Irish poet Seamus Heaney has won a number of prizes for his work, including the Nobel Prize in Literature and two Whitbread Book of the Year awards.


A)Irish poet Seamus Heaney has won a number of prizes for his work, including
Correct. ",including the Nobel prize..." is descriptive modifier and is correct terminology.

B)The number of prizes won by Irish poet Seamus Heaney include
Wrong. The number of ... requires a singular verb.

C)Irish poet Seamus Heaney has won numbers of prizes for his work, including
Wrong. Numbers is not correct terminology.

D)The numbers of prizes won by Irish poet Seamus Heaney include
Wrong. Numbers is not correct terminology.

E)Seamus Heaney's Irish poetry has won a number of prizes for him, including
Wrong. Irish poetry changes the meaning of the intended sentence.

I guess there is a problem with choice A. Ing-modifier modifies the subject of the preceeding clause. So here it nonsensically modifies The Poet.

In option A the verb-ing modifier rule ie. following a clause with a comma applies, it rightly modifies the preceding clause.

In options B "the number" cant include the prizes...so its wrong.

In C and D we have "numbers of prizes"

In E... nothing is told about the type of poetry as per main question.. So it is also wrong.

Regards.

j_shreyans wrote:I just need to clear one thing that in OA COMMA+ VERBing rule is applicable

Generally, COMMA + VERBing serves to modify the nearest preceding SUBJECT AND VERB, expressing an action that is attributed to the nearest preceding subject and that happens at the same time as or as a result of the nearest preceding action.
Irish poet Seamus Heaney has won a number of prizes for his work, including the Nobel Prize in Literature and two Whitbread Book of the Year awards.
Here, it could be argued that COMMA + including serves to modify Irish poet Seamus Heaney has won (the preceding subject and verb).
Conveyed meaning:
When IRISH POET SEAMUS HEANEY WON a number of prizes, he was at the same time INCLUDING among these prizes the Nobel Prize in Literature and two Whitbread Book of the Year awards.

That said, some dictionaries classify including as a PREPOSITION that serves to introduces EXAMPLES of the nearest preceding plural noun.
Here, COMMA + including introduces examples of the PRIZES won by Irish poet Seamus Heaney.
I recommend applying this rule to COMMA + including: it must serve to introduce examples of the nearest preceding plural noun.

Hi GMATGuru ,

Thanks for the explanation.

I need some questions where COMMA+VERBing modifier is used. Can you please give some links so that I can practice.

Thanks,