only x, but also Y"? When we have both the X and the Y parallel.

Example:

He not only helps the poor but also takes care of them.
---> Helps and takes are parallel.'

We went not only to USA but also to Canada. ---NOUN + NOUN.

Special case of not only..but also

Not only + Auxiliary Verb + Subject + Verb ...but + subject + also

Example:

Not only does he walk daily, but he also goes to gym three days in a week.

When we need to use "but" or "but + Subject also"? When we need to express a contrast.

Example:

They have helped the boy, but they also destroyed his career.
--> Clear contrast: Help Vs destroy.

The same deal is in this sentence.

First: Gave gave consumers relatively inexpensive houses and furniture
Second: caused erosion and very quickly deforested whole regions

Two things are contrasted as it is in my example.

Conclusion: In this sentence, you have contrast; therefore, you are required to use "but".

Answer is D, which has correctly used "but" to express contrast.

I think we can look at this question in another way. (I know the 'not-only... but also' thing is too overpowering to look at anything else at first glance ) but lets try :

A. create farmland.... gave.. (wrong - not parallel)
B. create farmland.... gave.. (wrong)
C. creating farmland.... giving (Correct)
D. created farmland.. gave (Correct)
E. created farmland.. giving (Wrong)

So, we are left with C & D. If we go through the question again, only D fits as it is in pats tense.

Rezinka wrote:I think we can look at this question in another way. (I know the 'not-only... but also' thing is too overpowering to look at anything else at first glance ) but lets try :

A. create farmland.... gave.. (wrong - not parallel)
B. create farmland.... gave.. (wrong)
C. creating farmland.... giving (Correct)
D. created farmland.. gave (Correct)
E. created farmland.. giving (Wrong)

So, we are left with C & D. If we go through the question again, only D fits as it is in pats tense.

Thanks to Rezinka and gmat_perfect!!!

Great explanation, Rezinka! It's always a better idea to look for the systematic error (parallelism) first and worry about the idiomatic items (not only...but also) last. You can train yourself to be quite good at the systematic things...the idiomatic usages take on so many subtle rules that they're rarely a good use of your time and energy.

Great work and brilliant explanation!

Thanks so much Brian@VeritasPrep
Gives me an incentive to study as Verbal is my weaker of the two areas