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sukanyar
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Can't 'which' modify an entire sentence?! 21 Jun 2016, 07:00
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mikemcgarry


No. As with many grammar rules, it comes from the inherent logic of grammar, which the GMAT inerrantly follows.

The word "which" is a pronoun. The word "that" has many uses, but one of them is as a pronoun. A pronoun has one and only one legitimate grammatical use, and that is to represent an individual noun that appears elsewhere in the sentence. A pronoun can't represent anything other than a noun. This is fundamental to what a pronoun is. Like SVA, this is purely objective and not debatable in the least.

Does all this make sense?
Mike :-)
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Hi Mike, I think HiLine wanted to ask whether "which" can refer to a "noun phrase" (I know that pronoun "it" can refer to noun phrase, but not sure about "which"). So, would the following be correct: Fighting corruption, which is not easy, requires guts.

So, here, does "which" modify the noun phrase "Fighting corruption"..or will "which" modify "corruption"?
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Can't 'which' modify an entire sentence?! 21 Jun 2016, 11:56
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sukanyar
Hi Mike, I think HiLine wanted to ask whether "which" can refer to a "noun phrase" (I know that pronoun "it" can refer to noun phrase, but not sure about "which"). So, would the following be correct: Fighting corruption, which is not easy, requires guts.

So, here, does "which" modify the noun phrase "Fighting corruption"..or will "which" modify "corruption"?
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Dear sukanyar,
I'm happy to respond. :-) I don't believe this was HiLine's question, but what you ask is an excellent question on its own.

There are three major grammatical forms that act as nouns:
1) gerunds (e.g. "fighting corruption")
2) infinitives (e.g. "to ask interesting question")
3) substantive clauses, a.k.a noun clauses (e.g. "that dogs make good pets")

Now, if we were to take a mathematically approach to grammar, then certainly anything that is true of a noun would be true of these as well. We can modify a noun with "which," so theoretically we could modify any of these with "which."

Theoretically, that is true. In practice, this is a rare and questionable construction. I have never seen it on any official question or on any reputable practice questions, and instinctually I would avoid it in writing my own questions. I don't recall ever seeing this construction in any sophisticated written material. It's exceedingly rare, and I am not aware of a grammar source that discusses it.

Your sentence is quite reasonable: Fighting corruption, which is not easy, requires guts. The pronoun "which" unambiguously modifies the gerund. This doesn't strike me as wrong, but I have never ever seen this on an official question. I could imagine sentences of this sort in colloquial speech, but I can't imagine them in formal academic writing, as we see on the GMAT.

That's my best guess on this very good and unusual question.

Mike :-)
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Can't 'which' modify an entire sentence?! 21 Jun 2016, 17:00
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Wasn't my question but a good question nevertheless, and Mike answered it well! :D

Posted from my mobile device
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Can't 'which' modify an entire sentence?! 22 Jun 2016, 03:42
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Thanks for the wonderful explanation Mike!
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Can't 'which' modify an entire sentence?! 24 Jun 2016, 15:04
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"Actually wrong" is a bit of an absurd concept, I think! You'd be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn't use 'which' to modify whole sentences. It's a fairly preposterous grammar 'rule', and definitely doesn't describe how people actually write and speak.

That said, I think we should be grateful that the GMAC considers it to be a rule. It gives you a very quick, smart way to eliminate answers that otherwise sound good to your ear. The 'which rule' is a very commonly tested concept on tough SC problems, and people who realize that the GMAC doesn't like it, have a leg up on people who solely use their ears for SC.
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Can't 'which' modify an entire sentence?! 25 Jun 2016, 07:26
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"Actually wrong" is a bit of an absurd concept, I think! You'd be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn't use 'which' to modify whole sentences. It's a fairly preposterous grammar 'rule', and definitely doesn't describe how people actually write and speak.

That said, I think we should be grateful that the GMAC considers it to be a rule. It gives you a very quick, smart way to eliminate answers that otherwise sound good to your ear. The 'which rule' is a very commonly tested concept on tough SC problems, and people who realize that the GMAC doesn't like it, have a leg up on people who solely use their ears for SC.
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Do you have an example to show that the GMAC considers this to be a rule? I kinda have a hunch it is, but have no proof or evidence. :|
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Can't 'which' modify an entire sentence?! 26 Jun 2016, 13:43
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ccooley
"Actually wrong" is a bit of an absurd concept, I think! You'd be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn't use 'which' to modify whole sentences. It's a fairly preposterous grammar 'rule', and definitely doesn't describe how people actually write and speak.

That said, I think we should be grateful that the GMAC considers it to be a rule. It gives you a very quick, smart way to eliminate answers that otherwise sound good to your ear. The 'which rule' is a very commonly tested concept on tough SC problems, and people who realize that the GMAC doesn't like it, have a leg up on people who solely use their ears for SC.

Do you have an example to show that the GMAC considers this to be a rule? I kinda have a hunch it is, but have no proof or evidence. :|
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Sure thing! In the OG16, check out the official explanation for SC46, particularly answer choice A. The GMAC says that 'the referent of which is ambiguous'. But if the referent of 'which' could be a full clause, then it would clearly modify the entire preceding clause, 'alter the saline content of the bay'.

Another example is in the explanation for SC84. If the antecedent of 'which' could be "touch each exhibit" (i.e. a clause), then there wouldn't be any 'ambiguity'.

By the way, I can't stand how heavily the GMAC leans on the term 'ambiguous'. Ironically, they aren't very clear about what that means! It would make much more sense to phrase it in terms of grammar rules.
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Can't 'which' modify an entire sentence?! 27 Jun 2016, 11:07
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ccooley
"Actually wrong" is a bit of an absurd concept, I think! You'd be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn't use 'which' to modify whole sentences. It's a fairly preposterous grammar 'rule', and definitely doesn't describe how people actually write and speak.

That said, I think we should be grateful that the GMAC considers it to be a rule. It gives you a very quick, smart way to eliminate answers that otherwise sound good to your ear. The 'which rule' is a very commonly tested concept on tough SC problems, and people who realize that the GMAC doesn't like it, have a leg up on people who solely use their ears for SC.
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Dear ccooley,

With all due respect, my intelligent colleague, I am going to disagree with you. I admit this mistake runs rampant in colloquial speech, as does "less"/"fewer" confusion, as does "lie"/"lay" confusion. Of course, the language is always evolving, and those constructions that are technically wrong but widely used are likely to become accepted at some point. Nevertheless, as the English language now exists, in 2016, there is a more colloquial side and a more sophisticated, well-spoken side. The latter, and only the latter, is the standard to which the GMAT conforms. The GMAT even gives deference to the "old-fashioned" rules concerning split infinitives and ending with a preposition: the folks at GMAT don't test these things directly, but such mistakes appear only in incorrect answer choices on official questions. The question of whether any construction is common in colloquial speech is immaterial: what matters is how structures are used in formal contexts, such as professional and academic writing. In such contexts, I submit it would be relatively unlikely to find the pronoun "which" referring to an entire clause. Furthermore, the word "which" is a pronoun, a relative pronoun, and therefore we can expect the formal rules for it to conform to those of all other pronouns. Pronouns refer to nouns. Insofar as we agree that this is a "rule," we would have to admit the corollary with the word "which."

Mike McGarry
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Can't 'which' modify an entire sentence?! 14 Jul 2021, 05:51
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