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MGMAT SC

by j_shreyans » Sun May 17, 2015 6:43 am
Hi All ,

In MGMAT book it is written that "On the GMAT , do not use this or these in place of nouns."

So i am bit confused in the below example.


Researchers claim to have develop new "nano-papers" incorporating tiny cellulose fibers, which give "THESE MATERIALS" the strength of cast iron, according to the researchers.

Can you guys please explain why THESE is used in the above example.

Please explain guys.

Thanks,

Shreyans
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by ceilidh.erickson » Sun May 17, 2015 3:30 pm
In "these materials," "these" is acting as a modifier: it's telling us which materials we're talking about.

What the SC guide cautions against is the use of "this" or "these" to replace a noun altogether. For example:
"These taste good!"
"This isn't the one I wanted."

When "this" or "these" is used in this way, it's substituting for a noun or idea already mentioned - a noun which in implied. So really, we're just leaving out the noun that should be modified:

"These [cupcakes] taste good!"
"This [hat] isn't the one I wanted."

So in conclusion, these words are fine when modifying a noun (check out "these words" earlier in this very sentence!), but not when they're used to replace nouns.
Ceilidh Erickson
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education
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