Prep SC-Grassy Fields and Sandpiper

[ZoeH439]

(a)
if you write "the sandpipers vanishing", then "sandpipers" is the subject ("vanishing" is a modifier describing that subject). the subject "sandpipers" doesn't agree with the singular verb "is".


Hi Ron,

I could not understand your (above-mentioned) explanation to option A of this question.

For example, if i say - "those boys' unruly behavior is a result of unorthodox parenting", is it grammatically incorrect?

Thanks,

no, your version is perfectly correct.
the difference is that you wrote your version with a possessive --> you wrote the boys' unruly behavior. since you used an apostrophe on boys', that's not a noun -- possessives are adjectives -- and so the subject becomes unruly behavior.
by the same token, if you had the sandpipers' vanishing is..., that would be a grammatically valid construction (though it still wouldn't work in the comparison).
but if you just write "sandpipers vanishing", then that's a totally different construction; the subject is now "sandpipers", and vanishing is now a modifier modifying the noun sandpipers. in that case, since sandpipers is plural, you can't use "is" as the verb.

and also: the sandpipers is a result of residential and industrial development and .... make no sense since the industrial development cannot lead to the "bird",
right?

and in option C
the use of "that "makes ".that the birds themselves are vanishing in the northeastern United States" become a unit that can treat like a noun. then the comparison makes no sense .

am i right?

[RonPurewal]

Yes and yes.

Choice C doesn't require that much thinking, though. If the "Unlike xxxx" part is not followed immediately by "the bird(s)" or "the sandpiper(s)", the sentence is wrong.

[ZoeH439]

Yes and yes.

Choice C doesn't require that much thinking, though. If the "Unlike xxxx" part is not followed immediately by "the bird(s)" or "the sandpiper(s)", the sentence is wrong.

Oh yes, you always make it quite clear!
thanks Ron

I always search the SC questions on Manhattan Forum and read all your explanations . I have learnt much more here in the past 2 months than during the my college time. although i have to stay up till the midnight to finish reading all your posts,you always make me feel that learning is such a cheerful and worthy thing.

magic forum and incomparable instructor!
thank again
best wishes

[RonPurewal]

Thanks for the kind words.

[Navneet]

Hi Ron
In previous posts you said that " the COMPARISON here is between those fields and pastures (which are disappearing) and the bird (which is also disappearing) "

But in which part sentence portrays that fields and pastures are disappearing? please clarify

Sentence -
Like the GF and OP that (modifier/subordinate clause for use of GF and OP) , the bird itself is vanishing ( Modifier for place and cause).

Or Or maybe we need to infer it from structure, as in below examples

Like tech innovations that something something, world population is growing.

[RonPurewal]

in the sentence "like X, Y does zzzz", the whole point is that both X and Y do zzzz (though they may or may not have anything else in common).

Like my brother, I enjoy stupid jokes.
––> both my brother and i enjoy dumb jokes. (this may be the only thing we have in common.)

[Navneet]

Understood
Thanks Ron

[RonPurewal]

you're welcome.

[gbyhats]

Hi Dear Manhattan Instructors ;)

I have a question for Great Master Ron's explanation for choice (A)
(I've quoted both Ron's reply and choice (A) in my post)

I personally still believe that even we switch "sandpipers vanishing" to "sandpipers' vanishing", it's still not logically correct.

[Oringinal, unedited]
A. the sandpipers vanishing in the northeastern United States is a result of residential and industrial development and of changes in

Because the sentence then become:

"Like [fields and pastures], [vanishing] is the result of ____

[Full edited version]
Like the grassy fields and old pastures that the upland sandpiper needs for feeding and nesting when it returns in May after wintering in the Argentine Pampas, the sandpipers' vanishing in the northeastern United States is a result of residential and industrial development and of changes in farming practices.

--

However, in my opinion, this sentence is not good enough:

we should either say
1/
Like grassy fields and pastures, birds...

or,
2/
Like grassy fields and pastures' vanishing, birds' vanishing ...

But mixing two together is not the best expression.

(haha, I know... never edit GMAT questions, I just curious ;))

--

Ron's post:
(I colored it with blue)

(a)
if you write "the sandpipers vanishing", then "sandpipers" is the subject ("vanishing" is a modifier describing that subject). the subject "sandpipers" doesn't agree with the singular verb "is".


Hi Ron,

I could not understand your (above-mentioned) explanation to option A of this question.

For example, if i say - "those boys' unruly behavior is a result of unorthodox parenting", is it grammatically incorrect?

Thanks,

no, your version is perfectly correct.
the difference is that you wrote your version with a possessive --> you wrote the boys' unruly behavior. since you used an apostrophe on boys', that's not a noun -- possessives are adjectives -- and so the subject becomes unruly behavior.
by the same token, if you had the sandpipers[color=red]' vanishing is..., that would be correct.[/color]
but if you just write "sandpipers vanishing", then that's a totally different construction; the subject is now "sandpipers", and vanishing is now a modifier modifying the noun sandpipers. in that case, since sandpipers is plural, you can't use "is" as the verb.

[RonPurewal]

this exact idea is already in the thread. first page, third post.

(d)
invalid comparison; the subject here is the sandpipers' vanishing, rather than the sandpiper itself.

please read through the entire thread (at least the moderators' posts) before posting. thank you.

[gbyhats]

this exact idea is already in the thread. first page, third post.

(d)
invalid comparison; the subject here is the sandpipers' vanishing, rather than the sandpiper itself.

please read through the entire thread (at least the moderators' posts) before posting. thank you.

Oops! I'm sorry...

[RonPurewal]

no worries. (the inconvenience is entirely yours, not ours: if you'd read through the whole thread, then (a) you'd have had your answer sooner, without having to wait, and (b) you wouldn't have needed to spend the time to post!)

[mikalaisin]

Hi Ron,
can you please help me, as i got stuck between two options A and B. For some reason i thought that A has subject Whole Modifier Clause The sandpipers vanishing thus is in this case is correct.
Can you please help me how to distinguish modifier clause vs Subject, in our case simple Noun?

[RonPurewal]

i don't know the grammar terms you're using, so i will have to ignore them.

if you treat 'sandpipers' as the subject in choice A, though, you have two REALLY BIG problems.

1/
the core sentence becomes The sandpipers ... is a result...
'the sandpipers is'?
no.

2/
the meaning of the core sentence is positively ridiculous: it says that sandpipers are 'a result of residential and industrial development'.
hm? we build new houses and factories, and they spit out birds as a form of pollution?
!!
nope.

[sw001]

Like the grassy fields and old pastures that the upland sandpiper needs for feeding and nesting when it returns in May after wintering in the Argentine Pampas, the sandpipers vanishing in the northeastern United States is a result of residential and industrial development and of changes in farming practices.

A. the sandpipers vanishing in the northeastern United States is a result of residential and industrial development and of changes in
B. the bird itself is vanishing in the northeastern United States as a result of residential and industrial development and of changes in
C. that the birds themselves are vanishing in the northeastern United States is due to residential and industrial development and changes to
D. in the northeastern United States, sandpipers’ vanishing is due to residential and industrial development and to changes in
E. in the northeastern United States, the sandpipers’ vanishing, a result of residential and industrial development and changing

The correct answer is B.
I crossed out E since it is not a complete sentence, but I do not know the rest.
Can somebody tell me why A, C, D are wrong?

Thank you!!!

(a)
if you write "the sandpipers vanishing", then "sandpipers" is the subject ("vanishing" is a modifier describing that subject). the subject "sandpipers" doesn't agree with the singular verb "is".

GENERAL NOTE:
this sentence starts out with "like the grassy fields and old pastures...". the COMPARISON here is between those fields and pastures (which are disappearing) and the bird (which is also disappearing); therefore, to make this comparison valid, the next sentence MUST start with "the bird" or "the sandpiper". it can't start with anything else.

(c)
invalid comparison; this clause starts with "that the birds are vanishing...", rather than with the bird itself.
this choice is also hopelessly awkward, although it may take a native speaker's eye to see that.

(d)
invalid comparison; the subject here is the sandpipers' vanishing, rather than the sandpiper itself.
"in the NE united states" is also inserted in a bad place; the comparison element should come at the head of this construction.

I do have a question here -

OG explanation for the answer choice A mentions that - "sandpipers vanishing" omits ' apostrophe. Didn't quite understand why OG mentioned it, because even if "sandpipers' vanishing" were present in the original answer choice, there is no logical comparison that exists ie "grassy fields and old pastures" to "sandpipers' vanishing".

Thanks!!