Perfect tenses can be used only when the order of the events are not clear.

IMO B

A/C - usage of has waited indicates present perfect tense which is not necessary
D - usage of was waiting and deciding indicates simultaneous action whereas the intended meaning is waiting got over before he decided.
E - 'that' is not necessary.

LalaB wrote:The limousine driver has waited for almost an hour before deciding his client was not going to show up.

-The limousine driver has waited for almost an hour before deciding
-The limousine driver waited for almost an hour before deciding
-The limousine driver has waited for almost an hour before he decided that
-The limousine driver was waiting for almost an hour before deciding
-The limousine driver waited for almost an hour before deciding that
source kaplan

The driver completed his waiting before he took the decision about his client - this means verb HAS WAITED should be replaced by PAST TENSE; Only B/E remains

IMO use of BEFORE DECIDING THAT is better than BEFORE DECIDING. Use of THAT clearly shows what decision driver took; Without THAT, it may appear that DRIVER is DECIDING HIS CLIENT.

IMO E

Between B and E, How is that not needed.
Please help me understand this!

When do we get the answer?

imo bet B/E leaning towards E

guys, please dont just write imho b or imho c. please write why u think that ur answer choice is the best

oops! sorry Lala! ok...

Well, now I think it's B. Give me five minutes and I'll change my mind.

Would it be correct to write, "The judge waited an hour before deciding John's fate."?

or, similarly, "The driver waited an hour before deeming John a no-show."?


If the above would be correct, then does it follow that B is sufficient?

as in..."The driver waited an hour before deciding his client was a no-show."?

In order to use 'that', should it be..."before he decided THAT his client was a no-show."?

(edited cause now i'm all paranoid about my lame, vague sentences. )

Now I think it's D because that's the only choice that seems parallel.

<embarrassed>

please put me out of my misery soon!

Don't see much difference between B and E..either seems fine to me. Maybe an expert can comment? What is the OA?

Between B and E :

B. The limousine driver waited for almost an hour before deciding his client was not going to show up.

E. The limousine driver waited for almost an hour before deciding that his client was not going to show up.

verb + adverb + object.
verb + object + adverb.

In B - "his client was not going to show up" is the object of the verb "waited" or for the verb in noun form "deciding"

In E - it is clear with "that" - "that his client was not going to show up" is the object of the the verb in noun form ( decide).

Noun clause with "that" generally act for a noun clause for the nearest verb(in which ever form it is. ) - afterall that is the purpose of using "that"

very good one, please share the OA ??

Please share the OA and OE if possible.

"that" is required to properly denote what that guy decided.

hence E

B. The limousine driver waited for almost an hour before deciding his client
this distorts the meaning of the sentence. It tries to convey that the limousine driver made to decide his client.

E. The limousine driver waited for almost an hour before deciding that his client
The usage of that introduces a subordinate clause and correctly conveys what the limousine driver decided.

My 2cents:
Words like assuming, suggesting, declaring, etc. are mostly followed by the word that to appropriately convey the meaning of the sentence.

Hope it helps!

the OA is E

the OE is -

Read the Original Sentence Carefully, Looking for Errors:

There is an error in the parallel time structure of this sentence. The actions were completed in the past and so the verb must match the past form. Also, the other problem is that it's conversational to say, "the driver waited before deciding his client wasn't going to show up," but in GMAT English you need a "that" after "deciding."

Scan and Group the Answer Choices:

Choices (A), (C), and (D) use the present tense. Choices (B) and (E) use the past tense.

Eliminate Choices Until Only One Remains:

Choices (A) and (C) can be eliminated because they incorrectly use the present tense.

Choice (D) incorrectly uses the past participle form, "was waiting."

Choice (B) correctly uses the past tense but does not add "that" after "deciding."

Only Answer Choice (E) correctly uses the past tense and adds "that" after "deciding."

LalaB wrote:The limousine driver has waited for almost an hour before deciding his client was not going to show up.

-The limousine driver has waited for almost an hour before deciding
-The limousine driver waited for almost an hour before deciding
-The limousine driver has waited for almost an hour before he decided that
-The limousine driver was waiting for almost an hour before deciding
-The limousine driver waited for almost an hour before deciding that


source kaplan

waiting and deciding are the two events. Waiting occurred before deciding. The meaning is correctly conveyed by AO: E