Gusty Winds



First glance
The beginning of each choice is either to usher or ushering, indicating a potential structural or idiomatic issue. (Note: It turns out that this particular split is a red herring; either form could be okay in the sentence. Use other differences to solve this one!)

Issues
(1) Meaning: usher in … into
You can usher someone in or you can usher someone into your home—but you don’t usher in someone into your home. Use either in or into, not both. Eliminate choices (A) and (B) for using a redundant structure.

(2) Subject-Verb: area … build
Parallelism: building and bring

Each answer choice leads into the verb bring (the first word after the underline ends). Three of the choices end in and, indicating a potential parallelism issue, so check how this occurs.

(A) a broad area … will build and bring
(B) a broad area … will build that bring
(C) winds will continue to usher … and bring
(D) a broad area … building and bring
(E) a broad area … builds, which will bring

This one is going to be a bit tricky; start with the two definite errors. In choice (B), the singular subject area is paired with the plural verb bring (an area … bring). Eliminate (B) for a subject-verb mismatch.

Choice (D) has faulty parallelism, pairing the –ing word building with the regular verb bring. Eliminate (D) as well.

Choice (E) is the tricky one. A comma-which modifier refers to a noun and that noun has to be close enough to the modifier that the relationship is clear. In this case, a broad area (of high pressure) is that noun, and it is in fact only one word away from the modifier—but, unusually, a verb (builds) comes in between. A lot of people will cross this answer off because, typically, a verb does not intervene between a noun and a noun modifier.

This particular clause (while a broad area of high pressure builds) is itself a modifier of the main sentence that appears before it. In this case, the author must choose between these two constructions:

… while a broad area of high pressure builds, which will bring fair and dry weather for several days.
… while a broad area of high pressure, which will bring fair and dry weather for several days, builds.

Given the length of the noun modifier—and the shortness of the verb—an author might choose to place that verb first. Think of this as an extension of the convention that a noun followed by two noun modifiers will place the essential modifier first:

The box of nails, which is sitting on the table, …

It’s still clear that the second modifier refers to box, as in choice (E) it’s clear that the which modifier refers to the broad area of high pressure. So leave choice (E) in for now and compare the two remaining answers: (C) and (E).

(3) Modifier / Meaning: broad area of high pressure building

The words a broad area of high pressure building are set off by commas, so this is a modifier. What is it modifying?

It’s not entirely clear. The region? The air mass[i]? The whole clause? Further, the sentence structure has changed in such a way that the [i]gusty winds (not the area of high pressure) … bring fair and dry weather. This increases the confusion over what the area of high pressure is referring to in the sentence. Eliminate choice (C) for an ambiguous modifier.

The Correct Answer

Correct answer (E) fixes the redundancy error in the original sentence (usher into) and does not introduce any new errors, as choices (C) and (D) do. This choice unusually inserts a verb between a noun and its modifier, likely in an attempt to get people to cross off the correct answer. Keep this mantra in mind: a noun modifier has to be placed close enough to its noun for the relationship to be clear—but the modifier does not necessarily have to be placed immediately next to its noun. Additionally, while and which in choice (E) help to communicate the intended timeline and cause-and-effect relationships.”