S-V agreement

[vipulgoyal]

As algae spread in freshwater ponds and lakes, water quality decreases; thus, reducing the nutrients such as phosphorus, that enter a body of water, is central to reducing algae, which thrive on certain pollutants.

A. nutrients such as phosphorus, that enter a body of water, is central to
B. nutrients that enter a body of water such as phosphorus is key to
C. nutrients, such as phosphorus, that enter a body of water plays a major role in
D. nutrients such as phosphorus that enter a body of water are a major part of
E. nutrients such as phosphorus which can enter a body of water, hold the key

C OE says "Reducing (the nutrients)" is the singular subject if so then why there is "that enter" why not "that enters" in OA

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Hi vipulgoyal,

This is a layered SC, but before I go into the specific rules (and answer your question), it's worth noting that ALL of the answers use the word "enter" (NONE of them gives you the option to use the word "enters"), so your question is not even an "issue" to consider with this question. It IS an issue in terms of general grammar though, so I'll be happy to answer it.

We essentially have 2 verb issues:

First, we have "reducing the NUTRIENTS" - here, "nutrients" is plural, so the immediate verb that follows should be "enter" ("nutrients....that enter" is grammatically correct).

Second, we have "REDUCING the nutrients" - here, "reducing" is singular, so the second verb "plays" is correct ("REDUCING the nutrients....PLAYS a major role...")

This type of "layering" isn't too common on the GMAT, so you shouldn't be too concerned about dealing with this type of situation.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich