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OG12 - ing modifier after comma- exceptional case;Expert pls

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by GMATMadeEasy » Fri Mar 11, 2011 6:13 am
For members of the seventeenth-century Ashanti nation in Africa, animal-hide shields with wooden
frames were essential items of military equipment, a method to protect warriors against enemy arrows
and spears.

(Al a method to protect
(8l as a method protecting
(Cl protecting
(Dl as a protection of
(El to protect

OA is C .
OG explanation: Replacing the underlined phrase with the participle protecting creates a modifying phrase that clearly explains the purpose of the items of military equipment.
OG Explanation for C : In this sentence, protecting properly introduces a modifying phrase revealing the
purpose of the items.

My question: ing modifer are used for two purposes: simultaneaous action and consequence. In addition, if an ing modifier is followed by a clause, it is ,generally, applicable to the subject of clause but never applicable on object. However, this question does apply ing modifier on the nearby noun not the subject noun.

Please help.
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by GMATGuruNY » Fri Mar 11, 2011 6:48 am
GMATMadeEasy wrote:For members of the seventeenth-century Ashanti nation in Africa, animal-hide shields with wooden
frames were essential items of military equipment, a method to protect warriors against enemy arrows
and spears.

(Al a method to protect
(8l as a method protecting
(Cl protecting
(Dl as a protection of
(El to protect

OA is C .
OG explanation: Replacing the underlined phrase with the participle protecting creates a modifying phrase that clearly explains the purpose of the items of military equipment.
OG Explanation for C : In this sentence, protecting properly introduces a modifying phrase revealing the
purpose of the items.

My question: ing modifer are used for two purposes: simultaneaous action and consequence. In addition, if an ing modifier is followed by a clause, it is ,generally, applicable to the subject of clause but never applicable on object. However, this question does apply ing modifier on the nearby noun not the subject noun.

Please help.
When we see an -ing modifier, we should ask the following question:

Who or what is performing the action of the -ing word?

In the SC above, the shields are protecting. The modifying phrase at the end of the sentence (protecting...) is modifying the subject of the previous clause (shields). Indeed, we could move the modifying phrase in front of the clause that is being modified:

Protecting warriors against enemy arrows and spears, animal-hide shields with wooden frames were essential items of military equipment.

The correct answer is C.
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by 800target » Sat Mar 12, 2011 3:03 am
Nice explanation, BUT STILL I have doubt between C and E.
For eliminating (E), can we say infinitive can NOT come after COMMA. We know that infinitives are verbals so have nature of verbs. With regard to this rule(if I am right), we can easily narrow down to choice (C). Is the logic right??
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by gmat_perfect » Sat Mar 12, 2011 10:46 am
800target wrote:Nice explanation, BUT STILL I have doubt between C and E.
For eliminating (E), can we say infinitive can NOT come after COMMA. We know that infinitives are verbals so have nature of verbs. With regard to this rule(if I am right), we can easily narrow down to choice (C). Is the logic right??
Yes, BUT.

COMMA + To Verb is always wrong if the following is correct:

==> The words before COMMA are not modifier.

An example from GMATPREP:

Despite recent increases in sales and cash flow that have propelled automobile companies' common stocks to new highs, several industry analysts expect automakers, in order to conserve cash, to be more conservative than they have been in setting dividends.

Here, Analysts expect automakers to be more conservative. "in order to conserve cash" is just modifier.

==> COMMA + AND + To + Verb is not the last item in the parallelism.

Example:
They want to play, to win, and to have the first prize.

We can eliminate the "COMMA + To verb" if the verb is not working as verb.

Thanks.
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by 800target » Sat Mar 12, 2011 11:46 am
Thnaks gmat_perfect BUT based on your saying:
We can eliminate the "COMMA + To verb" if the verb is not working as verb.
in choice E, ''to protect'' we see that ''protect'' is a verb, so we can not eliminate this choice, hence the correct answer should be E based on your above rule!! BUT OA is C. Can you correct me OR elaborate your rule which you had explained bit more.

Thanks in advance.
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by GMATGuruNY » Sun Mar 13, 2011 4:00 am
800target wrote:Thnaks gmat_perfect BUT based on your saying:
We can eliminate the "COMMA + To verb" if the verb is not working as verb.
in choice E, ''to protect'' we see that ''protect'' is a verb, so we can not eliminate this choice, hence the correct answer should be E based on your above rule!! BUT OA is C. Can you correct me OR elaborate your rule which you had explained bit more.

Thanks in advance.
An infinitive modifier can function as an adjective or as an adverb:

The surest way to ace the GMAT is to study hard. (The infinitive modifier to ace the GMAT is an adjective modifying the noun way.)

You are certain to ace the GMAT if you study hard. (The infinitive modifier to ace the GMAT is an adverb modifying the adjective certain.)

In answer choice E above, it is unclear what word is being modified by to protect. It must be clear what a modifier is modifying. Thus, E can be eliminated.

When an -ing word functions as an adjective at the beginning of a phrase, the -ing word modifies the subject of the previous clause. Thus, in the correct answer C, it is clear that protecting is modifying (shields).
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by saswata4s » Thu Oct 12, 2017 10:35 pm
If I look at the core sentence with D, does it makes sense if we ignore the S-V agreement?

shields were essential items (of military equipment) as a protection of warriors

How can we eliminate D if the S-V issue is not there?

Regards.
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