Conceptual doubt : prepositional phrases & pronoun

Question

Folks, I have two conceptual doubts here :

1) If I have a construction of the form - "a of b in c , which d" : What will which modify ? c or the phrase b in c ? a,b & c are phrases here

2) If I have a construction of the form "X of Y , which Z" : What will which modify ? Y or the phrase "X of Y" ? X,Y & Z are phrases here

Looking forward to your inputs

mikemcgarry · Answer

Dear spetznaz , I'm happy to respond. :-)

Unfortunately, the answer to both of your questions is " it depends ." You see, you are looking for a once-and-all mathematical-type rule, and grammar doesn't work that way. Grammar is subservient to meaning, and everything about modification depends on meaning. In the larger view, the entire GMAT SC questions type concerns meaning primarily, and grammar only secondarily. Part of what you are asking concerns the distinction of a vital vs. non-vital modifier. See these two posts: 1) That vs. Which on the GMAT 2) GMAT Grammar: Vital Noun Modifiers If we have . . . A of B, doing X . . . The general pattern is that noun modifiers always touch the noun they modifier: that's the Modifier Touch Rule . Thus, " doing " would apply to B. BUT--and this is where meaning plays a crucial role--if B is a vital noun modifier of A, then these can come between a target noun and its ordinary modifier. In this case, " doing " would apply to A. For more complicated scenarios, we would have to look at real examples of structures, examples you might find in SC practice problems. Meaning depends on context, and for questions of this sort, it doesn't make any sense to discuss grammar in the absence of meaning. Please don't post SC questions that are already posted. Search the SC part of the forum, find the questions with these kinds of modification structures, and see what the experts have to say. You are always welcome to solicit my help using the "mention this user" button. In the bigger picture, let me caution you that it is absolutely 100% impossible to arrive at SC mastery purely by memorizing some ideal "complete" list of rules. Language is a living thing, and you have to develop intuition for it's many shifts and subtleties. See this post: How to Improve Your GMAT Verbal Score Does all this make sense? Mike :-)

spetznaz · Answer

Mike , thanks a lot for your reply. Your posts are quite useful

EducationAisle · Answer

Hi spetznaz, both your doubts are related to the usage of which . There is really one simple rule to remember: which always modifies the nearest grammatically eligible word preceding it. GMAT has been phenomenally consistent in application of this rule. Our book EducationAisle Sentence Correction Nirvana discusses usage of "which" , its application and examples in significant detail. If someone is interested, PM me your email-id, I can mail the corresponding section. I can assure you that you will never go wrong after that

.

spetznaz · Answer

Folks, thanks again for the explanation above ... please help with this :

Bloomingdale‘s  store in Santa Monica, which opened this summer, is about 105,000 square feet on two floors, less than one-eighth the size of the chain‘s Manhattan flagship store.

Does which here refer to store or Santa Monica ? I think it should refer to store. My thought process on this : the phrase " in Santa Monica " is a prepositional phrase and is essential to qualify Bloomingdale's store (there may be many stores, we however are referring to a specific store). The pronoun modifier (which in this case) must qualify store.

Please correct my line of thought !

EducationAisle · Answer

Hi spetznaz, is this an official question?

It is best to limit our discussion to official questions, because unofficial questions might be misleading.

mikemcgarry · Answer

Dear spetznaz , I'm happy to respond. :-)

Apparently, this is question from a source known as "SC Grail," I believe. You can find a full discussion of the question here: bloomingdale-s-store-in-santa-monica-which-opened-this-140342.html Having seen the entire question at that link, I must say I don't have the highest opinion of it. Yes, the prepositional phrase " in Santa Monica " is a vital noun modifier. Without this, we wouldn't know which " Bloomingdale‘s store ," whether a particular store in any location or the entire franchise. The vital noun modifier is essential for establishing the identity, letting us know exactly which " Bloomingdale‘s store " is meant. As a vital noun modifier, it is allowed to cause a violation of the Modifier Touch Rule by coming between the target noun and a non-vital modifier, the noun-modifying clause beginning with the word " which ." My friend, you are 100% correct. Mike :-)

spetznaz · Answer

Thanks for the reply

, happy that I was correct this time

Conceptual doubt : prepositional phrases & pronoun

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards