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MGMAT: LINKING VERB as PARALLEL MARKER

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MGMAT: LINKING VERB as PARALLEL MARKER

by imskpwr » Sun Feb 10, 2013 9:44 am
OG13 SC100 Option E: Being heavily committed to a course of action,especially one that has worked well in the past,is likely to make an executive miss signs of incipienttrouble or misinterpret them when they do appear.

According to MGMAT SC: "Treat any linking verb as a parallel marker. Make the subject and the object parallel."
If so, how can we make "being"(gerund) parallel to "to make.."(infinitives)?
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by Tommy Wallach » Sun Feb 10, 2013 11:54 pm
Hey Imskpwr,

That section in the book is a bit confusing. But to be clear, you only need to worry about this when matching a noun to a noun. When using a linking verb to match a noun to an adjective, obviously you don't need (or want) parallelism. For example:

I am purple. (noun to adjective)

In your sentence, the subject of the sentence is "being heavily committed to a course of action" (it's a mouthful of a subject), and then we simply describe it. It's no different from saying:

This pizza is likely to make me sick.

Hope that helps!

-t
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by imskpwr » Mon Feb 11, 2013 3:17 am
Tommy Wallach wrote:Hey Imskpwr,

That section in the book is a bit confusing. But to be clear, you only need to worry about this when matching a noun to a noun. When using a linking verb to match a noun to an adjective, obviously you don't need (or want) parallelism. For example:

I am purple. (noun to adjective)

In your sentence, the subject of the sentence is "being heavily committed to a course of action" (it's a mouthful of a subject), and then we simply describe it. It's no different from saying:

This pizza is likely to make me sick.

Hope that helps!

-t
I am Purple.
This is totally illogical in GMAT. How can you compare "PURPLE" with "I".

This pizza is likely to make me sick.
I think such constructions ("is to..") to denote FUTURE actions are not correct in GMAT.
Instead we can say/write, "this pizza may make me sick".
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by Tommy Wallach » Mon Feb 11, 2013 9:42 am
Hey imskpwr,

There is nothing wrong with connecting an adjective to a noun with a linking verb:

The bodybuilder was exhausted by the long day on the slopes.
I am sick and tired of all these GMAT questions.
He is French.

And my sample sentence is fine: "This pizza is likely to make me sick."

Or more GMAT-style: This signifiant a change in taxation policy is likely to raise eyebrows at City Hall, where even the smallest change to law is greeted with skepticism.

-t
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by imskpwr » Tue Feb 12, 2013 10:28 am
There is nothing wrong with connecting an adjective to a noun with a linking verb:
Very true.
The bodybuilder was exhausted by the long day on the slopes.
This sentence is in PASSIVE VOICE. "Exhausted" is not an ADJECTIVE here.

I am sick and tired of all these GMAT questions.
He is French.
These sentences are acceptable as all adjectives are complementing their subjects in a Parallel structure.
And my sample sentence is fine: "This pizza is likely to make me sick."
Erroneous Construction.
Correct one is:
"EATING this pizza is likely to make me sick".

ANYHOW, Let me clearly state my doubt in SC100.
"Being heavily..." is a GERUND
"is" is a LINKING VERB
"Likely" is an ADJECTIVE
"to make ..." is an INFINITIVE

Here, "Being heavily ." is used for "EXECUTIVE"

So the actual structure is similar to:
it is "likely" for an "EXECUTIVE" who is "HEAVILY COMMITTED" " to miss signs of incipient..."
OR
"to make an executive miss signs..." is "Likely" when an "EXECUTIVE" is "HEAVILY COMMITTED.."

Instead of Complementing Subject of original sentence which is "Being...", "LIKELY" is Complementing "to make ...".

Since it is a correct OFFICIAL answer, The Structure is 100% legitimate. This structure is quite similar to "it is ADJECTIVE + INFINITIVE".

But still I am not clear about how the various parts are placed correctly.
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by Tommy Wallach » Tue Feb 12, 2013 6:22 pm
Hey Imskpwr,

First issue:

The bodybuilder was exhausted by the long day on the slopes.

Fair enough, this is passive. Simply replace as:

The bodybuilder is exhausted.

No problem.

"This pizza is likely to make me sick."

This is not an incorrect sentence. "Eating this pizza is likely to make me sick" is also okay, though I would argue not quite as good. A gerund is a noun, just as "this pizza" is a noun, so one isn't more parallel than the other. I'm not sure where you're getting that idea.

The movie is likely to make me sad.
The business is likely to make me rich.
His ardor is likely to leave me cold.

All three are fine, unless you can point me to an official question where they don't like this stuff.

To answer your last issue: "Likely" can't modify "being". "Likely" is being used here as an adverb, but "being" is a noun. "Likely" (in this sentence) has to modify a verb.

-t

P.S. Better to use the word "modify," rather than "complement," for a couple reasons. First, the official terminology in all GMAT publications is "modify," second, "complement" means something slightly different.
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by imskpwr » Tue Feb 12, 2013 11:10 pm
Another interpretation of this SC100 is,

"being...." a Gerund
"is likely to" a MODAL
"make" main VERB

Considering this structure the issue is resolved.
According to you, which interpretation is CORRECT?
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by Tommy Wallach » Wed Feb 13, 2013 9:45 am
Hey Imskpwr,

I think you're way overthinking this at this point! We've got a beautiful noun and a lovely verb! Who cares if it's a modal (the GMAT doesn't test anything about modals that requires even knowing what they are!)? "likely" is just an adverb that takes the preposition "to".

I am likely to go home.
He is likely to go to France.
Being heavily committed to a course of action is likely to make an executive...

Hope that helps!

-t
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by lunarpower » Tue Feb 19, 2013 1:22 am
i received a private message about this thread.

it appears that tommy has pretty much covered the bases that have to be covered here, but i'll add one comment:
don't forget -- the only SC knowledge you need (or even want) is functional knowledge.

in other words, it makes no difference what these things are called or how you classify them. (i don't have any idea what a "modal" is, and I have to google "gerund" again every time someone mentions it.) you just have to know what the constructions look like and how they're used.

so, when it comes to something like "I am likely to be late tomorrow" -- just do the following:
1/
remember what the construction looks like
2/
MAKE YOUR OWN EXAMPLES using the same construction (e.g.,
the engine is likely to overheat with heavy use
leather jackets are likely to stretch, so you should buy them very tight
etc.)

if you can do both of these things, then you're in business, and you understand everything that you need to understand here. don't waste your time trying to classify everything into neat little boxes.
Ron has been teaching various standardized tests for 20 years.

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