This popped up on our Ask Me Anything About SC thread, and I figured I'd repost it here, just in case it helps anybody else.
varunn001 wrote:
Hi, I need some clarity on this
OG question. I choose C but the official answer is C.
Analysts blamed May's sluggish retail sales on unexciting merchandise as well as the weather, colder and wetter than was usual in some regions, which slowed sales of barbecue grills and lawn furniture.
A. colder and wetter than was usual in some regions, which slowed
B. which was colder and wetter than usual in some regions, slowing
C. since it was colder and wetter than usually in some regions, which slowed
D. being colder and wetter than usually in some regions, slowing
E. having been colder and wetter than was usual in some regions and slowed
(Looks like there was a small typo -- the official answer is B, not C.
).
Let's look at some of the differences between (B) and (C).
First, we're trying to compare (1) the weather
in May to (2) the
usual weather (the weather in May was colder and wetter than the usual weather). In order to modify the implied noun ("weather"), we need the adjective form ("usual"), not the adverb form ("usually").
Also, what does the "which" modify in choice (C)? The regions? The weather? At best, the intended meaning is unclear. And if you think about what it is that actually "slows sales", it's not really the weather itself. Instead, it's
the fact that it was colder and wetter than usual in some regions. So to reach the logical meaning, the "which" needs to modify a noun that doesn't really exist in the sentence ("the fact...").
(B) avoids all of those problems: the phrase beginning with "which" clearly modifies "weather", and the meaning is perfectly clear and logical.
Lastly, (C) has an extra pronoun ("it"). Does the "it" refer to the weather? Or is it a
non-referential pronoun? Neither interpretation is WRONG, exactly, but the fact that we have a somewhat unclear pronoun gives us one last tiny vote against (C).
So (B) is the better choice.
I hope that helps!
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