Sentence Correction

The invention of the cotton gin, being one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, had turned cotton cloth into an affordable commodity; it was costly before that.

A) being one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, had turned cotton cloth into an affordable commodity; it was costly before that

B)having been one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth into an affordable commodity, costly previously

C)one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth into an affordable, however costly previously, commodity

D)one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth, which had previously been quite costly, into an affordable commodity

E)being one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth from a previously costly commodity to an affordable one


OA D

Just want to know the reason to eliminate option C and reason D is right.

Experts please advise.

Thanks..

I feel C is saying that cotton gin turned cotton cloth into two things:

a. affordable commodity
b. costly previously commodity

This is not what the intention of the sentence is.

C)one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth into an affordable, however costly previously, commodity

Hi Experts ,

Just a quick clarification, in the above sentence HOWEVER can not be followed by semicolon because HOWEVER is a part of the single sentence right?

If I am wrong here so can this be the reason to eliminate this option? If I am right , so can you please tell me the reason to eliminate this option?

Many thanks in advance.

SJ

jain2016 wrote:

C)one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth into an affordable, however costly previously, commodity

Hi Experts ,

Just a quick clarification, in the above sentence HOWEVER can not be followed by semicolon because HOWEVER is a part of the single sentence right?

If I am wrong here so can this be the reason to eliminate this option? If I am right , so can you please tell me the reason to eliminate this option?

Many thanks in advance.

SJ

HOWEVER here stands at the head of the phrase HOWEVER COSTLY PREVIOUSLY and modifies the adjective (it looks like an adverb but is an adjective) COSTLY. It therefore cannot be followed by a semi-colon or a comma or anything else. Here, it is not a synonym for NEVERTHELESS: when HOWEVER is used to modify an adjective or an adverb in this way, it acquires the meaning NO MATTER TO WHAT EXTENT. Thus, HOWEVER OLD means NO MATTER HOW OLD and HOWEVER WELL means NO MATTER HOW WELL.

The idea that the phrase expresses is therefore NO MATTER HOW COSTLY PREVIOUSLY. In isolation, that phrase may seem acceptable, but here it clearly does not work, for the following reasons:
First, because the idea it creates is nonsensical: a particular invention TURNED COTTON CLOTH INTO something that cotton cloth had been PREVIOUSLY.
Second, because the entire phrase HOWEVER COSTLY PREVIOUSLY is being used adjectivally (along with the adjective AFFORDABLE) to modify COMMODITY, and from the grammatical point of view that is impossible: PREVIOUSLY is an adverb and therefore cannot modify the noun COMMODITY or any other noun. This is why the sentence sounds so clumsy when read.

So these would be my reasons for eliminating this option.

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