SC:Imported into Massachusetts form Europe

[aflaamM589]

"attempt" is a noun.

Ok, it means the closest action need to be a verb in case of comma Verbing
But in case of by verbing, closest action can be adjective( or noun) as is the case in D.



Is my understanding correct?

A)Imported into Massachusetts from Europe in 1869, the gypsy moth was used by a French scientist in an attempt at developing a strong strain of silk-producing insects, crossing gypsy moths with adult silkworms.

D)The gypsy moth was imported into Massachusetts from Europe in 1869 by a French scientist attempting to develop a strong strain of silk-producing insects by crossing gypsy moths with adult silkworms.

My understanding had been that closest action need not be a verb.
I will really appreciate if you can help me get rid of the confusion.

[RonPurewal]

the "action" described by a comma __ing modifier CAN be another __ing form -- but, don't forget... BOTH the subject AND the action have to make sense with comma __ing.

look at the two examples here:
due-to-poaching-and-increased-cultivation-t2368-15.html#p111214

the subject in A is "the gypsy moth". if you understand those two examples, you'll see why that is nonsense.

[RickyH486]

a comma is a very common way to separate 2 consecutive adjectives that are describing the same noun.

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the first time i solved the problem i had the impression that the sentence was listing 3 items: most rapidly through X,Y and Z.

were you paying attention to the meaning of the words? if so, you should have INSTANTLY rejected this interpretation... since it's clear from a quick glance at the words that the sentence isn't doing that.

remember!
the FIRST STEP of ALL sentence correction problems is to ESTABLISH EXACTLY WHAT THE SENTENCE IS SUPPOSED TO SAY.
until you understand the EXACT intended meaning of the sentence, you should not try to address ANYTHING else in the problem ... including any of the answer choices.

Hi master Ron, I love reading your responses to students' questions. I am always learning something new from you. I too have mistakenly thought that you cannot connect two parallel items with only a comma. I have a follow up question regarding this point. Can we connect 2 consecutive modifiers that are describing the same thing with a comma?

Did not mean to bump my own post but I think you may have missed my question.

[RonPurewal]

Can we connect 2 consecutive modifiers that are describing the same thing with a comma?

which two modifiers, in which answer choice, are you asking about here?

[RickyH486]

Can we connect 2 consecutive modifiers that are describing the same thing with a comma?

which two modifiers, in which answer choice, are you asking about here?

I was asking about this sentence "To map Earth's interior, geologists use a network of seismometers to chart seismic waves that originate in the earth's crust and ricochet around its interior, traveling most rapidly through cold, dense regions and more slowly through hotter rocks." Someone in this post asked about why "cold, dense" don't have "and" in between. And you explained that it is quite common to separate two adjectives by a comma. Which led me wondering whether other modifiers can also be connected by a comma.

[RonPurewal]

i can't immediately recall seeing that, except for one-word modifiers (adjectives, adverbs).

[Basic6]

oh, i think i see what you are asking.

the problem is that you're being too literal about VERBS here.

in general, when modifiers modify actions, they just modify the closest action -- regardless of whether that action is actually a verb.

e.g.,
I made weird expressions with my mouth and fingers, scaring the babies.
My sister saw me making weird expressions with my mouth and fingers, scaring the babies.
both of these sentences are ok, and both of them work in exactly the same way. the fact that "making" isn't grammatically a verb doesn't make any difference -- and it would be silly to make rules based on that distinction.

Hi, Ron
I have a question about the second example you provided, please help me to understand it.
My sister saw me making weird expressions with my mouth and fingers, scaring the babies.
In this sentence, what is the subject of the action "scaring the babies."? Is my sister or me?
Thanks!

[RonPurewal]

just use common sense to figure that out... which person did something that would actually scare babies?

[Basic6]

just use common sense to figure that out... which person did something that would actually scare babies?

Ron, I think the subject of "scaring the babies" is me.

So can I said that the object of the main clause can be the subject of "comma+VERBing"?
My sister saw me making weird expressions with my mouth and fingers, scaring the babies.

Thanks!

[RonPurewal]

that's a technically correct description of what is happening here, yes—BUT, if you're using that much terminology to think about this, then GMAT SC is going to be overwhelm you.

you need to be able to understand these constructions FUNCTIONALLY, WITHOUT having to use "terminology" or "classification" to understand them.
in other words—
• when you see a correct usage of these modifiers, you should be able to recognize it ON SIGHT as correct—WITHOUT having to think about formal grammar terms.
• when you see an incorrect usage of these modifiers, you should be able to recognize it ON SIGHT as wrong—again, WITHOUT having to think about formal grammar terms.

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[RonPurewal]

even worse, this focus on terminology is just going to add layers of "complexity" that don't even need to exist.

in the case we're talking about, we're looking at two instances of THE SAME type of usage:
I made weird expressions with my mouth and fingers, scaring the babies.
My sister saw me making weird expressions with my mouth and fingers, scaring the babies.

in BOTH of these cases, "comma + __ing" is describing the SAME ACTION. there's no reason to think of these as "different" cases/constructions; they're both expressing exactly the same meaning in exactly the same way.

if you just RECOGNIZE both versions as correct, then, you'll see that they are just 2 versions of the same thing.

if you think about "grammar terms", though, then not only are you wasting time (= the time spent on these unnecessary classifications), but you're also creating 2 different templates in your head where there should be just one.

don't forget—the most important thing in SC is to keep simple things simple!

[Basic6]

Ron, thanks for the reply.

As a non-native, studying through terminology and grammar is the easiest way at the beginning for me,
but I know that you are right–don't make the questions complex.
Although I have not reached the level you described, I will try to study in the way you recommend–keep simple things simple!

[RonPurewal]

As a non-native, studying through terminology and grammar is the easiest way at the beginning for me,

^^ no one is a "native speaker" of any WRITTEN language. the process of written-language acquisition really doesn't depend that much on your native language.
grammar rules will only help with the VERY basics. beyond that, it's a matter of examples, analogies, and exposure.

[Basic6]

As a non-native, studying through terminology and grammar is the easiest way at the beginning for me,

^^ no one is a "native speaker" of any WRITTEN language. the process of written-language acquisition really doesn't depend that much on your native language.
grammar rules will only help with the VERY basics. beyond that, it's a matter of examples, analogies, and exposure.

Ron, your examples and analogies always make the explanation of the question clear.
I know now that making examples and analogies is an easier way to understand the concept of the SC question.
I appreciate that you teach all GMAT leaners this method of learning SC, which is very useful.
Thanks!

By the way, you tell us that when we face a SC question, at first we should always get what it try to say, right?
But sometimes the meaning of the original sentence is not clear (because it is a wrong option),
and I cannot make sure what it want to express.
Should I pass the original sentence and just read other options to find one that I think it is the true meaning?
However, doing so always costs me lots of time.
Could you please give me some advisements about this issue?
Thanks in advance!

[RonPurewal]

Ron, your examples and analogies always make the explanation of the question clear.
I know now that making examples and analogies is an easier way to understand the concept of the SC question.
I appreciate that you teach all GMAT leaners this method of learning SC, which is very useful.
Thanks!

you're welcome.

By the way, you tell us that when we face a SC question, at first we should always get what it try to say, right?
But sometimes the meaning of the original sentence is not clear (because it is a wrong option),
and I cannot make sure what it want to express.
Should I pass the original sentence and just read other options to find one that I think it is the true meaning?
However, doing so always costs me lots of time.
Could you please give me some advisements about this issue?
Thanks in advance!

the INTENDED meaning should NEVER be unclear—no matter how many mistakes are in the original sentence.

if you think the intended meaning is "unclear", then you aren't reading the original the way you should.
remember—you should read the original sentence the same way you'd read a book, magazine, or blog site. DO NOT THINK ABOUT MECHANICS OR GRAMMAR AT ALL during the first reading!

...imagine thinking about grammar while reading a book or magazine. that would be ridiculous, right?
right.
you should read these sentences (the first time) in EXACTLY the same way.