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Although some had accused Smith, the firm’s network manager, of neglig 21 Jul 2022, 11:27
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woohoo921
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Leonaann
just would like to clarify a doubt.

In option B, ' by publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith???s fault' is modifying the action verb defused right? Could someone please help to confirm this? thanks
That's right! How did the CEO defuse the situation? By publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith's fault. "By publicly stating..." functions as an adverb, modifying the verb "defused".

GMATNinja

Thank you for this helpful response.

I would be so appreciative for further clarification on the comments above in that you cannot say "she solved a quite tough question". Is this an idiomatic issue? What is the rule behind this? Thank you for all of your insights.
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I'm not totally sure what you're asking here. Technically, there's nothing wrong with "she solved a quite tough question," though my ear prefers "she solved a very tough question."

If you can specify what part of the previous post confused you, we'll try to clarify. 
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Although some had accused Smith, the firm’s network manager, of neglig 21 Jul 2022, 19:45
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GMATNinja

Thank you for your reply! An expert above mentioned the following:

Mandy passed an exam that was quite difficult. --> OK
Mandy passed a quite difficult exam. --> WRONG

I do not understand why "Mandy passed a quite difficult exam" is incorrect. "Difficult" modifies "exam" and "quite" modifies "difficult". Thank you again.
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Although some had accused Smith, the firm’s network manager, of neglig 22 Jul 2022, 22:03
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woohoo921
I do not understand why "Mandy passed a quite difficult exam" is incorrect. "Difficult" modifies "exam" and "quite" modifies "difficult". Thank you again.
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Hi woohoo921,

Until you receive a better response: does that structure sound good to you (don't worry about whether the modifiers seem to be okay)? If it doesn't, you probably don't need to worry too much about this issue.

If it does, things become a little tougher. The problem with [a quite + {adj} + {noun}] is that it is relatively rare, and is typically used only in very specific situations, to achieve certain effects. The GMAT most likely won't ask us to take that kind of call (it'd be too fine a call to test). On the other hand, the GMAT does occasionally ask us to pick a stylistically preferable option, which is what we're doing here.

In other words, [a quite + {adj} + {noun}] is technically not impossible, but it's also not how most people normally use quite.
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Although some had accused Smith, the firm’s network manager, of neglig 26 Jul 2022, 12:46
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woohoo921
GMATNinja

Thank you for your reply! An expert above mentioned the following:

Mandy passed an exam that was quite difficult. --> OK
Mandy passed a quite difficult exam. --> WRONG

I do not understand why "Mandy passed a quite difficult exam" is incorrect. "Difficult" modifies "exam" and "quite" modifies "difficult". Thank you again.
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Yeah, I'll echo Ajitesh here. The distinction here is less between right and wrong than between common and uncommon usage. Your example is very much in the "not technically wrong, but not common usage" category.

The problem is that correct SC answers often include phrases that sound goofy. So whenever you see an answer choice that "sounds wrong" to you, focus on looking for concrete errors, and then focus on logic and clarity. You never really need to waste brainpower figuring out which phrases are common usage and which ones aren't.

I hope that helps a bit!
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Although some had accused Smith, the firm’s network manager, of neglig 06 Nov 2022, 01:05
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alicebling
Can someone please explain why a comma is needed in front of "by publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith’s fault." Is it stil correct if the comma is removed?? Thank you!
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Can someone help me with this question?
I rejected this statement because a comma is used.
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Although some had accused Smith, the firm’s network manager, of neglig 06 Nov 2022, 04:17
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T96
alicebling
Can someone please explain why a comma is needed in front of "by publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith’s fault." Is it stil correct if the comma is removed?? Thank you!
Can someone help me with this question?
I rejected this statement because a comma is used.
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Hello T96,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, the inclusion of the comma here is not strictly necessary; the comma is a stylistic choice and can be removed without invalidating the answer choice.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
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Although some had accused Smith, the firm’s network manager, of neglig 17 Nov 2022, 13:49
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Although some had accused Smith, the firm’s network manager, of negligence when the crucial data went missing, the CEO defused a situation that was quite tense with her public statement that the debacle was not Smith’s fault.

A. a situation that was quite tense with her public statement that the debacle was not Smith’s fault
B. a situation that was quite tense, by publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith’s fault
C. a situation, which was quite tense, by stating publicly that Smith was not responsible for the debacle
D. a quite tense situation with a public statement about the debacle not being Smith’s fault
E. a quite tense situation by publicly stating the debacle not to have been Smith’s fault

A: a situation that was quite tense with her public statement
Here, the referent for the red portion is unclear.
While the red portion is intended to modify defused (expressing how the CEO defused a situation), a reader might construe that the red portion is serving to modify the portion in blue (expressing why the situation was tense).
Also, it is not crystal clear whether her refers to Smith or to the CEO.
Eliminate A.

A which-clause provides NONESSENTIAL information.
If a which-clause is removed, the remaining words must convey a clear and complete meaning.
If we remove the which-clause from C, we get:
The CEO defused a situation by stating publicly that Smith was not responsible for the debacle.
Here, it is unclear what situation is being diffused.
Since removing the which-clause yields an incomplete meaning, eliminate C.

Generally, a VERBing modifier expresses a TEMPORARY action happening at the same time as the main action.
D: the debacle not being Smith's fault
Here, the usage of being implies that the debacle was TEMPORARILY not BEING Smith's fault at the same time as the CEO defused.
This meaning is nonsensical.
It is illogical to convey that the situation was not Smith's fault only temporarily.
Eliminate D.

E: by publicly stating the debacle not to have been Smith's fault
Here, the red portion seems to be an adjective describing the debacle.
As a result, the following meaning is conveyed:
The CEO was stating the debacle.
What KIND of debacle?
A debacle NOT TO HAVE BEEN SMITH'S FAULT.
This meaning is nonsensical.
It is not possible to state a debacle.
Eliminate E.

LINKING VERBS are forms of to be such as is, are, was, were, etc.
One purpose of a linking verb is to express a STATE-OF-BEING:
Mary IS tall.
The boys ARE happy.
The situation WAS tense.

by + VERBing serves to express HOW an ACTION is performed.
Since a state-of-being is not an action, by + VERBing cannot serve to modify a linking verb.

OA: The CEO defused a situation that was quite tense, by publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith’s fault.
In accordance with the rule above, by publicly stating cannot serve to modify the linking verb was.
As a result, it is clear that by publicly stating is serving to modify DEFUSED -- the nearest preceding ACTION -- expressing HOW the CEO DEFUSED a situation.
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GMATGuruNY
Wow, what an explanation! kudos to you for the amazing explanation.

Quote:
A which-clause provides NONESSENTIAL information.
If a which-clause is removed, the remaining words must convey a clear and complete meaning.
If we remove the which-clause from C, we get:
The CEO defused a situation by stating publicly that Smith was not responsible for the debacle.
Here, it is unclear what situation is being diffused.
Since removing the which-clause yields an incomplete meaning, eliminate C.
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Sir, why do we think that the essential modifier is necessary here? If the sentence is something below which one should we choose?

Although some had accused Smith, the firm’s network manager, of negligence when the crucial data went missing, the CEO defused
B. a situation that was quite tense, by publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith’s fault
B1. a situation, which was quite tense, by publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith’s fault

if we choose choice B1 that means we are ignoring the 'diffused' part. But, why do we think that we need the part that is being diffused?

--
What if the choice B is replaced with B1 in the original SC? Should we choose that option (B1) as a correct choice then?
---
Quote:
E: by publicly stating the debacle not to have been Smith's fault
Here, the red portion seems to be an adjective describing the debacle.
As a result, the following meaning is conveyed:
The CEO was stating the debacle.
What KIND of debacle?
A debacle NOT TO HAVE BEEN SMITH'S FAULT.
This meaning is nonsensical.
It is not possible to state a debacle.
Eliminate E.
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Sir, how do you sort out the parts of speech from the combination of so many words (not to have been Smith's fault). We saw the parts of speech could be just a single word (not combination of so many words).
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Although some had accused Smith, the firm’s network manager, of neglig 17 Nov 2022, 14:04
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AjiteshArun
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Please clarify the below points
1. by publicly stating and by stating publicly ...both are ok?
2. usage of that or which . in this particular case , are both ok?
1. I think both are okay.

Before we take (2), remember that when we see a "comma + which", the information contained in the which clause is just additional information and is not used to define the noun that the which points to (it works the opposite way for that).

2. No. We'll need a that here (not a ", which"). The reason for this is that we want to say "the CEO defused a tense situation", and not "the CEO defused a situation". For example:

The mathematician solved a problem that was considered impossible to solve. ← We should read the whole thing as a unit.
The mathematician solved a problem, which was considered impossible to solve. ← Here we don't take a problem and the which clause as a unit.

The second one is not correct as the information about the problem is essential (it helps the reader understand that a particular type of problem, not just any problem, was solved).
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AjiteshArun
Just awesome. Kudos for the explanation.
What if the choices are something like below?
The pen, which is broken, is gifted by my friend.->We have just one broken pen.
The pen that is broken is gifted by my friend.--->There are so many pens but we are talking about one specific pen that is broken.
How can we take decision to choose one?
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Although some had accused Smith, the firm’s network manager, of neglig 17 Nov 2022, 14:10
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AjiteshArun
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Could someone please explain why option E is incorrect?
There are two problems in option E:

... a quite tense situation by publicly stating the debacle not to have been Smith’s fault.

1. A quite tense situation is not the right way to express that idea. For example:

She solved a question that was quite tough. ← This one is fine.
vs.
She solved a quite tough question. ← This is not correct.

He watched a movie that was quite long. ← This one is fine.
vs.
He watched a quite long movie. ← This is not correct.

2. Stating that the debacle was not Smith’s fault is better (more direct) than stating the debacle not to have been Smith’s fault.
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AjiteshArun,
Can you clarify why the 'incorrect' sentences are 'incorrect' here? But, I thought the highlighted sentences are correct as they are more concise and direct!
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Although some had accused Smith, the firm’s network manager, of neglig 17 Nov 2022, 14:19
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GMATNinja
Leonaann
just would like to clarify a doubt.

In option B, ' by publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith???s fault' is modifying the action verb defused right? Could someone please help to confirm this? thanks
That's right! How did the CEO defuse the situation? By publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith's fault. "By publicly stating..." functions as an adverb, modifying the verb "defused".
Show more
Kudos for the explanation, Sir.
GMATNinja
Sir, we also see a verb like 'was' in choice B. Why did not the adverb modify that verb (was)?
B. a situation that was quite tense, by publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith’s fault

...a vast curiosity on it
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Although some had accused Smith, the firm’s network manager, of neglig 17 Nov 2022, 21:43
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Leonaann
just would like to clarify a doubt.

In option B, ' by publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith???s fault' is modifying the action verb defused right? Could someone please help to confirm this? thanks
That's right! How did the CEO defuse the situation? By publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith's fault. "By publicly stating..." functions as an adverb, modifying the verb "defused".
Kudos for the explanation, Sir.
GMATNinja
Sir, we also see a verb like 'was' in choice B. Why did not the adverb modify that verb (was)?
B. a situation that was quite tense, by publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith’s fault

...a vast curiosity on it
Show more
Consider the phrase "a situation that was quite tense, by publicly stating {...}". Can a situation state something? Nope. So how we could have a situation that WAS tense BY stating something?

Also, the comma helps to separate the "by publicly stating" part from the noun modifier ("that was quite tense"). If we wanted the "by publicly stating" part to modify something in the noun modifier, we'd probably want to omit that comma.

So, unless we want to ignore the structural clues and force a nonsensical meaning, (B) is probably fine!
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Although some had accused Smith, the firm’s network manager, of neglig 17 Nov 2022, 23:10
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AjiteshArun
There are two problems in option E:

... a quite tense situation by publicly stating the debacle not to have been Smith’s fault.

1. A quite tense situation is not the right way to express that idea. For example:

She solved a question that was quite tough. ← This one is fine.
vs.
She solved a quite tough question. ← This is not correct.

He watched a movie that was quite long. ← This one is fine.
vs.
He watched a quite long movie. ← This is not correct.

2. Stating that the debacle was not Smith’s fault is better (more direct) than stating the debacle not to have been Smith’s fault.
AjiteshArun,
Can you clarify why the 'incorrect' sentences are 'incorrect' here? But, I thought the highlighted sentences are correct as they are more concise and direct!
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Hi TheUltimateWinner,

Sure. First, let's take a look at the meaning of quite in [quite a/an + {adj} + {noun}].

1. The following is from the Cambridge Dictionary:
Quote:
When we use quite + a/an + adjective + noun it means the same as ‘a little or a lot but not completely’:

It’s quite a big company. Around 200 staff.

It’s quite a good book. (It’s rather good but not excellent.)
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2. In most cases, switching the order is not advisable as [a quite + {adj} + {noun}] is not a commonly used structure, and many people consider it incorrect. The following is from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary:
Quote:
In this meaning, when quite is used with an adjective before a noun, it comes before a or an. You can say: It’s quite a small house or Their house is quite small but not It’s a quite small house.
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3. It is acceptable, mainly in British English, to switch the order if the adjective doesn't have comparative or superlative forms. However, this is extremely unlikely to be tested on the GMAT.

TL;DR: [A quite + {adj} + {noun}] is technically not impossible, but it's so rare that it's probably okay to consider it incorrect. Try not to use it unless you know what you're doing.
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Although some had accused Smith, the firm’s network manager, of neglig 18 Nov 2022, 05:43
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Leonaann
just would like to clarify a doubt.

In option B, ' by publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith???s fault' is modifying the action verb defused right? Could someone please help to confirm this? thanks
That's right! How did the CEO defuse the situation? By publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith's fault. "By publicly stating..." functions as an adverb, modifying the verb "defused".
Kudos for the explanation, Sir.
GMATNinja
Sir, we also see a verb like 'was' in choice B. Why did not the adverb modify that verb (was)?
B. a situation that was quite tense, by publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith’s fault

...a vast curiosity on it
Show more

Hello TheUltimateWinner,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, the primary way we can tell that "by publicly stating" is not modifying "was" is through meaning; it makes no logical sense to say that the situation was quite tense by publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith’s fault, so we can conclude that the adverbial phrase is meant to modify "defused".

Further, "was" is a part of a "that" phrase that modifies the noun "situation", which is, in turn, a part of an independent clause, further indicating that "was" is not the right verb for the modifier to apply to.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
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Although some had accused Smith, the firm’s network manager, of neglig 21 Nov 2022, 10:45
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That's right! How did the CEO defuse the situation? By publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith's fault. "By publicly stating..." functions as an adverb, modifying the verb "defused".
Kudos for the explanation, Sir.
GMATNinja
Sir, we also see a verb like 'was' in choice B. Why did not the adverb modify that verb (was)?
B. a situation that was quite tense, by publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith’s fault

...a vast curiosity on it
Consider the phrase "a situation that was quite tense, by publicly stating {...}". Can a situation state something? Nope. So how we could have a situation that WAS tense BY stating something?

Also, the comma helps to separate the "by publicly stating" part from the noun modifier ("that was quite tense"). If we wanted the "by publicly stating" part to modify something in the noun modifier, we'd probably want to omit that comma.

So, unless we want to ignore the structural clues and force a nonsensical meaning, (B) is probably fine!
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GMATNinja
Thank you and kudos sir for the explanation. I wish I get an explanation from you in my every query-actually, I get very few responses from my favorite expert.
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Although some had accused Smith, the firm’s network manager, of neglig 21 Nov 2022, 10:52
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There are two problems in option E:

... a quite tense situation by publicly stating the debacle not to have been Smith’s fault.

1. A quite tense situation is not the right way to express that idea. For example:

She solved a question that was quite tough. ← This one is fine.
vs.
She solved a quite tough question. ← This is not correct.

He watched a movie that was quite long. ← This one is fine.
vs.
He watched a quite long movie. ← This is not correct.

2. Stating that the debacle was not Smith’s fault is better (more direct) than stating the debacle not to have been Smith’s fault.
AjiteshArun,
Can you clarify why the 'incorrect' sentences are 'incorrect' here? But, I thought the highlighted sentences are correct as they are more concise and direct!
Hi TheUltimateWinner,

Sure. First, let's take a look at the meaning of quite in [quite a/an + {adj} + {noun}].

1. The following is from the Cambridge Dictionary:
Quote:
When we use quite + a/an + adjective + noun it means the same as ‘a little or a lot but not completely’:

It’s quite a big company. Around 200 staff.

It’s quite a good book. (It’s rather good but not excellent.)

2. In most cases, switching the order is not advisable as [a quite + {adj} + {noun}] is not a commonly used structure, and many people consider it incorrect. The following is from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary:
Quote:
In this meaning, when quite is used with an adjective before a noun, it comes before a or an. You can say: It’s quite a small house or Their house is quite small but not It’s a quite small house.

3. It is acceptable, mainly in British English, to switch the order if the adjective doesn't have comparative or superlative forms. However, this is extremely unlikely to be tested on the GMAT.

TL;DR: [A quite + {adj} + {noun}] is technically not impossible, but it's so rare that it's probably okay to consider it incorrect. Try not to use it unless you know what you're doing.
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AjiteshArun
The explanation helps me a lot but it destroyed few brain cells, maybe :lol: :)
Thank you for the amazing explanation. I wish if I have a reply in my every query!
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Although some had accused Smith, the firm’s network manager, of neglig 21 Nov 2022, 10:55
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That's right! How did the CEO defuse the situation? By publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith's fault. "By publicly stating..." functions as an adverb, modifying the verb "defused".
Kudos for the explanation, Sir.
GMATNinja
Sir, we also see a verb like 'was' in choice B. Why did not the adverb modify that verb (was)?
B. a situation that was quite tense, by publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith’s fault

...a vast curiosity on it

Hello TheUltimateWinner,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, the primary way we can tell that "by publicly stating" is not modifying "was" is through meaning; it makes no logical sense to say that the situation was quite tense by publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith’s fault, so we can conclude that the adverbial phrase is meant to modify "defused".

Further, "was" is a part of a "that" phrase that modifies the noun "situation", which is, in turn, a part of an independent clause, further indicating that "was" is not the right verb for the modifier to apply to.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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ExpertsGlobal5 got it. Thank you again.
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Although some had accused Smith, the firm’s network manager, of neglig 22 Nov 2022, 06:20
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I eliminated C because I thought "Smith was not resposible" does not mean the same as "the debacle was Smith's fault".

I am not sure whether my line of reasoning is correct. Can someone please confirm if the reasoning is correct?
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Although some had accused Smith, the firm’s network manager, of neglig 23 Nov 2022, 16:23
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I eliminated C because I thought "Smith was not resposible" does not mean the same as "the debacle was Smith's fault".

I am not sure whether my line of reasoning is correct. Can someone please confirm if the reasoning is correct?
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"Smith was not responsible for the debacle" and "the debacle was not Smith’s fault" mean essentially the same thing in this context, so you probably can't use that as a decision point, unfortunately. There are plenty of other things to focus on, though -- check out some of the explanations (especially the ones toward the top of the thread) for more on the other factors at work in this question.
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Although some had accused Smith, the firm’s network manager, of neglig 24 Nov 2022, 05:23
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GautamKhanduja
I eliminated C because I thought "Smith was not resposible" does not mean the same as "the debacle was Smith's fault".

I am not sure whether my line of reasoning is correct. Can someone please confirm if the reasoning is correct?
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Hello GautamKhanduja,

We hope this finds you well.

To clarify, in this case, the two clauses convey the same meaning.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
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Although some had accused Smith, the firm’s network manager, of neglig 30 Nov 2022, 10:43
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Sir, why do we think that the essential modifier is necessary here? If the sentence is something below which one should we choose?

Although some had accused Smith, the firm’s network manager, of negligence when the crucial data went missing, the CEO defused
B. a situation that was quite tense, by publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith’s fault
B1. a situation, which was quite tense, by publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith’s fault

if we choose choice B1 that means we are ignoring the 'diffused' part. But, why do we think that we need the part that is being diffused?
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An analogy:
Children feared John because he had a face that never smiled.
If we omit the modifier in blue, we get:
Children feared John because he had a face.
The sentence is red does not tell the whole story.
Children did not fear John because he had face; all people have faces.
Rather, children feared John because he had a particular TYPE of face:
a face THAT NEVER SMILED
For this reason, the modifier in blue is considered ESSENTIAL to the meaning.

A similar line of reasoning can be applied to the SC above.
The CEO did not simply defuse a situation.
Rather, the CEO defused a particular TYPE of situation:
a situation THAT WAS QUITE TENSE
Since the modifier in green is essential to the meaning, it cannot be rephrased in B1 as a nonessential modifier.

Quote:
What if the choice B is replaced with B1 in the original SC? Should we choose that option (B1) as a correct choice then?
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The GMAT would not replace B with B1, so this question is moot.

Quote:
= how do you sort out the parts of speech from the combination of so many words (not to have been Smith's fault). We saw the parts of speech could be just a single word (not combination of so many words).
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Question:
What is considered not to have been Smith's fault?
Answer:
The DEBACLE.
Since only an adjective can modify a noun such as debacle, the phrase in red must be serving as an adjective.
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