journalist Jacob Riis

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journalist Jacob Riis

by kvitkod » Sun May 29, 2011 1:13 pm
In the late 1880s, the journalist Jacob Riis visited tenement dwellings in several impoverished New York City neighborhoods to investigate housing conditions and photograph tenants' apartments, whose interiors were inhumanely overcrowded, their floors often serving as beds, and their walls often windowless and dilapidated with age and neglect.

A) whose interiors were inhumanely overcrowded, their floors often serving as beds, and their walls often windowless and dilapidated with age and neglect

B) whose interiors were inhumanely overcrowded, their floors were often serving as beds, and their walls were often lacking windows and dilapidated due to age and neglect

C) whose interiors were inhumanely overcrowded, their floors were often serving as beds, and they had walls often windowless and dilapidated with age and neglect

D) having interiors inhumanely overcrowded, their floors often serving for beds, and their walls were often windowless and dilapidated due to age and neglect

E) having interiors that were inhumanely overcrowded, their floors often serving as beds, and their walls often lacked windows and were dilapidated on account of age and neglect

[spoiler]OA is A. Whether A has a pronoun error - I believe WHOSE literally modifies APARTMENTS (since directly follows them), rather than tenants?[/spoiler]
Source: — Sentence Correction |

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by cans » Sun May 29, 2011 1:59 pm
the modifier describes apartments only not tenants. (interiors, floors, walls all describe apartments)

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by kvitkod » Sun May 29, 2011 2:16 pm
the modifier describes apartments only not tenants. (interiors, floors, walls all describe apartments)
Agree. And WHOSE relates to people only. That why, I think, A has an error. Please corret me

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by cans » Sun May 29, 2011 10:13 pm
whose is a possessive pronoun and possessive pronouns can refer back to possessive nouns
And WHOSE relates to people only.
So that's not correct. But I am not sure about the pronoun error.
Can we have some expert help please..

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by kvitkod » Mon May 30, 2011 10:38 am
cans wrote:whose is a possessive pronoun and possessive pronouns can refer back to possessive nouns
And WHOSE relates to people only.
So that's not correct. But I am not sure about the pronoun error.
Can we have some expert help please..
Cans, I found one more task with "whose", which is used with things. We really need expert's explanation

The city has proposed a number of water treatment and conservation projects the cost of which raises water bills high enough so that even environmentalists are beginning to raise alarms

A. the cost of which raises water bills high enough so that
B.at a cost raising water bills so high that
C. at a cost which raises water bills high enough so
D. whose cost will raise water bills so high that
E. whose cost will raise water bills high enough so that

OA D

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by Jim@Grockit » Mon May 30, 2011 10:15 pm
"who" will only be used of people. "whose" can be used of things (the car whose tire is flat).

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by kapoor.divs » Sat Jun 04, 2011 4:11 am
Jim@Grockit wrote:"who" will only be used of people. "whose" can be used of things (the car whose tire is flat).
Hi Jim,

Please advise on the solution to this SC question.

thanks!

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by Jim@Grockit » Sun Jun 05, 2011 9:09 am
kapoor.divs wrote:
Jim@Grockit wrote:"who" will only be used of people. "whose" can be used of things (the car whose tire is flat).
Hi Jim,

Please advise on the solution to this SC question.

thanks!
The sentence is correct as written -- "whose" can refer back to "apartments."

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