use of comma + and

[RonPurewal]

the wrong way to do this is to look for some subtle reason why the version with the extra "he" is wrong.

the RIGHT way to do this is to remember that this is a multiple-choice test, and that this is a very straightforward RELATIVE judgment.

the sentence is perfectly parallel and workable with the 2 verbs in parallel.
therefore the extra "he"/"she" is unnecessary, redundant, and inefficient.

so, the sentence WITHOUT the extra pronoun is objectively better, and the sentence WITH the extra pronoun is objectively worse.

[FaysalT485]

Correct me if I am wrong

X, Y ,and Z --> all 3 should be parallel
X, Y and Z --> Y and Z should be parallel
X ,and Y --> X and Y are independent clauses, hence no parallelism issue here
X and Y --> X and Y should be parallel

?

Thanks,

[Sage Pearce-Higgins]

X, Y ,and Z --> all 3 should be parallel

Agreed.

X, Y and Z --> Y and Z should be parallel

If Y and Z are parallel, then what's the function of X? I guess Y and Z could be parallel modifiers of X. It's a bit confusing to make abstract constructions such as these without any examples.

X ,and Y --> X and Y are independent clauses, hence no parallelism issue here

I disagree. Sometimes with 2 items, we can use a comma before the and. This takes place if there's an intervening modifier, or if the sentence is long and would be clearer with a comma. For example: 'At the zoo I saw parrots with beautiful plumage flying around the aviary, and chimpanzees.' Another example: 'At the restaurant we ordered steak, and fish and chips.' Since 'fish and chips' is basically one item, it's probably clearer if we add a comma before 'and'.

X and Y --> X and Y should be parallel

Agreed.

Remember that commas have lots of different functions, and that constructing a sentence is about finding a way to convey meaning clearly. Also, GMAT definitely does not test comma usage, as the rules around it are so controversial.

[FaysalT485]

Great stuff. Thanks Sage

[Sage Pearce-Higgins]

You're welcome.

[FaysalT485]

Hi Sage,

is there a post that explains the usage of comma + with ?

That construction seems to pop up alot on GMAC practice tests, however its not thought in the guides.

Thanks,

[Sage Pearce-Higgins]

I can't find a post dealing with that. Generally we only provide explanations for the parts of grammar that you need to know about to distinguish correct answers. I can only point you to an earlier survey I did of OG 2018 problems: https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/foru ... th#p129374

If you have any more questions, please feel free to post (although you can't post those copyrighted problems here, unfortunately).