OFFICIAL EXPLANATION:

The original sentence contained a grammar error: The first verb in the clause beginning the underlined section is manage. Creates is not the first verb in this clause, so it should not be conjugated. This answer choice corrects the original Verb Form mistake, by changing the conjugated form creates to the non-conjugated form creating.

Remember our rule:

Only the first verb of a sentence or a clause should be conjugated.

Note that this answer choice changes the original word order and also uses slightly different words, making it seem very different from the original sentence. However, it does not change the meaning of the original sentence. Furthermore, it is the only grammatically correct answer choice, as the other answer choice all include fragment errors.
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Although <clause>, <contrasting clause> .
To <verb> is called infinitive . An infinitive takes the bare form of the verb.

None of the choice has TO CREATE.
Hence, I am unable to select the correct one.

Can someone explain the logic to pick the right one?

(D) is the answer IMO


(A) few of these products manage to come close to creates the characteristic analog sound that hand-made effects pedals provide

Verb error

(B) few of these products manage to come close to creating the characteristic analog sound that hand-made effects pedals providing

Need verb not participle

(C) only some of these products managing to come close to creating the characteristic analog sound that hand-made effects pedals provide

Need verb

(D) hardly any of these products manage to came close to creating the characteristic analog sound that hand-made effects pedals provide
Contrast is captured nicely
Correct choice

(E) a hand-made effects pedal provides a characteristic analog sound that only some of these products manage to come close to creating
Fails to capture the contrast

Although the market tempts guitarists with digital signal processors of every shape and size, few of these products manage to come close to creates the characteristic analog sound that hand-made effects pedals provide.


(A) few of these products manage to come close to creates the characteristic analog sound that hand-made effects pedals provide - Incorrect. S-V agreement issue.

(B) few of these products manage to come close to creating the characteristic analog sound that hand-made effects pedals providing - Incorrect. 'providing' is incorrect. Doesn't refer to anything.

(C) only some of these products managing to come close to creating the characteristic analog sound that hand-made effects pedals provide - Incorrect. ' managing' is incorrect usage here.

(D) hardly any of these products manage to came close to creating the characteristic analog sound that hand-made effects pedals provide - Correct.

(E) a hand-made effects pedal provides a characteristic analog sound that only some of these products manage to come close to creating - Incorrect.

IMO D

I choose E lol. I am not sure where I made mistakes.
A: to creates
B: sound that hand-made pedals providing (miss main verb)
C: managing ... (miss main verb in the whole clause)
D: to came (same issue as A)
E: I see no issues here. If it is the issue of creating, then I guess C, D and E all have this issue then.

This is a good question; it is a testament to why we should look for the *best* option when solving an SC question (as is the case here). IMO choice (D) is correct.

Eliminate (A): S-V agreement error (does not agree in number) - subject: product, verb: creates.
The word 'providing' and 'creating' at the end of each answer choice split will further help eliminate choices (B) and (E) respectively.
When comparing choices (C) and (D), the latter is better: the word 'managing' in choice (C) should be a verb rather than a gerund to convey the meaning clearly.

Although the market tempts guitarists with digital signal processors of every shape and size, few of these products manage to come close to creates the characteristic analog sound that hand-made effects pedals provide.

(A) few of these products manage to come close to creates the characteristic analog sound that hand-made effects pedals provide -> "products" need plural verb, "creates" is singular. It is incorrect.

(B) few of these products manage to come close to creating the characteristic analog sound that hand-made effects pedals providing -> "providing" is incorrect.

(C) only some of these products managing to come close to creating the characteristic analog sound that hand-made effects pedals provide -> There is no main verb. Incorrect.

(D) hardly any of these products manage to came close to creating the characteristic analog sound that hand-made effects pedals provide -> It is better.

(E) a hand-made effects pedal provides a characteristic analog sound that only some of these products manage to come close to creating -> Same as B. Incorrect.

So, I think D.

My answer is (D). It took me 01:16.

(A) When I read the sentence, I thought come close to (doing) something is the idiomatic use.
(Indeed, it is. Check https://www.macmillandictionary.com/us/ ... -something)
But I am not 100% sure. Fortunately, this sentence uses "come close to creates", which is absolutely wrong.
I, however, think it is a typo.

(B) Verb is missing in the relative clause (that hand-made effects pedals providing).

(C) Verb is missing in the main clause (only some of these products managing ).

(D) No issues found. "few of" is shorter than "hardly any of", though.

(E) In reading (E), we do feel that the transition from "although" subordinate clause to the main clause is not as smooth as (D). “some of these products” should better be placed closer to the subordinate clause.
Also, mixing singular " a hand-made effects pedal" with plural "some of these products" might be a style issue.

As Sumi1010 rightly said-


This question tests your ability to find the right way to present a 'contrasting clause'. Since the although clause' is a dependent clause, the contrasting clause must be an independent clause i.e. it must have a subject and an active verb.

If you will look closely, only choices C and D present a 'contrasting clause' in the right tone. (And choice E absolutely kills the contrast)

In choice C, the subject 'only some of these products' does not have a verb. Additionally, 'providing' in the end is incorrect usage.
Hence, choice D is correct.

'to creates' usage in choice A is incorrect because verb must be in its base form when used as an infinitive. (Though I think this is a typing error- Bunuel, also pointed out by zhanbo)

Related info-
Because X, Y.
Since X, Y.
As X, Y.
are similar in construction. More here- https://dictionary.cambridge.org/gramma ... e-or-since

AndrewN VeritasKarishma
I still could not decipher the jargons used in the OE.
I believed that only base form of the verb should follow TO in an infinitive.
- Can we have TO + Verb-ing in an infinitive ?
- Do we have any official problem with such construction?

Please help me understand.

Hello, Sumi1010. You are correct in saying that the base form of a verb is to + [infinitive]. I wonder if there is a transcription error in (D)—came close?—or whether the question was designed to catch an unwitting test-taker off guard, who might assume the verb was come, as in the previous answer choices. Whatever the case may be, I agree with the OE inasmuch as (E), as written, is the cleanest sentence of the five. If you are asking about to come close to creating, such a construct is fine—the -ing form of the word is acting as a noun, a gerund, filling in for the what of something resembling something else. I do not know an official question offhand that tests this construct, but that does not make it incorrect (and there could very well be such questions).

- Andrew
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Sumi1010

"to" is not just the infinitive marker. It can also act as a preposition with a noun after it.

I want to go home. (infinitive "to go")

He is opposed to the idea. ("to" is a preposition, "idea" is the noun)

He is opposed to visiting again. ("to" is a preposition, "visiting" is a gerund (-ing verb acting as a noun)
I look forward to meeting you again. ("to" is a preposition, "meeting" is a gerund)
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Thanks VeritasKarishma.
I will make note of it.
IMO the usage of <verb> TO <gerund> is not used very frequent in day-to-day texts.

GMATNinja , take over here and why E is correct.

Why is D option not correct?
Can someone please help with a reply

(D) hardly any of these products manage to came close to creating the characteristic analog sound that hand-made effects pedals provide

This is why answer D is incorrect, I think.

Hi Experts,

Requesting you to please help me out with a detailed explanation for why Option E is correct? Thank you