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655-705 Level|   Idioms/Diction/Redundancy|   Meaning/Logical Predication|   Modifiers|   Verb Tense/Form|                     
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TheUltimateWinner
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Gusty westerly winds will continue to usher in a seasonably cool air m 22 Nov 2022, 11:46
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ReedArnoldMPREP
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The clause "I'm not sure" appears in the line just before your question! :)

Dealing with the discomfort of uncertainty is part of the game when it comes to SC. Rather than attempting to understand any confusing aspect of a sentence with 100% certainty, you want to ask yourself if there's a reasonable interpretation available. If there is, don't treat whatever you're evaluating as a definitive error. Take another example:

    Tim's map of America, which is dotted with frowny faces and tiny sketches of crying children, depresses him.

If you wanted to evaluate "which" here, the first thing you'd ask yourself is whether there's a noun or noun phrase it could be logically describing. Does it make sense to say that America is dotted with frowny faces and sketches of crying children? Probably not. Seems far more logical to say that it's the map that's covered in the aforementioned doodles. (And the question of whether "which" is describing the "map" or the "map of America" is an irrelevant one. "Of America" is simply describing the map in question, so the two interpretations are identical.)

Do I know that for sure that my interpretation is right? Nope. I suppose America could be covered in sad faces. But my understanding seems reasonable, so if I saw this is as an option on the test, I'm not getting rid of it on this basis.

In this case, if you read (E) and thought it might make sense for the "pressure" to bring the fair and dry weather, rather than the "broad area of pressure" you'd still hold on to the answer choice and search for other, more concrete errors.

The takeaway: you don't have to have certainty to get to the right answer! The point of the post is that if you're unsure about an issue, you'd prefer not to use it as a decision point! So don't agonize over the uncertainty. Rely on the issues you know are wrong first; revisit the confusing element only if you have to.

I hope that helps!
GMATNinja
Sir, I heard that 'which' can jump only over 'prepositional phrase'. This is the first time I saw that 'which' can jump verb (builds) too!

I think this is a choice to avoid something like:

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

To get the 'which' modifier adjacent to the noun it modifies ('a broad area of high pressure'), you have to leave the word 'builds' at the end. I don't think it's technically wrong to do that, but since it's just one word (and not a noun), apparently we can still think that 'which' can jump a verb to modify the noun before it.
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Hey ReedArnoldMPREP
I am sorry to say that I missed your comment that you made 6th November. By the by, thanks your response.
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Gusty westerly winds will continue to usher in a seasonably cool air m 24 Nov 2022, 04:50
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jabhatta2
Hi GMATGuruNY - Regarding (C) -- You mentioned this in another forum.

I agree with your statement about "TEMPORARY" but I dont agree when you say in the yellow that the phrase "A Broad Area of high pressure building" itself is a "Weather system"

When you see the phrase "a broad Area of high pressure building" -- focussing on the word "Area"

I thought the "Area" is a square of land on the ground.

example -
Area of land
Area of the parking lot
Area of park
Area of the room

"Area" implies land/space

However - you seem to assume "Area" DOES NOT REFER to space / land / ground / soil -- but instead "Area" somehow refers to a "weather system".

How are you so sure that "Broad Area of high pressure building" -- this phrase itself is a "Weather system" ?
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From the web:
Areas of high pressure are called anticyclones. Anticyclones typically result in stable, fine weather.
Clearly, it is not a land mass but a WEATHER SYSTEM that results in stable, fine weather.

The term area is not constrained to land mass.
From the NY Times:
One area of concern was whether nations would strive to keep global temperatures from rising.
A new area of study emerges.
Both are examples of what doctors call referred pain, or pain in an area of the body.
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Gusty westerly winds will continue to usher in a seasonably cool air m 12 Feb 2023, 23:22
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mikemcgarry
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Gusty westerly winds will continue to usher in a seasonably cool air mass into the region, as a broad area of high pressure will build and bring fair and dry weather for several days.

A. to usher in a seasonably cool air mass into the region, as a broad area of high pressure will build and
B. ushering in a seasonably cool air mass into the region and a broad area of high pressure will build that
C. to usher in a seasonably cool air mass to the region, a broad area of high pressure building, and
D. ushering a seasonably cool air mass in the region, with a broad area of high pressure building and
E. to usher a seasonably cool air mass into the region while a broad area of high pressure builds, which will
Dear AbdurRakib,

I'm happy to respond. :-)

This is a great question, as all the official questions are!

This uses a quite idiosyncratic idiom, involving the verb "to usher." The literal use of this word is the action of the person called an "usher," the person in a theater or at a classical concern who escorts patrons to their seats. Metaphorically, it is used about anything that brings something into existence. The basic idiom is:
I usher X in.
If I want to specify the region in which this X is introduced, I would say:
I usher X into A.

The "in . . . into" is redundant and wrong: choice (A) & (B) have this, and the "in . . . to" in (C) is far from ideal. Choices (D) & (E) get the idiom completely correct.

This is not a strict rule, but "continue" +[infinitive] sounds formal and sophisticated, whereas "continue" +[gerund] sounds casual and colloquial.

Choice (D) also makes a mistake with "with" + [noun] + [participle][/url]. That's very subtle.

This leave (E), the OA.

Does all this make sense?
Mike :-)
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Shouldn't "which" as a pronoun directly be next to "broad area of high pressure"? How to identify situations where it's okay for modifiers / pronouns to not directly touch nouns? It's a little confusing
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Gusty westerly winds will continue to usher in a seasonably cool air m 13 Feb 2023, 00:22
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yogendraaaa
Shouldn't "which" as a pronoun directly be next to "broad area of high pressure"? How to identify situations where it's okay for modifiers / pronouns to not directly touch nouns? It's a little confusing
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As which is a "pronoun", which can only refer to a noun.

So, "which" cannot refer to the nearest word "builds", a verb.

p.s. Our book EducationAisle Sentence Correction Nirvana discusses modifier issues of "which", their application and examples in significant detail. If you or someone is interested, PM me your email-id; I can mail the corresponding section.
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Gusty westerly winds will continue to usher in a seasonably cool air m 13 Feb 2023, 13:51
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yogendraaaa
mikemcgarry
AbdurRakib


Gusty westerly winds will continue to usher in a seasonably cool air mass into the region, as a broad area of high pressure will build and bring fair and dry weather for several days.

A. to usher in a seasonably cool air mass into the region, as a broad area of high pressure will build and
B. ushering in a seasonably cool air mass into the region and a broad area of high pressure will build that
C. to usher in a seasonably cool air mass to the region, a broad area of high pressure building, and
D. ushering a seasonably cool air mass in the region, with a broad area of high pressure building and
E. to usher a seasonably cool air mass into the region while a broad area of high pressure builds, which will
Dear AbdurRakib,

I'm happy to respond. :-)

This is a great question, as all the official questions are!

This uses a quite idiosyncratic idiom, involving the verb "to usher." The literal use of this word is the action of the person called an "usher," the person in a theater or at a classical concern who escorts patrons to their seats. Metaphorically, it is used about anything that brings something into existence. The basic idiom is:
I usher X in.
If I want to specify the region in which this X is introduced, I would say:
I usher X into A.

The "in . . . into" is redundant and wrong: choice (A) & (B) have this, and the "in . . . to" in (C) is far from ideal. Choices (D) & (E) get the idiom completely correct.

This is not a strict rule, but "continue" +[infinitive] sounds formal and sophisticated, whereas "continue" +[gerund] sounds casual and colloquial.

Choice (D) also makes a mistake with "with" + [noun] + [participle][/url]. That's very subtle.

This leave (E), the OA.

Does all this make sense?
Mike :-)

Shouldn't "which" as a pronoun directly be next to "broad area of high pressure"? How to identify situations where it's okay for modifiers / pronouns to not directly touch nouns? It's a little confusing
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Hi there--technically the old GMAT rule, "which refers to the noun before" still holds, as the noun before is not "builds" but a "a broad area of high pressure."

The change is to avoid the stylistically not very pleasing (and not possible in this instance due to underline placement): "to usher a seasonably cool air mass into the region while a broad area of high pressure, which will bring fair and dry weather for several days, builds."
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Gusty westerly winds will continue to usher in a seasonably cool air m 16 Oct 2023, 12:48
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Quote:
Gusty westerly winds will continue to usher in a seasonably cool air mass into the region, as a broad area of high pressure will build and bring fair and dry weather for several days.

(A) to usher in a seasonably cool air mass into the region, as a broad area of high pressure will build and
(B) ushering in a seasonably cool air mass into the region and a broad area of high pressure will build that
(C) to usher in a seasonably cool air mass to the region, a broad area of high pressure building, and
(D) ushering a seasonably cool air mass in the region, with a broad area of high pressure building and
(E) to usher a seasonably cool air mass into the region while a broad area of high pressure builds, which will
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in choice E, the which modifies what actually?
is builds verb in this choice?
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Gusty westerly winds will continue to usher in a seasonably cool air m 17 Oct 2023, 08:42
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TheUltimateWinner
Quote:
Gusty westerly winds will continue to usher in a seasonably cool air mass into the region, as a broad area of high pressure will build and bring fair and dry weather for several days.

(A) to usher in a seasonably cool air mass into the region, as a broad area of high pressure will build and
(B) ushering in a seasonably cool air mass into the region and a broad area of high pressure will build that
(C) to usher in a seasonably cool air mass to the region, a broad area of high pressure building, and
(D) ushering a seasonably cool air mass in the region, with a broad area of high pressure building and
(E) to usher a seasonably cool air mass into the region while a broad area of high pressure builds, which will

in choice E, the which modifies what actually?
is builds verb in this choice?
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Check out this post: https://gmatclub.com/forum/gusty-wester ... l#p2566106.
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Gusty westerly winds will continue to usher in a seasonably cool air m 17 Oct 2023, 10:37
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Quote:
Gusty westerly winds will continue to usher in a seasonably cool air mass into the region, as a broad area of high pressure will build and bring fair and dry weather for several days.

(A) to usher in a seasonably cool air mass into the region, as a broad area of high pressure will build and
(B) ushering in a seasonably cool air mass into the region and a broad area of high pressure will build that
(C) to usher in a seasonably cool air mass to the region, a broad area of high pressure building, and
(D) ushering a seasonably cool air mass in the region, with a broad area of high pressure building and
(E) to usher a seasonably cool air mass into the region while a broad area of high pressure builds, which will

in choice E, the which modifies what actually?
is builds verb in this choice?
Check out this post: https://gmatclub.com/forum/gusty-wester ... l#p2566106.
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GMATNinjaTwo
Thanks for the link. Checked it, but still the query is unanswered! The role of 'builds' is confusing here.
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Gusty westerly winds will continue to usher in a seasonably cool air m 17 Oct 2023, 15:07
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TheUltimateWinner
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in choice E, the which modifies what actually?

is builds verb in this choice?

Check out this post: [https://gmatclub.com/forum/gusty-westerly-winds-will-continue-to-usher-in-a-seasonably-cool-air-m-242543-20.html#p2566106./quote]

GMATNinjaTwo

Thanks for the link. Checked it, but still the query is unanswered! The role of 'builds' is confusing here.
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Yes, "builds" is a verb.

  • "Tim sleeps while his daughter watches television."

The word "while" introduces a clause (subject = daughter; verb = watches).

  • "Westerly winds usher a cool air mass into the region while a broad area of high pressure builds."

Again, "while" introduces a clause (subject = area, verb = builds).

I hope that helps!
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Gusty westerly winds will continue to usher in a seasonably cool air m 21 Feb 2025, 06:44
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Gusty westerly winds will continue to usher in a seasonably cool air mass into the region, as a broad area of high pressure will build and bring fair and dry weather for several days.


(A) to usher in a seasonably cool air mass into the region, as a broad area of high pressure will build and - Two issues.
1. Idiom - the right idiom is "usher in" or "usher something into." Here we have used both "Usher in" and "into" - redundant
2. "as" can mean because, which doesn't make sense here or it can while, which is ok. - ambiguous


(B) ushering in a seasonably cool air mass into the region and a broad area of high pressure will build that - wrong

(C) to usher in a seasonably cool air mass to the region, a broad area of high pressure building, and - two issues
1. this option uses "usher in" "to" - the correct idiom is to use "into" and not a combination of "in" and "to" - wrong
2. Wrong meaning. The correct meaning is cool winds come in, they build a high pressure and that high pressure in turn leads to fair (good) and dry weather.

(D) ushering a seasonably cool air mass in the region, with a broad area of high pressure building and - wrong.

(E) to usher a seasonably cool air mass into the region while a broad area of high pressure builds, which will -
1. idiom is correct - "usher something into"
2. We have been told that in the ambiguous cases, which normally refers to nearest noun and does't jump over a verb. But that it seems is not a fool proof. In this case it seems "which" refers to the nearest noun "a broad area of high pressure" and yes it has jumped over a verb "builds" but that seems ok because thats the only logical nearest noun phrase.
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