Huge solar panels often constitute the most conspicuous component of

Hi Mike,

Thanks for explanation. I have a doubt, is it a rule to not use " has a full noun + verb clause following "like"" or is it not preferred ?

Dear gauravsoni,
I see that addict1ve already gave you a fine answer. I would just point out:
"like" is a preposition, and should be followed by nouns only (those nouns can have modifiers)
"as" is a subordinate conjunctions (i.e. a word that starts a full clause), so "as" is followed by a full NOUN + VERB clause.
There is nothing halfway or preference-like about this ---- this is an etched-in-stone rule.
See this article:
https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/gmat-sente ... ike-vs-as/
Let me know if you have any further questions.
Mike

mikemcgarry : Hey Mike, I was wondering whether you could help me with this. In one of your lessons, I remember that you mentioned that the construction: Preposition + Noun + Participle is not considered correct on the gmat- the reson being that too much action was being crammed in a few words. In this question, a similar construction is happening in the Choice D, which also happens to be the correct answer. Is it safe to assume that this question has been wrongly framed. In my opinion, the best answer out of the remaining asnswer choices should be C. Can you help please. Thanks

I would go with the choice D. Here is a quote from the gmat club's "Ultimate GMAT grammer" p54 as an explanation:

"The word like is very often misused in conversational English. In written English, like is traditionally used as a preposition (different from like the verb), while as is a conjunction (clause connector).

Like is used to compare only nouns (i.e. use like to say two things are similar, and let the clause that follows tell how they are similar).

The earth, like other planets, spins on an axis.
Like other planets, the earth spins on an axis.

As is used to compare clauses (i.e. use as if two actions are similar).

A globe spins around an axis, as does the Earth itself."

I agree that the OA should be (C). "billowing", in my opinion, makes the second part of the sentence a clause. This makes the use of the word 'like' a grammatically incorrect answer.

Hey Mike- I hope you know that you are awesome. I love Magoosh. Now coming back to the question. I did a detailed review of the choices again. Please let me know if I am thinking correctly please. Choice C is wrong because somehow it means that the large sails themselves constituted a part of the spacecraft sometime in history. Is this the trap that you are referring to?

I understand that option D has a participle phrase, and that participle phrases are not actual verb clauses. I get this point that it still acts a noun. But my question is that is this really the best way to show contrast. In your article, you mention in case 2 that the particular form (with+ noun+ participle) should act as a NOUN MODIFIER. But in this case, no such modification is taking place, infact this is a comparison. So probably, I would have marked option D, if I had realized the typical trap C was presenting. But still, D does not look to be the best of representations. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks so much.

Dear bkpolymers1617,

I'm happy to respond. Thank you for your kind words, my friend.

The core comparison in this sentence is between the "huge solar panels" and the "sails." The writer somewhat poetically suggests that the "huge solar panels" on a "spacecraft" are comparable to the "large sails" on a "19th-century sea vessel."

Incidentally, all five answer choices end with the words "on a 19th-century sea vessel," so that should be part of the underlined section. That's a bit of sloppiness on Kaplan's part.

How would we state this bare comparison, with "like" or with "as"?
1) The huge solar panels on a spacecraft are as large sails on a 19th-century sea vessel. = WRONG
2) The huge solar panels on a spacecraft are like large sails on a 19th-century sea vessel. = CORRECT
That's the trap I was attempting to indicate. At this point, it should be very clear that "like" is correct and "as" is incorrect. Sentence #2 is perfectly correct.

Now, add a participle noun modifier to "sails."
3) The huge solar panels on a spacecraft are like large sails billowing on a 19th-century sea vessel.
Still, "like" is correct, and sentence #3 is perfect correct. At this point, the core comparison is still very clear. This can introduce the element that confuses some non-native speakers, who confuse a participle modifier for a full verb: those students might think "as" is appropriate.

Now, we will make a more emphatic statement about the solar panels, but still retain the core comparison:
4) Huge solar panels often constitute the most conspicuous component of a spacecraft, like large sails billowing on a 19th-century sea vessel.
Here, we are making a more extended statement about the solar panels, but we are still retaining the same comparison we had in #2 and #3. Admittedly, the core comparison might be a bit harder to pick out, but it's still the same. Thus, we still need to use the word "like" in the comparison of noun to noun. Sentence #4 is 100% correct, and this is version (D), the OA, from this SC question.

Does all this make sense?
Mike

Hi Mike,

I was concerned with answer choice 'D', especially present participle "billowing", because we are referring to 19th century vessel.
Do you think "past participle" would have been more correct?
i.e. had choice D read as "like large sails that billowed on a 19th-century sea vessel ", it would have been more perfect?.

Please help

Thanks

Dear hellosanthosh2k2,

I'm happy to respond.

My friend, full verbs carry very specific and well-defined tenses, but participles are a different breed. The present participle is an active participle--it's always active, but it doesn't always strictly refer to the present. In particular, if the participle modifies the subject of the sentence, it tends to take on the tense of the main verb. For example
He entered the room, carrying a box. = the action of "carrying" is in the past
Before I arrived, he had entered the room, carrying a box. = the action of "carrying" is in the past perfect

The use in (D) is analogous to this use. Don't assume that participles have fixed and rigid tenses, the way that a full verb in a particular tense would.

Also, notice, your example sentence do NOT involve a participle: instead, it involves a full verb inside "that"-clause.
. . . like large sails that billowed on a 19th-century sea vessel . . .
This is 100% grammatically correct, but a bit clunky, not as smooth as (D).

Changing from a present (active) participle to the past (passive) participle always changes the meaning.
He stood in the room, thinking. = a simple, perfectly normal sentence
He stood in the room, thought. = surreal, suggests that the man is only a figment of someone else's mind

Does this make sense?
Mike

I do not know what I say is correct or not, but I want to say
if we use "like" we say that two nouns do the same action.
like you , I pass gmat.
this means you pass gmat and i pass gmat.
choice d means
like sails , the panel constitute
this means
sails constitute components and panel constitute component. this is absurd.

I can say
the panel which constitute the conspicuous component look like the sails which billowing on the vessels

I think the meanning of the above sentence is good but it is different from the meaning in choice d.

pls, comment, am i correct ?

A. as large sails billowing on a 19th-century sea vessel
as is used in comparison for verb which is not the case here therefore out

B. as large sails that billowed on a 19th-century sea vessel
Similar reasoning as A

C. as did large sails billowing on a 19th-century sea vessel
THe meaning is as though the large panels were part of the spacecraft which is not the case therefore out

D. like large sails billowing on a 19th-century sea vessel
The meaning and comparison is perfect therefore let us hang on to it

E. like large sails did that billowed on a 19th-century sea vessel
The meaning isn't perfect therefore out

THerefore IMO D

probably an easy one, we're comparing an attribute of huge solar panels with that of large sails, "as" won't work here.
next, between D & E, the "that" in option E just ruins everything

hey mike
i have a doubt, when 'like' is used for comparisons of nouns, should'nt they be interchangeable
For example:
like other planets, earth spins on an axis
like earth,other plants spin on an axis----->this should also make sense right?
but in the question above
{ large sails billowing on a 19th-century sea vessel} often constitute the most conspicuous component of a spacecraft,like huge solar panels ---> does'nt make sense.
could you please clarify this