Manhattan 600 + Need experts help..

[btgyes]

1 Ques :

there are two things , one is fingers and other is toe

so acc to me , we should use NUMBERS in place of NUMBER. but then its WRONG . Please specify WHY ?

2. Is is right to say like

ERRING IS HUMAN ????

Thanks

[bubbliiiiiiii]

Firstly, excuse me for posting in this thread as the person who posted the question wanted to seek an experts help which I am not.

But since I felt that I have found a reason to pick the answer, I am posting my points out of curiosity so that even my thought process be verified by experts!

Question already discussed at: https://www.beatthegmat.com/number-of-vs ... 51119.html


Can someone explain why to use "Having" (C) instead of "To have"(D)?

[Night reader]

Having more than the usual numbers of fingers and toes on the hands or feet is termed polydactyly.

A) Having more than the usual numbers of fingers and toes - Incorrect, as the quantifier 'the number' is put in the plural form with the types of fingers or toes;
B) Having had more than the usual numbers of fingers and toes - Incorrect, as the modifier 'having had' is put in the past participle form for the present simple tense;
C) Having more than the usual number of fingers and toes - Correct, as the modifier is responsible for the action and plays the role of subject;
D) To have more than the usual numbers of fingers and toes - Incorrect, 'to verb' is infinitive form of the subject requiring the action to be considered in the cause-effect relationship, whereas this connection implies to be not quite correct here; the connection between the unusual number of fingers and toes and the term named polydactyly is directly specified rather than done in the causal manner;
E) To have more than the usual numbers of fingers and toes - Incorrect, reasons specified in A) and D)

[BastiG]

There is no rule whether c or d is right. I also can't think of any construction in the gmat where to + infintiv functions As a subject and where this construction is the critical factor.

Ron suggested that to + Infinitiv is used, when there is not a concrete noun such as love.

Example:

'to become a mother of six children was her greatest ambition

[Night reader]

There is no rule whether c or d is right. I also can't think of any construction in the gmat where to + infintiv functions As a subject and where this construction is the critical factor.

Ron suggested that to + Infinitiv is used, when there is not a concrete noun such as love.

Example:

'to become a mother of six children was her greatest ambition

D) To have more than the usual number of fingers and toes (...) - Incorrect,
'to verb' is infinitive form of the subject requiring the action to be considered in the cause-effect relationship -->

(...)-To have more than the usual number of fingers and toes on the hands or feet is termed polydactyly.

To know is to live --> cause= to know, effect= is to live
cause=To have more than the usual number of fingers and toes, effect=possible [... is to have motor or sensory functions changed (one example)]
not effect attribute=is termed polydactyly.

What Ron said in the prior posts might have distinct application though.

[BastiG]

There is no rule whether c or d is right. I also can't think of any construction in the gmat where to + infintiv functions As a subject and where this construction is the critical factor.

Ron suggested that to + Infinitiv is used, when there is not a concrete noun such as love.

Example:

'to become a mother of six children was her greatest ambition

D) To have more than the usual number of fingers and toes (...) - Incorrect,
'to verb' is infinitive form of the subject requiring the action to be considered in the cause-effect relationship -->

(...)-To have more than the usual number of fingers and toes on the hands or feet is termed polydactyly.

To know is to live --> cause= to know, effect= is to live
cause=To have more than the usual number of fingers and toes, effect=possible [... is to have motor or sensory functions changed (one example)]
not effect attribute=is termed polydactyly.

What Ron said in the prior posts might have distinct application though.

The context is this question. Here is the link:
https://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/ger ... t3133.html

And i think that cause and effect is not a sufficient explanation. The manhattan experts would have mentioned it!

[Night reader]

There is no rule whether c or d is right. I also can't think of any construction in the gmat where to + infintiv functions As a subject and where this construction is the critical factor.

Ron suggested that to + Infinitiv is used, when there is not a concrete noun such as love.

Example:

'to become a mother of six children was her greatest ambition

D) To have more than the usual number of fingers and toes (...) - Incorrect,
'to verb' is infinitive form of the subject requiring the action to be considered in the cause-effect relationship -->

(...)-To have more than the usual number of fingers and toes on the hands or feet is termed polydactyly.

To know is to live --> cause= to know, effect= is to live
cause=To have more than the usual number of fingers and toes, effect=possible [... is to have motor or sensory functions changed (one example)]
not effect attribute=is termed polydactyly.

What Ron said in the prior posts might have distinct application though.

The context is this question. Here is the link:
https://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/ger ... t3133.html

And i think that cause and effect is not a sufficient explanation. The manhattan experts would have mentioned it!

Below I am copying an expert's query:
>>>I'm not familiar with a specific official question that tests the "infinitive as subject" construction. I'll ask our main grammar guy whether he has seen something like this. Until then, I would not worry about the issue here - there are thousands and thousands of grammar rules, and we should really only care about the ones that we know have been tested on the GMAT.

_________________
Stacey Koprince
Instructor
Director of Online Community
ManhattanGMAT
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