Recently, entomologists have discovered a number of new

thanks, is there anyway for me to recognize how "most of them at least..." becomes a modifying clause, is most of the some sort of a indicator ? subordinating conjunction ?

or should I focus on the fact that there is no subject verb agreement in the clause
"most of them at least as common as the birch aphid...living on the bottom of oceans..." (modifying clause that modifies "species")

I could be tempted to think that. "most of them" is the subject, and living the main verb, is the error there that Living can´t it be the main verb because it is functioning as an Adverb (resent Participle)? -ing form

can -ing forms maybe never function as a main verb ??? (that would be a comfortable rule to remember:)

thanks

The following links may help to all those are having doubts in modifier:
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jWmrK5BLtw
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GElSqdp5iTc
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X48hAnuxEaw
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mo5ZXrUNBbc

The gist of the passage is that, 1. Scientists have discovered a number of new insect species (plural); these insects live in oceans or icebergs; they are at least as common as the birch aphid, a tree-dweller.

* (A) most of them as common or more common than the birch aphid, a tree-dwelling insect, which live --- it should be ‘most of them at least as common as'

* (B) most of them at least as common as the birch aphid, a tree-dwelling insect, and living --- Misses the symmetrical parallelism by using a noun on one side of the parallel marker ‘and’; on the other side, a participial phrase is used.

* (C) most of them at least as common as the birch aphid, a tree-dwelling insect, living -- correct combination; living here modifies the new species.

* (D) mostly at least as common as the birch aphid, a tree-dwelling insect, which live -- which live is wrong modification and verb number

* (E) mostly as common or more common than the birch aphid, a tree-dwelling insect, living – missing the idiom as common as

Hi Experts,
In option c, I feel there is an ambiguity regarding what living modifies. How can living modify insect species. If we remove the non-essential modifier- ,a tree-dwelling insect, then living modifies birch aphid. The sentence stands by as follows-
Recently, entomologists have discovered a number of new insect species most of them at least as common as the birch aphid living on the bottom of oceans or within icebergs.
In the comments, people , living modifies the subject(insect species) of the previous clause. But, we have the comma before living as part of non essential modifier ,a tree-dwelling insect,

daagh, GMATNinja, broall

In option c, I feel there is an ambiguity regarding what living modifies. How can living modify insect species. If we remove the non-essential modifier- ,a tree-dwelling insect, then living modifies birch aphid. The sentence stands by as follows-
Recently, entomologists have discovered a number of new insect species most of them at least as common as the birch aphid living on the bottom of oceans or within icebergs.
In the comments, people , living modifies the subject(insect species) of the previous clause. But, we have the comma before living as part of non essential modifier ,a tree-dwelling insect,

If two modifiers are required to be placed one after the other referring to the same antecedent, then there must be a conjunction (e.g. "and") between them. Thus if "living..." were to refer to "birch aphid", then the modifiers "a tree-dwelling insect" and "living..." would be separated by a conjunction (e.g.,"and").
[Nonetheless there would be a parallelsim issue then, since placing a noun phrase modifier i.e., an appositive ("a tree-dwelling insect") and a present participle modifier "living..." in parallel is not recommended.]

Just some additional thought: If the comma before "living" were not there, then the present participle modifier "living.." would clearly refer to "insect", which in turn refers to "birch aphid".

Hi Sayantanc2k,
Thanks for the explanation. But, I still have the question is the OA fine?
I just want to recall my understanding from the above.
Living cant modify bird aphid. as two modifiers are required to be placed one after the other referring to the same antecedent, then there must be a conjunction (e.g. "and") between them. We have and missing. Also, even if a conjunction is there, the sentence lacks parallelism. So, living modifies a number of new insect species.
But again, if we remove the non-essential modifier, we can read the sentence as -
Recently, entomologists have discovered a number of new insect species, most of them at least as common as the birch aphid living on the bottom of oceans or within icebergs.
So, here the bird apchid and not a number of new insect species live on the bottom of oceans or within icebergs.

In Option C, "living" refers to "new insect species". "Living" cannot refer to "birch aphid" because of the reason I stated (and you correctly understood).

As for eliminating a non-essential modifier, you have to remove the complete non-essential modifier: "most of them at least as common as the birch aphid, a tree-dwelling insect".

"The tree-dwelling insect" is a non-essential modifier WITHIN another non-essential modifier. the structure is as follows:

Recently, entomologists have discovered a number of new insect species[, most of them at least as common as the birch aphid, (a tree-dwelling insect),] living on the bottom of oceans or within icebergs.

daagh, sayantanc2k is there are tip, or way to see that B has errors. It is difficult to me to know for sure that C is the answer.

chesstitans wrote

Though belatedly, let me use chesstitans' question to reopen this thread as verbalbot wants.



The main difference between the two is the ill-timed intrusion of the conjunction 'and' in B, altering the originally intended meaning.

As per the original, the new species are a common group found in the bottoms of the oceans or the icebergs. The birch aphid is cited for the commonalty of the new insects and not for the marine habitats.

In B, the compound modifiers both refer to the aphid; after all, neither the tree nor the terrestrial insect can live under oceans or icebergs.

In C, the comma plus living is an adverbial modifier modifying the previous clause's action namely the entomologist's discovery of the new insects. This is the original intent.

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