Participle vs Verb - Important Concept - Doubt ???

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For the below question is the correct answer which uses the participle form instead of the past tense (which is parallel to the left). So anyone please explain the logic behind the using supplying instead of supplied ?


Question: During the 18th century roughly 0.5 billion grams of gold are estimated to have left Columbia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama and Haiti and supplied 80% of the world's total quantity of recovered gold.

[A] During the 18th century it is estimated that roughly 0.5 billion grams of gold left Columbia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama and Haiti and supplied

It is estimated that 18th century roughly 0.5 billion grams of gold left Columbia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama and Haiti, supplying


is the correct answer.
Source: — Sentence Correction |

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by GMATGuruNY » Mon Nov 08, 2010 5:05 am
akshayanand wrote:For the below question B is the correct answer which uses the participle form instead of the past tense (which is parallel to the left). So anyone please explain the logic behind the using supplying instead of supplied ?


Question: During the 18th century roughly 0.5 billion grams of gold are estimated to have left Columbia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama and Haiti and supplied 80% of the world's total quantity of recovered gold.

[A] During the 18th century it is estimated that roughly 0.5 billion grams of gold left Columbia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama and Haiti and supplied

B) It is estimated that 18th century roughly 0.5 billion grams of gold left Columbia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama and Haiti, supplying

B is the correct answer.
Either of the following is grammatically correct:

.5 billion grams are estimated to have left Colombia...and to have supplied 80% of the world's recovered gold.
.5 billion grams are estimated to have left Colombia, supplying 80% of the world's recovered gold.


The difference is meaning. The first version suggests that there were two distinct actions: the grams of gold left; then they supplied. But these two actions were contemporaneous: they happened at the same time. The gold left, and through this action, the supplying took place. The participle supplying makes it clear that the two actions happened contemporaneously (at the same time).

Hope this helps!
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by akshayanand » Mon Nov 08, 2010 5:57 am
Thanks a lot for the prompt and precise reply.

Good day!

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