Renaissancecat,

i think you are right. it makes sense. the "ing" is w/o the comma if you remove the which modifiers. it must therefore modify merchandise/weather/both.

gmatrant wrote:Analysts blamed May's sluggish retail sales on unexciting merchandise as well as the weather, colder and wetter than was usual in some regions，which slowed sales of barbecue grills and lawn furniture.
(A) colder and wetter than was usual in some regions，which slowed
(B) which was colder and wetter than usual in some regions，slowing
(C) since it was colder and wetter than usually in some regions，which slowed
(D) being colder and wetter than usually in some regions，slowing
(E) having been colder and wetter than was usual in some regions and slowed

B is the answer choice.
But if we remove the modifying phrase "which was colder and wetter than usual in some regions" shouldn't the sentence make sense. But in this case it appears as a run-on.

After removing the modifying phrase
Analysts blamed May's sluggish retail sales on unexciting merchandise as well as the weather, slowing sales of barbecue grills and lawn furniture.

Hi Mitch,

Can you please confirm my understanding here.
I have a question regarding option B

Analysts blamed May's sluggish retail sales on unexciting merchandise as well as the weather, which was colder and wetter than usual in some regions，slowing sales of barbecue grills and lawn furniture.

ques: What is slowing modifying here?

"which was colder and wetter than usual in some regions" - words within commas form a non-essential modifier and includes both the commas with it.

So slowing becomes an -ing modifier without a comma, and hence here it modifies the preceding noun - weather and hence makes sense.

Analysts blamed May's sluggish retail sales on unexciting merchandise as well as the weather, WHICH was colder and wetter than usual in some regions, SLOWING sales of barbecue grills and lawn furniture.

COMMA + VERBing serves to express an action attributed to the preceding subject.
Here, the subject that precedes slowing is WHICH.
Since which is standing in for the weather, SLOWING is attributed to THE WEATHER: the weather was colder and wetter, and -- as a result -- the weather was responsible for SLOWING sales of barbecue grills.

Since the COMMA + VERBing phrase here serves to modify the nonrestrictive which-clause, if we remove the which-clause, we must remove its COMMA + VERBing modifier as well.
What will remain is the core meaning of the sentence:
Analysts blamed May's sluggish retail sales on unexciting merchandise as well as the weather.

GMATGuruNY wrote:Analysts blamed May's sluggish retail sales on unexciting merchandise as well as the weather, WHICH was colder and wetter than usual in some regions, SLOWING sales of barbecue grills and lawn furniture.

COMMA + VERBing serves to express an action attributed to the preceding subject.
Here, the subject that precedes slowing is WHICH.
Since which is standing in for the weather, SLOWING is attributed to THE WEATHER: the weather was colder and wetter, and -- as a result -- the weather was responsible for SLOWING sales of barbecue grills.

Since the COMMA + VERBing phrase here serves to modify the nonrestrictive which-clause, if we remove the which-clause, we must remove its COMMA + VERBing modifier as well.
What will remain is the core meaning of the sentence:
Analysts blamed May's sluggish retail sales on unexciting merchandise as well as the weather.

Thank you so much, Mitch.

Does that mean that ing modifiers cannot jump over nonrestrictive modifiers? Should that approach never be used?

Can you please give an example.

KR,

GMATGuruNY wrote:Analysts blamed May's sluggish retail sales on unexciting merchandise as well as the weather, WHICH was colder and wetter than usual in some regions, SLOWING sales of barbecue grills and lawn furniture.

COMMA + VERBing serves to express an action attributed to the preceding subject.
Here, the subject that precedes slowing is WHICH.
Since which is standing in for the weather, SLOWING is attributed to THE WEATHER: the weather was colder and wetter, and -- as a result -- the weather was responsible for SLOWING sales of barbecue grills.

Since the COMMA + VERBing phrase here serves to modify the nonrestrictive which-clause, if we remove the which-clause, we must remove its COMMA + VERBing modifier as well.
What will remain is the core meaning of the sentence:
Analysts blamed May's sluggish retail sales on unexciting merchandise as well as the weather.

Hi Mitch,

Please confirm my understanding as per your statement -
COMMA + VERBing serves to express an action attributed to the preceding subject.


1. Almost a decade after New York State passed laws to protect patients by reducing the grueling hours worked by medical residents, twelve hospitals have been investigated by state medical officials, finding that all twelve consistently break the laws, many residents work longer than 24 hours straight, and that more than half the surgical residents work more than 95 hours a week.
- here finding modifies hospitals - i.e. twelve hospitals have found....

2. Analysts blamed May's sluggish retail sales on unexciting merchandise as well as the weather, being colder and wetter than usually in some regions, slowing sales of barbecue grills and lawn furniture.

- here being modifies analysts and slowing also modifies 'analysts', the preceding subject

3. Sixty-five million years ago, according to some scientists, an asteroid bigger than Mount Everest slammed into North America, which, causing plant and animal extinctions, marks the end of the geologic era known as the Cretaceous Period.

- here causing refers to 'which', which refers to North America

Regarding VERBed modifiers: how is Initiated modifying Project SETI, and not five centuries?

Initiated on Columbus Day 1992，five centuries after Europeans arrived in the New World，Project SETI pledged a$100 million investment in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence．

Can you guide regarding when to jump over nonrestrictive phrase enclosed in commas.

Cumulonimbus wrote:Hi Mitch,

Please confirm my understanding as per your statement -
COMMA + VERBing serves to express an action attributed to the preceding subject.


1. Almost a decade after New York State passed laws to protect patients by reducing the grueling hours worked by medical residents, twelve hospitals have been investigated by state medical officials, finding that all twelve consistently break the laws, many residents work longer than 24 hours straight, and that more than half the surgical residents work more than 95 hours a week.
- here finding modifies hospitals - i.e. twelve hospitals have found....

2. Analysts blamed May's sluggish retail sales on unexciting merchandise as well as the weather, being colder and wetter than usually in some regions, slowing sales of barbecue grills and lawn furniture.

- here being modifies analysts and slowing also modifies 'analysts', the preceding subject

3. Sixty-five million years ago, according to some scientists, an asteroid bigger than Mount Everest slammed into North America, which, causing plant and animal extinctions, marks the end of the geologic era known as the Cretaceous Period.

- here causing refers to 'which', which refers to North America

Your analyses are correct.
As I noted above, COMMA + VERBing serves to express an action attributed to the preceding subject.
In each of the SCs above, the COMMA + VERBing modifier refers to the preceding subject and is MISPLACED.

Regarding VERBed modifiers: how is Initiated modifying Project SETI, and not five centuries?

Initiated on Columbus Day 1992，five centuries after Europeans arrived in the New World，Project SETI pledged a$100 million investment in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence．

Can you guide regarding when to jump over nonrestrictive phrase enclosed in commas.

A VERBed or VERBing modifier that BEGINS a sentence serves to modify the SUBJECT of the following clause.
Here, the subject of the clause that follows initiated is Project SETI.
Hence, initiated serves to modify Project SETI.

When it comes to modifiers, two guiding principles:
IT MUST BE CLEAR what a modifier is modifying.
A modifier should be AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE to what it's modifying.

gmatrant wrote:Analysts blamed May's sluggish retail sales on unexciting merchandise as well as the weather, colder and wetter than was usual in some regions，which slowed sales of barbecue grills and lawn furniture.
(A) colder and wetter than was usual in some regions，which slowed
(B) which was colder and wetter than usual in some regions，slowing
(C) since it was colder and wetter than usually in some regions，which slowed
(D) being colder and wetter than usually in some regions，slowing
(E) having been colder and wetter than was usual in some regions and slowed

B is the answer choice.
But if we remove the modifying phrase "which was colder and wetter than usual in some regions" shouldn't the sentence make sense. But in this case it appears as a run-on.

After removing the modifying phrase
Analysts blamed May's sluggish retail sales on unexciting merchandise as well as the weather, slowing sales of barbecue grills and lawn furniture.

D and E are wrong because "being..." and "having been..." modify the "analysis blames..."grammartically . this modification is not logic

gmatrant wrote:Analysts blamed May's sluggish retail sales on unexciting merchandise as well as the weather, colder and wetter than was usual in some regions，which slowed sales of barbecue grills and lawn furniture.
(A) colder and wetter than was usual in some regions，which slowed
(B) which was colder and wetter than usual in some regions，slowing
(C) since it was colder and wetter than usually in some regions，which slowed
(D) being colder and wetter than usually in some regions，slowing
(E) having been colder and wetter than was usual in some regions and slowed

B is the answer choice.
But if we remove the modifying phrase "which was colder and wetter than usual in some regions" shouldn't the sentence make sense. But in this case it appears as a run-on.

After removing the modifying phrase
Analysts blamed May's sluggish retail sales on unexciting merchandise as well as the weather, slowing sales of barbecue grills and lawn furniture.

D and E are wrong because "being..." and "having been..." modify the "analysis blames..."grammartically . this modification is not logic