Sentence Correction

Hi All,

In the below question(OG-10 Q1), OG says the reason to kick out "A" and "B" is

"Choice A incorrectly introduces the when... phrase with
occurring, thus illogically making divorce the grammatical referent of when a child".

Can somebody please help me understand what is meant by above explanation ?

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The Wallerstein study indicates that even after a decade young men and women still experience some of the effects of a divorce occurring when a child.

(A) occurring when a child

(B) occurring when children

(C) that occurred when a child

(D) that occurred when they were children

(E) that has occurred as each was a child

Past tense needed, which is why A and B are kicked out.

There are now young adults, but the divorce occurred when they were children.

But OG-10 says:

"Choice A incorrectly introduces the when... phrase with
occurring, thus illogically making divorce the grammatical referent of when a child".

Can somebody please help me decrypt the same ?

Thanks
Mohit

Mohit - Actually there are two reasons why A & B are wrong and for one of those reasons C is also wrong.

1. You need to use the Past Tense "Occurred" (A & B doesn't)
2. "when a child" phrase without the pronoun "they" will wrongly refer to the noun "divorce" bringing out the meaning that "when divorce was a child". (A, B & C)

Hope that helps.

Thanks rajforgmat.

Does it mean that relative pronouns like "when", "which" etc. etc. modifies the immediately preceding nouns/pronouns...although these nouns/pronouns may not directly touch them ? For e.g. here "when" is not directly touching divorce....

rajforgmat wrote:Mohit - Actually there are two reasons why A & B are wrong and for one of those reasons C is also wrong.

1. You need to use the Past Tense "Occurred" (A & B doesn't)

Can you please help me understand why we need "occurred" for past tense in this sentence? For e.g. I think the following sentence is correct
Smita was "playing" in the playground yesterday evening.

What would have been wrong with the following sentence:

"occurring when they were children "

Please note that OG talks about two following two reasons for kicking out "A".
1. plural mismatch men/women -> child
2. Choice A incorrectly introduces the when... phrase with occurring, thus illogically making divorce the grammatical referent of when a child

Please tell what I am missing here.

Thanks
Mohit

Choice A incorrectly introduces the when... phrase with
occurring, thus illogically making divorce the grammatical referent of when a child

Lets look at the ambigous meaning that A and B convey.

Did the divorce happen when men and women were children?? NO

The sentences in A and B do not resolve this ambiguity.



The effects are happenning now-> present tense
The divorce happenned in the past-> we use simple past

Basically the sentence is saying that men and women whose parents went through a divorce when these men and women were children, experience some of the effects of their parent's divorce even today.

Hope this helps!

Regards,
CR

cramya wrote:

Choice A incorrectly introduces the when... phrase with
occurring, thus illogically making divorce the grammatical referent of when a child

Lets look at the ambigous meaning that A and B convey.

Did the divorce happen when men and women were children?? NO

The sentences in A and B do not resolve this ambiguity.



The effects are happenning now-> present tense
The divorce happenned in the past-> we use simple past

Basically the sentence is saying that men and women whose parents went through a divorce when these men and women were children, experience some of the effects of their parent's divorce even today.

Hope this helps!

Regards,
CR

In my opinion sentence is talking about the same set of people who went through the divorce...not their parents....please tell what I am missing here.

Thanks
Mohit

goelmohit2002 wrote:Thanks rajforgmat.

Does it mean that relative pronouns like "when", "which" etc. etc. modifies the immediately preceding nouns/pronouns...although these nouns/pronouns may not directly touch them ? For e.g. here "when" is not directly touching divorce....

Experts Kindly share your thoughts about this!!!

Thanks
Mohit

goelmohit2002 wrote:

rajforgmat wrote:Mohit - Actually there are two reasons why A & B are wrong and for one of those reasons C is also wrong.

1. You need to use the Past Tense "Occurred" (A & B doesn't)

Can you please help me understand why we need "occurred" for past tense in this sentence? For e.g. I think the following sentence is correct
Smita was "playing" in the playground yesterday evening.

What would have been wrong with the following sentence:

"occurring when they were children "

Please note that OG talks about two following two reasons for kicking out "A".
1. plural mismatch men/women -> child
2. Choice A incorrectly introduces the when... phrase with occurring, thus illogically making divorce the grammatical referent of when a child

Please tell what I am missing here.

Thanks
Mohit

Experts Kindly share your thoughts in resolving this doubt!!!

Thanks
Mohit

that occurred when they were children

How can this choice be correct when "they" is ambiguous?

I can see how it is the best among the choices, but is it "correct"?

Thanks for the help guys.

can u tell how they is ambiguous here...

IMO they clearly refers to "Men and Women"

Couldn't "they" refer to "the effects"?

effects cannot be children....actually antecedent rule need to be looked in connection with its logical connection too.....

Since effects cannot be children so they clearly refer to men and women..

if there would have been two things which could have been children, then they would have been ambiguous....

For e.g...

a) Men and Women.
b) People of America.

HTH