Firstly, excuse me for posting in this thread as the person who posted the question wanted to seek an experts help which I am not.

But since I felt that I have found a reason to pick the answer, I am posting my points out of curiosity so that even my thought process be verified by experts!

Question already discussed at: https://www.beatthegmat.com/number-of-vs ... 51119.html


Can someone explain why to use "Having" (C) instead of "To have"(D)?

Having more than the usual numbers of fingers and toes on the hands or feet is termed polydactyly.

A) Having more than the usual numbers of fingers and toes - Incorrect, as the quantifier 'the number' is put in the plural form with the types of fingers or toes;
B) Having had more than the usual numbers of fingers and toes - Incorrect, as the modifier 'having had' is put in the past participle form for the present simple tense;
C) Having more than the usual number of fingers and toes - Correct, as the modifier is responsible for the action and plays the role of subject;
D) To have more than the usual numbers of fingers and toes - Incorrect, 'to verb' is infinitive form of the subject requiring the action to be considered in the cause-effect relationship, whereas this connection implies to be not quite correct here; the connection between the unusual number of fingers and toes and the term named polydactyly is directly specified rather than done in the causal manner;
E) To have more than the usual numbers of fingers and toes - Incorrect, reasons specified in A) and D)

There is no rule whether c or d is right. I also can't think of any construction in the gmat where to + infintiv functions As a subject and where this construction is the critical factor.

Ron suggested that to + Infinitiv is used, when there is not a concrete noun such as love.

Example:

'to become a mother of six children was her greatest ambition

BastiG wrote:There is no rule whether c or d is right. I also can't think of any construction in the gmat where to + infintiv functions As a subject and where this construction is the critical factor.

Ron suggested that to + Infinitiv is used, when there is not a concrete noun such as love.

Example:

'to become a mother of six children was her greatest ambition

D) To have more than the usual number of fingers and toes (...) - Incorrect,
'to verb' is infinitive form of the subject requiring the action to be considered in the cause-effect relationship -->

(...)-To have more than the usual number of fingers and toes on the hands or feet is termed polydactyly.

To know is to live --> cause= to know, effect= is to live
cause=To have more than the usual number of fingers and toes, effect=possible [... is to have motor or sensory functions changed (one example)]
not effect attribute=is termed polydactyly.

What Ron said in the prior posts might have distinct application though.

Night reader wrote:

BastiG wrote:There is no rule whether c or d is right. I also can't think of any construction in the gmat where to + infintiv functions As a subject and where this construction is the critical factor.

Ron suggested that to + Infinitiv is used, when there is not a concrete noun such as love.

Example:

'to become a mother of six children was her greatest ambition

D) To have more than the usual number of fingers and toes (...) - Incorrect,
'to verb' is infinitive form of the subject requiring the action to be considered in the cause-effect relationship -->

(...)-To have more than the usual number of fingers and toes on the hands or feet is termed polydactyly.

To know is to live --> cause= to know, effect= is to live
cause=To have more than the usual number of fingers and toes, effect=possible [... is to have motor or sensory functions changed (one example)]
not effect attribute=is termed polydactyly.

What Ron said in the prior posts might have distinct application though.

The context is this question. Here is the link:
https://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/ger ... t3133.html

And i think that cause and effect is not a sufficient explanation. The manhattan experts would have mentioned it!

BastiG wrote:

Night reader wrote:

BastiG wrote:There is no rule whether c or d is right. I also can't think of any construction in the gmat where to + infintiv functions As a subject and where this construction is the critical factor.

Ron suggested that to + Infinitiv is used, when there is not a concrete noun such as love.

Example:

'to become a mother of six children was her greatest ambition

D) To have more than the usual number of fingers and toes (...) - Incorrect,
'to verb' is infinitive form of the subject requiring the action to be considered in the cause-effect relationship -->

(...)-To have more than the usual number of fingers and toes on the hands or feet is termed polydactyly.

To know is to live --> cause= to know, effect= is to live
cause=To have more than the usual number of fingers and toes, effect=possible [... is to have motor or sensory functions changed (one example)]
not effect attribute=is termed polydactyly.

What Ron said in the prior posts might have distinct application though.

The context is this question. Here is the link:
https://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/ger ... t3133.html

And i think that cause and effect is not a sufficient explanation. The manhattan experts would have mentioned it!

Below I am copying an expert's query:
>>>I'm not familiar with a specific official question that tests the "infinitive as subject" construction. I'll ask our main grammar guy whether he has seen something like this. Until then, I would not worry about the issue here - there are thousands and thousands of grammar rules, and we should really only care about the ones that we know have been tested on the GMAT.

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Stacey Koprince
Instructor
Director of Online Community
ManhattanGMAT
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