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Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers were losing

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malkov
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Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers were losing [#permalink] New post   07 May 2012, 03:07
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Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers were losing U.S. market share to lower-cost rivals from Japan and South Korea, which are gaining ground even while offering smaller discounts.


A. Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers were losing

B. Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers are losing

C. Despite significant discounts, the Detroit automakers lost

D. Despite significant discounts, the Detroit automakers continuing to lose

E. The Detroit automakers, despite significant discounts, were losing


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Why should we use gerund here? Any thoughts?
Thanks!
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B
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Re: Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers were losing [#permalink] New post   07 May 2012, 03:41
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First, notice that the rest of the sentence is in the present tense, so 'were' in the underlined portion is wrong. Similarly 'lost' (past tense) is wrong.

Between B and D, B is the clear winner as D just leads to an awkward sentence which is grammatically wrong in several places.

B it is.
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Re: Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers were losing [#permalink] New post   07 May 2012, 05:56
That could be a logic to solve it, so we do not need to chose between noun and gerund. But in principle, can we use gerund here or not?
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Re: Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers were losing [#permalink] New post   07 May 2012, 07:19
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Yes, you can. In fact, the gerund form is what you will have to use to retain the meaning.
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Re: Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers were losing [#permalink] New post   07 May 2012, 08:59
malkov wrote:
Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers were losing U.S. market share to lower-cost rivals from Japan and South Korea, which are gaining ground even while offering smaller discounts.


Why should we use gerund here? Any thoughts?
Thanks!


The clue lies in the non-underlined part of the sentence ", which are gaining ....."

A. Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers were losing
B. Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers are losing
C. Despite significant discounts, the Detroit automakers lost Despite significant discounts cannot modify Detroit automakers.
D. Despite significant discounts, the Detroit automakers continuing to lose : Despite significant discounts cannot modify Detroit automakers.
E. The Detroit automakers, despite significant discounts, were losing Despite significant discounts cannot modify Detroit automakers.
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Re: Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers were losing [#permalink] New post   07 May 2012, 09:49
malkov wrote:
Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers were losing U.S. market share to lower-cost rivals from Japan and South Korea, which are gaining ground even while offering smaller discounts.

A. Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers were losing
B. Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers are losing
C. Despite significant discounts, the Detroit automakers lost
D. Despite significant discounts, the Detroit automakers continuing to lose
E. The Detroit automakers, despite significant discounts, were losing

Why should we use gerund here? Any thoughts?
Thanks!



The question is about using the right tense
the use of continous tense is to show the lost of market share is an ongoing action
the transfer of market share from detroit car makers to Japan and South companies

A wrong sequence of event
should be are losing to match with are gaining
B ok
C parallel structures
D sentence fragment it misses a verb
E as A BUT the adverb clause comes in between

Hope this help

best regards
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Re: Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers were losing [#permalink] New post   21 May 2012, 12:12
option D could be tempting but overall it makes sentence improper to study.
B uses correct tense and makes the meaning clear.
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Re: Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers were losing [#permalink] New post   22 May 2012, 15:30
dvinoth86 wrote:
malkov wrote:
Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers were losing U.S. market share to lower-cost rivals from Japan and South Korea, which are gaining ground even while offering smaller discounts.


Why should we use gerund here? Any thoughts?
Thanks!


The clue lies in the non-underlined part of the sentence ", which are gaining ....."

A. Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers were losing
B. Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers are losing
C. Despite significant discounts, the Detroit automakers lost Despite significant discounts cannot modify Detroit automakers.
D. Despite significant discounts, the Detroit automakers continuing to lose : Despite significant discounts cannot modify Detroit automakers.
E. The Detroit automakers, despite significant discounts, were losing Despite significant discounts cannot modify Detroit automakers.


Why can't "despite significant discounts" modify the detroit automakers?

Trying to grasp the modifier/structure rules,

thanks!
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Re: Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers were losing [#permalink] New post   22 May 2012, 21:04
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You are probably referring to the gerund offering in B. Despite is a preposition meaning in spite of. A preposition has to be unexemptedly followed by a noun or noun phrase or gerund.

You can also directly follow the preposition with a noun as in C and D, (which are wrong for different reasons), but with the gerund, the sentence is more wholesome, while without the gerund it looks rather bare.
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Re: Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers were losing [#permalink] New post   08 Jun 2012, 19:29
malkov wrote:
Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers were losing U.S. market share to lower-cost rivals from Japan and South Korea, which are gaining ground even while offering smaller discounts.

A. Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers were losing
B. Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers are losing
C. Despite significant discounts, the Detroit automakers lost
D. Despite significant discounts, the Detroit automakers continuing to lose
E. The Detroit automakers, despite significant discounts, were losing

Why should we use gerund here? Any thoughts?
Thanks!


there are 2 simultaneous ongoing actions so past tense is not required. A, C and E are out on this ground. and D is fragment. B is the winner
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Re: Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers were losing [#permalink] New post   06 Jan 2019, 04:32
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malkov wrote:
Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers were losing U.S. market share to lower-cost rivals from Japan and South Korea, which are gaining ground even while offering smaller discounts.


A. Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers were losing

B. Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers are losing

C. Despite significant discounts, the Detroit automakers lost

D. Despite significant discounts, the Detroit automakers continuing to lose

E. The Detroit automakers, despite significant discounts, were losing


Show Spoiler
Why should we use gerund here? Any thoughts?
Thanks!


KAPLAN OFFICIAL EXPLANATION:



B.

The sentence contains two different actions, indicating a possible verb tense problem. Because the two actions are happening at the same time, they both require the same tense. Since the second verb are gaining is not underlined and cannot be changed, were losing must be the one to match are gaining, a present-tense verb. (A), (C), and (E) are out, while (D) has no verb, only a participle followed by an infinitive (continuing to lose). (B), which uses are losing, is the answer.
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Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers were losing [#permalink] New post   02 May 2022, 06:09
Bunuel wrote:
malkov wrote:
Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers were losing U.S. market share to lower-cost rivals from Japan and South Korea, which are gaining ground even while offering smaller discounts.


A. Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers were losing

B. Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers are losing

C. Despite significant discounts, the Detroit automakers lost

D. Despite significant discounts, the Detroit automakers continuing to lose

E. The Detroit automakers, despite significant discounts, were losing


Show Spoiler
Why should we use gerund here? Any thoughts?
Thanks!


KAPLAN OFFICIAL EXPLANATION:



B.

The sentence contains two different actions, indicating a possible verb tense problem. Because the two actions are happening at the same time, they both require the same tense. Since the second verb are gaining is not underlined and cannot be changed, were losing must be the one to match are gaining, a present-tense verb. (A), (C), and (E) are out, while (D) has no verb, only a participle followed by an infinitive (continuing to lose). (B), which uses are losing, is the answer.



Isn't 'are losing' also present tense.

I got the answer right for other reasons but couldn't follow this explanation.

Could you please explain.

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Despite offering significant discounts, Detroit automakers were losing [#permalink]
02 May 2022, 06:09
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