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Most of Portugal’s 250,000 university students

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Most of Portugal’s 250,000 university students

by aditya8062 » Sun Aug 10, 2014 11:25 am
Most of Portugal's 250,000 university students boycotted classes in a one-day strike to
protest a law that requires them to contribute $330 a year toward the cost of higher
education, previously paying $7 per year.
A. year toward the cost of higher education, previously paying $7 per year
B. year toward the cost of higher education, for which was previously paid $7 per
year
C. year, compared to the previously $7 per year, toward the cost of higher education
D. year toward the cost of higher education, instead of the $7 per year required
previously
E. year as opposed to the $7 per year required previously for the cost of higher
education

my doubt : i want to understand the usage of "comma + instead of" construction .is "instead" acting as preposition here? kindly elaborate more on "comma +instead" construction .this construction always baffles me
also please tell me if " semi colon + instead" can be used to introduce new clause

thanks and regards
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by simplytahseen » Sun Aug 10, 2014 1:18 pm
I am confused between options C and D. Here, "instead of" in D works like "which "modifying higher education, whereas original sentence is actually comparing the amounts. I think the correct answer is choice "C" which retains the original meaning of sentence.
Last edited by simplytahseen on Sat Aug 16, 2014 4:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
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by GMATGuruNY » Tue Aug 12, 2014 8:19 am
aditya8062 wrote:Most of Portugal's 250,000 university students boycotted classes in a one-day strike to
protest a law that requires them to contribute $330 a year toward the cost of higher
education, previously paying $7 per year.
A. year toward the cost of higher education, previously paying $7 per year
B. year toward the cost of higher education, for which was previously paid $7 per
year
C. year, compared to the previously $7 per year, toward the cost of higher education
D. year toward the cost of higher education, instead of the $7 per year required
previously
E. year as opposed to the $7 per year required previously for the cost of higher
education

my doubt : i want to understand the usage of "comma + instead of" construction .is "instead" acting as preposition here? kindly elaborate more on "comma +instead" construction .this construction always baffles me

thanks and regards
Instead of is a preposition that means IN PLACE OF.
Generally, instead of + noun serves as an adverb, indicating that an action is performed upon one thing INSTEAD OF another.

In the SCs below, all of the modifiers in red serve the same basic function:
Each serves to FURTHER DEFINE A VALUE IN THE PRECEDING CLAUSE (shown below in upper case letters).

The law requires students to contribute $330 A YEAR toward the cost of higher education, instead of the $7 per year required previously.
Soaring television costs accounted for MORE THAN HALF the spending in the presidential campaign of 1992, a greater proportion than in any previous election.
Companies in the United States are providing job training and general education for nearly EIGHT MILLION PEOPLE, about as many as are enrolled in the nation's four-year colleges and universities.
Siberia's Lake Baikal holds 20 PERCENT of the world's fresh water, more than all the North American Great Lakes combined.

These sorts of modifiers are VERY COMMON on the GMAT.
COMMA + instead of + noun is simply one example of this type of modifier.

I posted a full explanation for the SC above here:
https://www.beatthegmat.com/gmatprep-sc-t270774.html
also please tell me if " semi colon + instead" can be used to introduce new clause
Yes.
The OA to the following SC includes SEMI-COLON + instead:
https://www.beatthegmat.com/semi-colon-t168198.html
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by aditya8062 » Wed Aug 20, 2014 6:18 am
Thanks Guru
i have one follow up question
you have written the following :
Instead of is a preposition that means IN PLACE OF.
Generally, instead of + noun serves as an adverb, indicating that an action is performed upon one thing INSTEAD OF another.

In the SCs below, all of the modifiers in red serve the same basic function:
Each serves to FURTHER DEFINE A VALUE IN THE PRECEDING CLAUSE (shown below in upper case letters).
you have written that comma + instead of +noun serves as an adverb .but if it is adverbial then should it not modify the action in the previous clause? Also in the examples that you have demonstrated ,if these expressions (the one in RED) are further defining the VALUE IN THE PRECEDING CLAUSE then how are these expressions functioning as adverbial in nature?

Thanks
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by GMATGuruNY » Wed Aug 20, 2014 8:17 am
aditya8062 wrote:Thanks Guru
i have one follow up question
you have written the following :
Instead of is a preposition that means IN PLACE OF.
Generally, instead of + noun serves as an adverb, indicating that an action is performed upon one thing INSTEAD OF another.

In the SCs below, all of the modifiers in red serve the same basic function:
Each serves to FURTHER DEFINE A VALUE IN THE PRECEDING CLAUSE (shown below in upper case letters).
you have written that comma + instead of +noun serves as an adverb .but if it is adverbial then should it not modify the action in the previous clause? Also in the examples that you have demonstrated ,if these expressions (the one in RED) are further defining the VALUE IN THE PRECEDING CLAUSE then how are these expressions functioning as adverbial in nature?

Thanks
Students pay $330 instead of $7.
Since instead of serves to express what students PAY -- they no longer PAY $7, they now PAY $330 -- its role here seems adverbial:

The modifiers in red are not exactly the same.
Whether one is technically an adverb, while another is technically a noun modifier -- this sort of distinction is besides the point.
What matters is the PATTERN:
The main clause discusses A VALUE; the modifier in red puts this value in context.
This sort of construction is very common on the GMAT.
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I have worked with students based in the US, Australia, Taiwan, China, Tajikistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia -- a long list of countries.
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by bonbossamazing » Tue Feb 17, 2015 1:06 am
GMATGuruNY wrote:
aditya8062 wrote:Thanks Guru
i have one follow up question
you have written the following :
Instead of is a preposition that means IN PLACE OF.
Generally, instead of + noun serves as an adverb, indicating that an action is performed upon one thing INSTEAD OF another.

In the SCs below, all of the modifiers in red serve the same basic function:
Each serves to FURTHER DEFINE A VALUE IN THE PRECEDING CLAUSE (shown below in upper case letters).
you have written that comma + instead of +noun serves as an adverb .but if it is adverbial then should it not modify the action in the previous clause? Also in the examples that you have demonstrated ,if these expressions (the one in RED) are further defining the VALUE IN THE PRECEDING CLAUSE then how are these expressions functioning as adverbial in nature?

Thanks
Students pay $330 instead of $7.
Since instead of serves to express what students PAY -- they no longer PAY $7, they now PAY $330 -- its role here seems adverbial:

The modifiers in red are not exactly the same.
Whether one is technically an adverb, while another is technically a noun modifier -- this sort of distinction is besides the point.
What matters is the PATTERN:
The main clause discusses A VALUE; the modifier in red puts this value in context.
This sort of construction is very common on the GMAT.
Whats wrong in option A i think previously is correctly modifying students. Your valuable comments can vanish all doubts.
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by GMATGuruNY » Tue Feb 17, 2015 3:36 am
bonbossamazing wrote: Whats wrong in option A i think previously is correctly modifying students. Your valuable comments can vanish all doubts.
In A, previously serves as an adverb modifying paying, indicating WHEN the students are paying.
WHEN are the students paying?
They are PREVIOUSLY paying.

Generally, a COMMA + VERBing modifier serves to express an action that is CONCURRENT with the nearest preceding action.
A: a law that requires them to contribute $330 a year toward the cost of higher education, previously paying $7 per year.
Here, COMMA + previously paying seems to refer to contribute (the nearest preceding action).
implied meaning:
When students contribute $330 a year, at the same time they are PREVIOUSLY PAYING $7 per year.
This meaning is nonsensical.
Eliminate A.
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by thang » Wed Sep 02, 2015 12:12 am
aditya8062 wrote:Most of Portugal's 250,000 university students boycotted classes in a one-day strike to
protest a law that requires them to contribute $330 a year toward the cost of higher
education, previously paying $7 per year.
A. year toward the cost of higher education, previously paying $7 per year
B. year toward the cost of higher education, for which was previously paid $7 per
year
C. year, compared to the previously $7 per year, toward the cost of higher education
D. year toward the cost of higher education, instead of the $7 per year required
previously
E. year as opposed to the $7 per year required previously for the cost of higher
education

both "compared to" and "as opposed to" can be used to connect two noun, not as a adverb modifying a clause.
in C "previously" is wrong
E is left.
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by gmatdriller » Sun Sep 13, 2015 5:16 am
Though the correct response here is D.

What happens if D where framed as shown below:

...university students boycotted classes in a one-day strike to protest a law that requires them to contribute $330 a...year, instead of the $7 per year required previously toward the cost of higher education

This choice looks more like E in which the "$330 a year" earlier in the sentence supposed to touch the modifier - "toward the cost of higher education"
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by thang » Sun Sep 13, 2015 11:59 pm
GMATGuruNY wrote:
aditya8062 wrote:Thanks Guru
i have one follow up question
you have written the following :
Instead of is a preposition that means IN PLACE OF.
Generally, instead of + noun serves as an adverb, indicating that an action is performed upon one thing INSTEAD OF another.

In the SCs below, all of the modifiers in red serve the same basic function:
Each serves to FURTHER DEFINE A VALUE IN THE PRECEDING CLAUSE (shown below in upper case letters).
you have written that comma + instead of +noun serves as an adverb .but if it is adverbial then should it not modify the action in the previous clause? Also in the examples that you have demonstrated ,if these expressions (the one in RED) are further defining the VALUE IN THE PRECEDING CLAUSE then how are these expressions functioning as adverbial in nature?

Thanks
Students pay $330 instead of $7.
Since instead of serves to express what students PAY -- they no longer PAY $7, they now PAY $330 -- its role here seems adverbial:

The modifiers in red are not exactly the same.
Whether one is technically an adverb, while another is technically a noun modifier -- this sort of distinction is besides the point.
What matters is the PATTERN:
The main clause discusses A VALUE; the modifier in red puts this value in context.
This sort of construction is very common on the GMAT.
Thank you Hunt, your posting is great
one problem, pls confirm.

instead of +noun can be an adverb modifying the main clause: instead of learning gmat, I go out for change. this is correct sentence.
instead of+noun can work , (is called conjuction connecting two phrases of the same kind) to connect two noun. in the previous example, instead of work in this fuction. not as an adverb.

These are 2 kinds of use, instead of has.

Am i correct.
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by nikhilgmat31 » Fri Sep 18, 2015 10:59 pm
GMATGuruNY wrote:
aditya8062 wrote:Most of Portugal's 250,000 university students boycotted classes in a one-day strike to
protest a law that requires them to contribute $330 a year toward the cost of higher
education, previously paying $7 per year.
A. year toward the cost of higher education, previously paying $7 per year
B. year toward the cost of higher education, for which was previously paid $7 per
year
C. year, compared to the previously $7 per year, toward the cost of higher education
D. year toward the cost of higher education, instead of the $7 per year required
previously
E. year as opposed to the $7 per year required previously for the cost of higher
education

my doubt : i want to understand the usage of "comma + instead of" construction .is "instead" acting as preposition here? kindly elaborate more on "comma +instead" construction .this construction always baffles me

thanks and regards
Instead of is a preposition that means IN PLACE OF.
Generally, instead of + noun serves as an adverb, indicating that an action is performed upon one thing INSTEAD OF another.

In the SCs below, all of the modifiers in red serve the same basic function:
Each serves to FURTHER DEFINE A VALUE IN THE PRECEDING CLAUSE (shown below in upper case letters).

The law requires students to contribute $330 A YEAR toward the cost of higher education, instead of the $7 per year required previously.
Soaring television costs accounted for MORE THAN HALF the spending in the presidential campaign of 1992, a greater proportion than in any previous election.
Companies in the United States are providing job training and general education for nearly EIGHT MILLION PEOPLE, about as many as are enrolled in the nation's four-year colleges and universities.
Siberia's Lake Baikal holds 20 PERCENT of the world's fresh water, more than all the North American Great Lakes combined.

These sorts of modifiers are VERY COMMON on the GMAT.
COMMA + instead of + noun is simply one example of this type of modifier.

I posted a full explanation for the SC above here:
https://www.beatthegmat.com/gmatprep-sc-t270774.html
also please tell me if " semi colon + instead" can be used to introduce new clause
Yes.
The OA to the following SC includes SEMI-COLON + instead:
https://www.beatthegmat.com/semi-colon-t168198.html

Hi Mitch,

Can you please give me a particular pointers for Modifiers clauses starting with a comma. I am always confused with those,

Also Where to use Being in such sentences. Being troubles me everytime.

You have mentioned These sorts of modifiers are VERY COMMON on the GMAT. - Can you please give me more examples.

1) The law requires students to contribute $330 A YEAR toward the cost of higher education, instead of the $7 per year required previously.
2) Soaring television costs accounted for MORE THAN HALF the spending in the presidential campaign of 1992, a greater proportion than in any previous election.
3) Companies in the United States are providing job training and general education for nearly EIGHT MILLION PEOPLE, about as many as are enrolled in the nation's four-year colleges and universities.
4) Siberia's Lake Baikal holds 20 PERCENT of the world's fresh water, more than all the North American Great Lakes combined.
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