The differences between HAVING... and WITH

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The differences between HAVING... and WITH

by GetridofG » Sun Jun 07, 2015 2:31 pm

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The intricate structure of the compound insect eye, having hundreds of miniature eyes called ommatidia, helps explain why scientists have assumed that they evoveld independently of the vertebrate eye.
Here, it seems better to use "with its hundreds of miniature eyes called ommatidia, helps explain why scientists have assumed that it".....
I want to know besides other grammatical errors, is there any preference to use HAVING... and WITH? Or how to differentiate when to use which?

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by ceilidh.erickson » Sun Jun 07, 2015 4:23 pm

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Here is the full question for anyone interested. (Please always post the full question and source!)
OG2105 #7
The intricate structure of the compound insect eye, having hundreds of miniature eyes called ommatidia, help explain why scientists have assumed that it evolved independently of the vertebrate eye.

A: having hundreds of miniature eyes called ommatidia, help explain why scientists have assumed that it
B: having hundreds of miniature eyes that are called ommatidia, helps explain why scientists have assumed that they
C: with its hundreds of miniature eyes that are called ommatidia, helps explain scientists' assuming that they
D: with its hundreds of miniature eyes called ommatidia, help explain scientists' assuming that it
E: with its hundreds of miniature eyes called ommatidia, helps explain why scientists have assumed that it

OA is E
Your question is about when to use HAVING generally speaking. To put it simply: almost never! HAVING and BEING, when they show up in answer choices, are almost always wrong! Native English speakers tend to overuse these words, perhaps in an attempt to make their language sound more flowery. Grammatically, though, they should only be used when the ACT OF HAVING or the ACT OF BEING is the topic.

Here are some of the few correct usages:

HAVING too many friends can be a burden.
HAVING more cars than I can use, I don't mind lending them to friends.
<- even this usage is doubtful. It's better to say "since I have..."

If you want a quick general rule: HAVING as a modifier is almost always wrong, so it's probably a better bet to quickly cross it off than worry if you have a rare case when it's being used correctly.
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by kutlee » Mon Jun 08, 2015 6:52 am

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The intricate structure of the compound insect eye, having hundreds of miniature eyes called ommatidia, help explain why scientists have assumed that it evolved independently of the vertebrate eye.

Here Having seems to modify the intricate structure. Is this correct analysis?

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by GMATGuruNY » Tue Jun 09, 2015 5:09 am

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kutlee wrote:The intricate structure of the compound insect eye, having hundreds of miniature eyes called ommatidia, help explain why scientists have assumed that it evolved independently of the vertebrate eye.

Here Having seems to modify the intricate structure. Is this correct analysis?
Yes.
Generally, the agent of a COMMA + VERBing modifier is the NEAREST PRECEDING SUBJECT.
Here, the agent of COMMA + having seems to be the intricate structure -- the nearest preceding subject -- implying that the STRUCTURE is having hundreds of miniature eyes.
Since the intended meaning is that the COMPOUND EYE is composed of hundreds of miniature eyes, the COMMA + having modifier distorts the intended meaning.
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by [email protected] » Thu Feb 21, 2019 3:38 pm

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Hello Everyone!

Let's take a close look at this question, one problem at a time, to come up with the right answer quickly! Before we dive in, here is the original question with the major differences between each option highlighted in orange:

The intricate structure of the compound insect eye, having hundreds of miniature eyes called ommatidia, help explain why scientists have assumed that it evolved independently of the vertebrate eye.

(A) having hundreds of miniature eyes called ommatidia, help explain why scientists have assumed that it
(B) having hundreds of miniature eyes that are called ommatidia, helps explain why scientists have assumed that they
(C) with its hundreds of miniature eyes that are called ommatidia, helps explain scientists' assuming that they
(D) with its hundreds of miniature eyes called ommatidia, help explain scientists' assuming that it
(E) with its hundreds of miniature eyes called ommatidia, helps explain why scientists have assumed that it

Right away, 3 major differences jump out between each option:

1. having hundreds / with its hundreds
2. help / helps
3. it / they


#2 and #3 on the list are both easy concepts to deal with, so let's start there before getting to #1 on the list, which is a little more complicated.

#2 on our list deals with subject/verb agreement. We know that the subject is the singular word "structure." Let's rule out any options that use the plural verb "help," which doesn't agree in number with our singular subject!

(A) having hundreds of miniature eyes called ommatidia, help explain why scientists have assumed that it
(B) having hundreds of miniature eyes that are called ommatidia, helps explain why scientists have assumed that they
(C) with its hundreds of miniature eyes that are called ommatidia, helps explain scientists' assuming that they
(D) with its hundreds of miniature eyes called ommatidia, help explain scientists' assuming that it
(E) with its hundreds of miniature eyes called ommatidia, helps explain why scientists have assumed that it

There you go - right away, we can eliminate options A & D because they don't follow proper subject/verb agreement!

Now, let's tackle #3 on our list: it/they. This is an issue of pronoun/antecedent agreement! The pronouns are referring back again to our subject: structure. Let's rule out any options that use the plural pronoun "they" because it doesn't agree in number with our singular antecedent:

(B) having hundreds of miniature eyes that are called ommatidia, helps explain why scientists have assumed that they
(C) with its hundreds of miniature eyes that are called ommatidia, helps explain scientists' assuming that they
(E) with its hundreds of miniature eyes called ommatidia, helps explain why scientists have assumed that it

This leaves us with only one option left - option E, which is the correct answer! It uses proper subject/verb agreement and pronoun/antecedent agreement throughout!

(If you're wondering why we skipped over #1 on our list, it's because both constructions are actually okay to use. Instead of wasting time fretting over something that looks confusing, start with the easy differences first, such as subject/verb agreement or pronoun/antecedent agreement. Most of the time, those will rule out enough options for you to choose the correct overall answer. If not, then you can take more time to deal with the more complicated stuff.)


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