PREP SC: Trans World Entertainment Corporation

[soulwangh]

According to the logic above, I think A and B is wrong not because the tense problem but because pronoun(they) ambiguous in A and relative pronoun(which) ambiguous in B.

No.

"Pronoun ambiguity" is not a thing on this test.
If you find a noun that can correspond to a pronoun, then the pronoun is fine.

The key point is they can refer to both "stores" and "1/4 of the stores". It is the real ambiguous, because we really cannot decide which antecedent the pronoun exactly refers to.

In context, it is clear that we're talking only about the stores with poor sales. I.e., the company is not going to close all of its stores just because 25% of them had subpar sales![/quote]

Hi Ron,
1/
I am confused. I know we are talking about the stores with poor sales. And I know the company is not going to close all of its stores just because 25% of them had subpar sales![/quote]

it is closing up to one-fourth of its stores, which accounted for its poor sales
Ignore other errors in this sentence. I feel the reference of "which" is ambiguous. I know my interpretations may be wrong. Please correct my mistakes!
1.1#"which" can refer to "its stores", and the sentence means that for all the stores with bad sailing performance, the company will close 25% of them. In other words, 75% of stores with bad sailing performance will stay safe.
1.2#"which" can also refer to "one-fourth of its stores",and the sentence means that the company will close 25% of all its stores, and these would-be closed stores have bad sailing performance.

Your suggestion about the reference in "N1 of N2 + which+Verb" pattern is we can depend on whether the Verb is singular or plural and whether the N1 or N2 is a person or a physical object.

However, in the pattern"25%(or whatever persentage) of plural noun+ which+verb", that rule is useless.

My question:
#For native speakers is this reference ambiguity a problem?
#What can we do about the reference of "which" in the pattern "25% of plural noun+ which+plural verb"?
#It seems that this reference issue has something to do with essential and non-essential modifiers. Can you elaborate?

it is closing up to one-fourth of its stores, which accounted for its poor sales.
it is closing up to one-fourth of its stores that accounted for its poor sales.

#what is the difference in these two sentences?



2/
I want to sum up this question and please correct me if I am wrong. Thank you!

Trans World Entertainment Corporation, which owns the Record Town and Saturday Matinee retail chains, announced that since sales of up to one-fourth of its stores are poor, they will be closed
A. that since sales of up to one-fourth of its stores are poor, they will be closed

1) "sales of up to one-fourth of its stores" is illogical in the context of this sentence
2) tense problem.
B. it is closing up to one-fourth of its stores, which accounted for its poor sales
1) Wrong tense
2) meaning issue?
C. it was closing up to one fourth of its stores because of poor sales
D. to be closing, on account of poor sales, up to one-fourth of its stores
1)unidiomatic usage:"announce to do sth" and "on account of"
E. having poor sales, such that up to one-fourth of its stores will be closed
1)unidiomatic usage:"such that"
2)fragment

Thanks in advance!

[RonPurewal]

1.1#"which" can refer to "its stores", and the sentence means that for all the stores with bad sailing performance, the company will close 25% of them. In other words, 75% of stores with bad sailing performance will stay safe.

No. This would have to be written as "1/4 of the stores that accounted for xxxx".

This difference has never been explicitly tested on the exam, but you may want to be familiar with it anyway. I don't know what these things are called, but here's the idea:
* Comma + "which" does not narrow the noun before "which".
* No comma + "that" narrows the noun before "that". The scope of that noun may be much broader, but the sentence is referring only to those instances that xxxxxx.

E.g.,

Please enter through the third door, which is green.
--> I'm talking about the third door, period. "Which is green" doesn't narrow anything -- it's just the third door.
--> I'm telling you the color of the door just to be helpful. If I take off the "which is green", it doesn't affect which door I am describing.

Please enter through the third door that is green.
= Please enter through the third green door.
--> I'm narrowing the idea to just green doors. You have to ignore other doors.
--> This is the third green door, but it may be the 100th door overall (e.g., if there are 97 doors of other colors and then three green ones).

Another set of examples:

Stefan likes Samoyed dogs, which are white.
--> All Samoyed dogs are white. Stefan likes them.

Stefan likes Pomeranian dogs that are white.
--> Some Pomeranians are white; others aren't. Stefan likes the white ones. We don't know how Stefan feels about the other ones.

[RonPurewal]

Your suggestion about the reference in "N1 of N2 + which+Verb" pattern is we can depend on whether the Verb is singular or plural and whether the N1 or N2 is a person or a physical object.

I don't understand this. You'll have to give some examples; this is too abstract for me.

#For native speakers is this reference ambiguity a problem?

If you aren't a native speaker, the answer to this question will have little utility for you.

#What can we do about the reference of "which" in the pattern "25% of plural noun+ which+plural verb"?

You should see if the context makes the reference clear.

E.g., in this problem, "which" can't refer to "stores"; it must logically refer to "1/4 of its stores". (If the sentence is discussing something that "accounted for [the company's] poor sales", then it can't say all the stores!)

[RonPurewal]

2/
I want to sum up this question and please correct me if I am wrong. Thank you!

Mostly ok except these:

B. it is closing up to one-fourth of its stores, which accounted for its poor sales
1) Wrong tense
2) meaning issue?

Just a tense issue (as discussed in copious detail above).

D. to be closing, on account of poor sales, up to one-fourth of its stores
1)unidiomatic usage:"announce to do sth" and "on account of"

"On account of" is a legitimate English idiom.
It's slightly wordy compared to "because of", but I wouldn't eliminate it.

E. having poor sales, such that up to one-fourth of its stores will be closed
1)unidiomatic usage:"such that"
2)fragment

"Announced having..." is unidiomatic, but it's not a fragment.

[soulwangh]

Your suggestion about the reference in "N1 of N2 + which+Verb" pattern is we can depend on whether the Verb is singular or plural and whether the N1 or N2 is a person or a physical object.

I don't understand this. You'll have to give some examples; this is too abstract for me.

Hi, Ron

You are amazing!
Never mind. You have clarified my questions!

BTW:

It seems that you must reply every post whose last replier is not a Manhattan instructor.

So I don't know whether I should give my thanks after your hard working and great advices.

If I do so, then you must be bothered to reply again.
If I don't , I feel myself impolite and really want to appreciate your suggestion.

Any advice?

[RonPurewal]

So I don't know whether I should give my thanks after your hard working and great advices.

If I do so, then you must be bothered to reply again.
If I don't , I feel myself impolite and really want to appreciate your suggestion.

Any advice?

Heh. I think you're worrying a bit too much.

I appreciate seeing your "thank you" notes -- it's always nice when posters take the time to do that.