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Because property values sometimes fluctuate in response to economic co 21 Jul 2022, 00:47
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Hi,

in option C, I understand that meaning is a bit less clear than the right choice B. However, gramatically there are no errors.

Just a few clarification needed:

1. Option C uses 'comparing' which is an -ing verbal is modifying pronoun 'IT'. I guess its fine

3. 'WHEN' is used as a relative pronoun marker to modify the verb. Telling about when the investment may under-perform.

Can we say that such relative pronoun markers should form a clause? Is this a grammar rule or such RP markers can be attached as prepositions to absolute phrases and still be grammatically correct?
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Because property values sometimes fluctuate in response to economic co 21 Jul 2022, 02:01
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Anshul1223333
Hi,

in option C, I understand that meaning is a bit less clear than the right choice B. However, gramatically there are no errors.

Just a few clarification needed:

1. Option C uses 'comparing' which is an -ing verbal is modifying pronoun 'IT'. I guess its fine

3. 'WHEN' is used as a relative pronoun marker to modify the verb. Telling about when the investment may under-perform.

Can we say that such relative pronoun markers should form a clause? Is this a grammar rule or such RP markers can be attached as prepositions to absolute phrases and still be grammatically correct?
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"comparing" is a present participial phrase and so, I would normally expect to see "who" is doing the act of comparing.

For example:

When comparing investment in a home with investment in equities, professionals consider volatility as a key factor.

Notice that the present participial phrase "comparing..." modifies "professionals", suggesting that professionals are doing the act of comparing.

In the sentence under consideration however, there is no doer of "comparing" mentioned/implied. Hence, comparing is not a great construct here.

I associate the usage of when more as a subordinating conjunction than as a relative pronoun. The larger point is that there may or may not be a verb explicitly mentioned after "when" (you might want to Google verbless clause).
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Because property values sometimes fluctuate in response to economic co 21 Jul 2022, 07:39
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Thankyou Ashish! Your replies are simply fantastic. It often makes me feel that I am yet to know a lot!!

Just a small follow-up when you mentioned present participle should have a doer

In the below sentence, the Archaeologist can not the action of ''indicating''. It is the discovery that indicates something.

1. Translating a very rare inscription on an ancient Etruscan temple stone, archaeologists have discovered the name Uni, an important female goddess representing fertility, indicating that Uni may have been the titular deity worshiped at the sanctuary of Poggio Colla

Will we get to see such exceptions on GMAT?


EducationAisle
Anshul1223333
Hi,

in option C, I understand that meaning is a bit less clear than the right choice B. However, gramatically there are no errors.

Just a few clarification needed:

1. Option C uses 'comparing' which is an -ing verbal is modifying pronoun 'IT'. I guess its fine

3. 'WHEN' is used as a relative pronoun marker to modify the verb. Telling about when the investment may under-perform.

Can we say that such relative pronoun markers should form a clause? Is this a grammar rule or such RP markers can be attached as prepositions to absolute phrases and still be grammatically correct?
"comparing" is a present participial phrase and so, I would normally expect to see "who" is doing the act of comparing.

For example:

When comparing investment in a home with investment in equities, professionals consider volatility as a key factor.

Notice that the present participial phrase "comparing..." modifies "professionals", suggesting that professionals are doing the act of comparing.

In the sentence under consideration however, there is no doer of "comparing" mentioned/implied. Hence, comparing is not a great construct here.

I associate the usage of when more as a subordinating conjunction than as a relative pronoun. The larger point is that there may or may not be a verb explicitly mentioned after "when" (you might want to Google verbless clause).
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Because property values sometimes fluctuate in response to economic co 21 Jul 2022, 09:33
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generis
Because property values sometimes fluctuate in response to economic conditions beyond the purchaser's control, an investment in a home may underperform when compared to that of other widely available classes of investments.

(A) an investment in a home may underperform when compared to that of other widely available classes of investments

(B) an investment in a home may underperform compared with other widely available classes of investments

(C) an investment in a home may underperform when comparing it with other widely available classes of investments

(D) compared to that of other widely available classes of investments, an investment in a home may underperform

(E) in comparison with that of other widely available classes of investments, an investment in a home may underperform

SC71360.02
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I got this question correct because I saw the errors in the other options but still took some time before selecting B because I wasn’t sure if we needed something like “an investment in a home may underperform compared with how other widely available classes of investments perform”

Are we excluding the action of performing for the widely available classes of investments because the comparison is clear and it can be assumed that we are comparing how home investments perform compared with how the widely available classes of investments perform?

Any input on this from MartyTargetTestPrep GMATNinja AndrewN would be great!
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Because property values sometimes fluctuate in response to economic co 21 Jul 2022, 09:50
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I got this question correct because I saw the errors in the other options but still took some time before selecting B because I wasn’t sure if we needed something like “an investment in a home may underperform compared with how other widely available classes of investments perform”

Are we excluding the action of performing for the widely available classes of investments because the comparison is clear and it can be assumed that we are comparing how home investments perform compared with how the widely available classes of investments perform?

Any input on this from MartyTargetTestPrep GMATNinja AndrewN would be great!
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Hello, rikinmathur. The short answer is that we already have underperform in answer choice (B), so X may underperform compared with (or to) Y forms a solid basis for comparison without a second reference to performance. If I write, I run fast compared to a turtle, the comparison is understood, without explicitly drawing attention to how a turtle runs.

Comparisons can be tricky, but as much as possible, you want to ask yourself whether a reasonable interpretation allows a proper comparison to be made. If you have to stretch that interpretation a bit, it is probably off; if not, then you should look to other considerations as a basis for elimination.

Thank you for thinking to ask, and good luck with your studies.

- Andrew
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Because property values sometimes fluctuate in response to economic co 21 Jul 2022, 09:52
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rikinmathur
Quote:
(B) an investment in a home may underperform compared with other widely available classes of investments

I got this question correct because I saw the errors in the other options but still took some time before selecting B because I wasn’t sure if we needed something like “an investment in a home may underperform compared with how other widely available classes of investments perform”

Are we excluding the action of performing for the widely available classes of investments because the comparison is clear and it can be assumed that we are comparing how home investments perform compared with how the widely available classes of investments perform?

Any input on this from MartyTargetTestPrep GMATNinja AndrewN would be great!
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The verb "underperform" itself implies that the subject of that verb does not perform as well as something else performs.

For example:

Gold has underperformed all year.

The above sentence means that gold has not performed as well as something else has performed.

So, what's going on in choice (B) is that the clause first states that "an investment in a home may underperform," meaning that it may not perform as well as something else, and then it presents what an investment in a home may underperform in comparison with "other widely available classes of investments."

By the way, in general, this type of meaning is conveyed more concisely, as in:

an investment in a home may underperform other widely available classes of investments

So, (B) is not ideal. It's just better than the other versions.
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Because property values sometimes fluctuate in response to economic co 21 Jul 2022, 17:24
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Thanks AndrewN MartyTargetTestPrep , it makes sense now! Very helpful!
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Because property values sometimes fluctuate in response to economic co 22 Jul 2022, 09:19
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Anshul1223333

Just a small follow-up when you mentioned present participle should have a doer

In the below sentence, the Archaeologist can not the action of ''indicating''. It is the discovery that indicates something.

1. Translating a very rare inscription on an ancient Etruscan temple stone, archaeologists have discovered the name Uni, an important female goddess representing fertility, indicating that Uni may have been the titular deity worshiped at the sanctuary of Poggio Colla

Will we get to see such exceptions on GMAT?
Show more
The sentence you've mentioned is perhaps not an official sentence, but I don't really see this as an exception.

Let's take an official example:

Five fledgling sea eagles left their nests in western Scotland this summer, bringing to 34 the number of wild birds successfully raised since transplants from Norway began in 1975.

One may argue that "Five fledgling sea eagles" are not technically the "doer" of bringing. However, a bit of nimble thinking helps here: Five fledgling sea eagles did <something> (<left their nests...>) and this act precipitated the event of bringing to 34 the number of wild birds successfully raised. So, in some sense, five fledgling sea eagles are indeed the (indirect) agent, responsible for the act of "bringing".

For this reason, participial phrases of this nature (present participle phrases towards the end of a clause and preceded by a comma) act as both "adjective" as well as "adverbial" modifiers: they modify the subject of the preceding clause and also modify the verb of the preceding clause.
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Because property values sometimes fluctuate in response to economic co 20 Oct 2022, 08:40
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Are Compared to and Compared with adverbs?
if they are adverbs, then it means that they won't modify noun like past participle.
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Because property values sometimes fluctuate in response to economic co 20 Oct 2022, 20:00
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Sir/Maam,
Are Compared to and Compared with adverbs?
if they are adverbs, then it means that they won't modify noun like past participle.
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Are we saying that an investment in a home may underperform compared with past performance? Analysts expectations? Your crazy uncle's financial advice? Nope, an investment in a home may underperform compared, specifically, with other widely available classes of investments.

The "compared with" part tells us the standard against which an investment in a home is being measured, and gives us more information and context about the verb ("may underperform"). That makes it an adverb.

I hope that helps!
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Because property values sometimes fluctuate in response to economic co 24 Nov 2022, 03:06
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Dear Friends,

Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
generis
Because property values sometimes fluctuate in response to economic conditions beyond the purchaser's control, an investment in a home may underperform when compared to that of other widely available classes of investments.

(A) an investment in a home may underperform when compared to that of other widely available classes of investments

(B) an investment in a home may underperform compared with other widely available classes of investments

(C) an investment in a home may underperform when comparing it with other widely available classes of investments

(D) compared to that of other widely available classes of investments, an investment in a home may underperform

(E) in comparison with that of other widely available classes of investments, an investment in a home may underperform

SC71360.02
Show more

Meaning is crucial to solving this problem:
Understanding the intended meaning is key to solving this question; the intended meaning of the crucial part of this sentence is that in comparison with other widely available classes of investments an investment in a home may underperform.

Concepts tested here: Meaning + Pronouns + Awkwardness/Redundancy

• "when" is used to refer to a point in time.

A:
1/ This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "when compared"; the use of "when" illogically implies that an investment in a home may underperform, at that point in time when it is compared with other widely available classes of investments; the intended meaning is that in comparison with other widely available classes of investments an investment in a home may underperform; remember, "when" is used to refer to a point in time.
2/ Option A suffers from a pronoun error, as the pronoun "that" lacks a clear and logical referent.

B: Correct.
1/ This answer choice uses the phrase "compared with", conveying the intended meaning - that in comparison with other widely available classes of investments an investment in a home may underperform.
2/ Option B avoids the pronoun error seen in Options A, D, and E, as it uses no pronouns.
3/ Option B is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.

C:
1/ This answer choice alters the meaning of the sentence through the phrase "when comparing it"; the use of "when" illogically implies that an investment in a home may underperform, at that point in time when it is compared with other widely available classes of investments; the intended meaning is that in comparison with other widely available classes of investments an investment in a home may underperform; remember, "when" is used to refer to a point in time.

D:
1/ This answer choice suffers from a pronoun error, as the pronoun "that" lacks a clear and logical referent.

E:
1/ This answer choice suffers from a pronoun error, as the pronoun "that" lacks a clear and logical referent.
2/ Option E uses the needlessly wordy phrase "in comparison with", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.

Hence, B is the best answer choice.

All the best!
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Because property values sometimes fluctuate in response to economic co 15 Feb 2023, 07:38
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Sir/Maam,
Are Compared to and Compared with adverbs?
if they are adverbs, then it means that they won't modify noun like past participle.
Are we saying that an investment in a home may underperform compared with past performance? Analysts expectations? Your crazy uncle's financial advice? Nope, an investment in a home may underperform compared, specifically, with other widely available classes of investments.

The "compared with" part tells us the standard against which an investment in a home is being measured, and gives us more information and context about the verb ("may underperform"). That makes it an adverb.

I hope that helps!
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Because property values sometimes fluctuate in response to economic conditions beyond the purchaser's control, .....

(D) .... compared to that of other widely available classes of investments, an investment in a home may underperform

(E) ... in comparison with that of other widely available classes of investments, an investment in a home may underperform

Looking closely the D and E options, can I eliminate these because the first part is a Warm up? My understanding is when using the structure "Because/although + something+ comma" exists the need to define the subject right after the comma. In this case I would be using the options with "an investment" instead of "not compared/in comparison"

Can you confirm if this thought process make sense?

Thanks in advance!
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Because property values sometimes fluctuate in response to economic co 20 Feb 2023, 16:13
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rtsaito
Because property values sometimes fluctuate in response to economic conditions beyond the purchaser's control, .....

(D) .... compared to that of other widely available classes of investments, an investment in a home may underperform

(E) ... in comparison with that of other widely available classes of investments, an investment in a home may underperform

Looking closely the D and E options, can I eliminate these because the first part is a Warm up? My understanding is when using the structure "Because/although + something+ comma" exists the need to define the subject right after the comma. In this case I would be using the options with "an investment" instead of "not compared/in comparison"

Can you confirm if this thought process make sense?

Thanks in advance!
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That's not an ironclad rule, and something like this would probably be acceptable:

    "Because he's a nice guy, compared to other politicians, the senator has a very high approval rating."

This isn't the most elegant sentence ever, but there's no reason why you can't stick a "compared to" modifier between the "because" part and the subject. So as long as the meaning is reasonably clear, you'll probably want to be conservative and look for other decision points in a situation like this one.

The bigger problem with (D) and (E) is "that of": what singular noun does "that" refer to? An investment of other widely available classes of investments? That doesn't make any sense, so (D) and (E) are gone.

I hope that helps!
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Because property values sometimes fluctuate in response to economic co 11 Jul 2023, 00:37
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generis
Because property values sometimes fluctuate in response to economic conditions beyond the purchaser's control, an investment in a home may underperform when compared to that of other widely available classes of investments.

(A) an investment in a home may underperform when compared to that of other widely available classes of investments

(B) an investment in a home may underperform compared with other widely available classes of investments

(C) an investment in a home may underperform when comparing it with other widely available classes of investments

(D) compared to that of other widely available classes of investments, an investment in a home may underperform

(E) in comparison with that of other widely available classes of investments, an investment in a home may underperform

SC71360.02
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One question I have - from reading through comparisons, doesn't the quantity have to remain consistent? I'm sure I have seen OG examples where answers have been excluded based on this rule:

Here we have "an investment" (singular) compared to "other...classes of investments" (plural)
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Because property values sometimes fluctuate in response to economic co 09 Oct 2025, 05:00
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