The number of plant and animal species

[mclaren7]

Dear Moderators and friends

The number of plant and animal species that humans are known to have forced to extinction in the last half millennium is over 800.

a.
b. humans are known as having forced to become extinct.
c. humans are known for forcing to become extinct.
d. are known that humans forced to become extinct.
e. are known as having forced to extinction by humans.

de wrong due SV error
bc wrong due to redundant "become extinct"?
OA A

Thanks
KH[/u]

[RonPurewal]

'to become extinct' does seem, to my eyes, more awkward and wordy than 'to extinction', but there are other issues in choices b and c.

choice b:
biggest problem = incorrect idiom: 'known as having forced'
known as is used with nouns: al capone was known as a gangster rather than as a tax cheat, but he was ultimately imprisoned only on charges of tax evasion.

with verbs, you have to use 'known to infinitive' or 'known for gerund'.

choice c:
fatal change of meaning.
this sentence implies that we are currently 'forcing [these species] to become extinct', a meaning that not only differs from the original but also borders on absurdity.
the original meaning, which we're not allowed to change, is that humans have forced the species into extinction at some point in the last 500 years, not that humans are doing so currently.
analogies:
the island's natives are known for stealing tourists' money, passports, and jewelry. --> these things go on today
the island's natives are known to have stolen tourists' money, passports, and jewelry. --> not necessarily still happening, but it has happened at some point

hope that makes sense.

[mclaren7]

You the best.
KH

[rfernandez]

[Sputnik]

Hi Ron,

Nice explanation... but I have a small question
I am confused with the usage of having, to have - verbals for "have" basically...

cant understand how can we have this construction

'known for present participle'.

if for is a preposition...then as its direct object I should have a noun... or can i use a present participle also...

and if i have a construction like... "knows as NOUN" ... then i should be able to place an infinitive or a gerund there..as they act as noun.....
i think .. i am terribly confused...pls help

Thanks.

[RonPurewal]

Hi Ron,

Nice explanation... but I have a small question
I am confused with the usage of having, to have - verbals for "have" basically...

cant understand how can we have this construction

'known for present participle'.

if for is a preposition...then as its direct object I should have a noun... or can i use a present participle also...

and if i have a construction like... "knows as NOUN" ... then i should be able to place an infinitive or a gerund there..as they act as noun.....
i think .. i am terribly confused...pls help

Thanks.

ah yes, my mistake, i meant 'gerund'. i have edited the post above to reflect this observation.

thank you.

(although certainly no harm has been done, as present participles and gerunds look the same; it's always nice to make a mistake that doesn't have any consequences)

[sanj]

Ron you are simply best

[direstraits007]

'to become extinct' does seem, to my eyes, more awkward and wordy than 'to extinction', but there are other issues in choices b and c.

choice b:
biggest problem = incorrect idiom: 'known as having forced'
known as is used with nouns: al capone was known as a gangster rather than as a tax cheat, but he was ultimately imprisoned only on charges of tax evasion.

with verbs, you have to use 'known to infinitive' or 'known for gerund'.

choice c:
fatal change of meaning.
this sentence implies that we are currently 'forcing [these species] to become extinct', a meaning that not only differs from the original but also borders on absurdity.
the original meaning, which we're not allowed to change, is that humans have forced the species into extinction at some point in the last 500 years, not that humans are doing so currently.
analogies:
the island's natives are known for stealing tourists' money, passports, and jewelry. --> these things go on today
the island's natives are known to have stolen tourists' money, passports, and jewelry. --> not necessarily still happening, but it has happened at some point

hope that makes sense.

Ron,

I read somewhere that "Force to" is generally followed by an infinitive. So in this case of option A, how is the usage "extinction" is right usage? Please explain.

Thanks!

GeeMate.

[RonPurewal]

I read somewhere that "Force to" is generally followed by an infinitive. So in this case of option A, how is the usage "extinction" is right usage? Please explain.

Thanks!

GeeMate.

"forced" doesn't HAVE to be followed by an infinitive. that is one possible usage, and indeed probably the most common, but it's not the only one.

consider this:
i was forced to the edge of my seat when a 400-pound man sat next to me on the airplane.
this sentence -- which is probably easier to understand than the original -- has the same function of "forced". if you understand this example, then you also understand the original.

[AbhilashM94]

Ron,

What is wrong with (E)?

(E) are known as having been forced to extinction by humans

[thanghnvn]

Dear Moderators and friends

The number of plant and animal species that humans are known to have forced to extinction in the last half millennium is over 800.

a.
b. humans are known as having forced to become extinct.
c. humans are known for forcing to become extinct.
d. are known that humans forced to become extinct.
e. are known as having forced to extinction by humans.

de wrong due SV error
bc wrong due to redundant "become extinct"?
OA A

Thanks
KH[/u]

the pattern " sb is known to do st" is used to show that people know that sb do st. the pattern "sb is known for doing st" is used to show that sb is famous for st. different meaning

the logic here require the first pattern. choice C use "known for doing" meaning "famous for doing", . This meaning is not logic in the context of sentence.

[RonPurewal]

Ron,

What is wrong with (E)?

(E) are known as having been forced to extinction by humans

"Been" does not appear in choice E.

With "been" there's no real error anymore, although the sentence is insanely wordy and inefficient.

[eggpain24]

Ron,

What is wrong with (E)?

(E) are known as having been forced to extinction by humans

"Been" does not appear in choice E.

With "been" there's no real error anymore, although the sentence is insanely wordy and inefficient.

HI，Ron

I see in your previous post that correct idiom for ”known as“ is ”known as + noun“

in choice E

“known as + having” → having cannot be construed as “noun” here，since "having" here is intended to serve as simple gerund

am I right？

also，what is wrong within choice D？

I think it is fatally awkward and having “that” appeared twice in this way just quite weird.

[gmatkiller_24]

Ron,

What is wrong with (E)?

(E) are known as having been forced to extinction by humans

"Been" does not appear in choice E.

With "been" there's no real error anymore, although the sentence is insanely wordy and inefficient.

HI，Ron

I see in your previous post that correct idiom for ”known as“ is ”known as + noun“

in choice E

“known as + having” → having cannot be construed as “noun” here，since "having" here is intended to serve as simple gerund

am I right？

also，what is wrong within choice D？

I think it is fatally awkward and having “that” appeared twice in this way just quite weird.

same doubt here.

please help, instructors!

[RonPurewal]

i don't know the grammar terms that the above poster is using, so i can't speak to that part of the question.

yes, the construction is "known as (noun)".
this construction works in 2 ways:
1/ "known as" = "called/named", with (noun) = a name (e.g., Because he resembles my father, my brother is known as "Junior".)
2/ "known" = "characterized by the public", with (noun) = a reputation (e.g., Bill Gates would rather be known as a great philanthropist than as a great businessman.

clearly, neither sense is compatible with the context here. so, that choice is gone.

this problem is most likely quite old, because the test has moved away from choices that depend on the recognition of such idioms.