Last August while clearing the field a mine exploded

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION


•• HIGHLIGHTS

The use of being is not always wrong.
GMAC caught onto the "shortcut." A decent handful of correct questions use "being."
(I suspect that many people avoided (D) because of the word "being.")

The word while is used in this sentence to mean during the time that or at the same time as.
While plus a phrase or clause often communicates a background activity (as opposed to the activity that is the focus of the main clause).

When while refers background activity, it is often paired with a very particular verb form: past continuous.
-- A background event began in the past and was still happening when another event happened.
-- Past continuous (also called past progressive) is constructed this way:
Active voice: WAS/WERE + present participle (verbING)
Maja was fixing the computer when the fire alarm went off.

Passive voice: WAS/WERE + being + present participle
Hundreds of children were being held in squalid detention centers.

Passive voice is preferable when we want to downplay agency or we don't know who the agent was.
The car was being fixed by the mechanic = The mechanic was fixing the car.
In that pair, we would probably choose the active voice on the right.
Suppose that this car breaks down frequently.
The car was being fixed again.
-- The mechanic, the doer of the fixing, is missing.
-- This time, the sentence is better without the mechanic.
We want to emphasize that the car breaks down and needs fixing too frequently.
-- We leave an active "doer" (the mechanic) out of the sentence and use this verb in passive voice.

The car was being fixed again.
What do we know?
1) From common sense: The car is not fixing itself!
2) From the sentence structure: Although the subject is not mentioned, we know that someone or something IS fixing the car.
This verb structure conveys that the subject exists and is not mentioned. This verb structure also emphasizes the object of the verb.
The car is being acted upon. The car is the direct object of "was being fixed."
WHAT was being fixed? The car.

This sentence means
During the time that a minefield was being cleared [implied: by incredibly brave people], a mine exploded.

Let's use a bearable interpretation: a minefield in the middle of nowhere was being cleared by heavily protected workers who did not get hurt badly by this blast; one worker had a very mild concussion and ringing ears.

• THE PROMPT



• THE OPTIONS


• clearing is a gerund (verbING) —a noun that retains its verb-like qualities
Clearing a minefield requires a doer—a subject to do the clearing.

• while clearing the field has no subject
-- WHO was clearing the field?
-- while can be followed by just a participle, but the phrase still has to modify something sensible
(while is one of a few subordinating conjunctions that do not have to be followed by a full clause (more below))
-- "While clearing" must refer to (modify) some noun.
The only noun available is mine. A mine did not clear the field in the sense of "go through the field carefully while looking for explosives."

Remove "Last August" if you cannot see that we are dealing with an introductory modifier that has no subject.
While clearing the minefield, a mine exploded.
Eliminate A


• same problem as that in A: "while clearing" expresses action but no subject exists to do the action
Eliminate B


• the illogical quality of options A and B is clear in this option
-- at best, this option more obviously says (incorrectly) that the mine exploded while the mine was clearing the field

-- this option could be corrected if a subject and verb were added to the while phrase (it's a phrase because it does not have a subject or true verb)
Corrected version of C: Last August, a mine exploded while the bomb experts were clearing the field
Eliminate C


• this option makes sense even though we do not know who the subject is
-- passive verb construction (was being cleared) implies a subject whom we do not know or whom we purposely downplay
-- the being in was being cleared makes it clear that the field was acted upon.
• we have a main clause followed by a subordinate clause
-- A mine exploded is the main clause
-- while the field was being cleared is the subordinate clause (more below)
KEEP


• at first glance, this option may seem attractive. (Stand by.)
-- I could sit and think about the construction for 30 seconds . . . OR I could immediately compare E to D.
-- In option D, the explicitly passive construction (was being cleared) tells us that someone or something was clearing the field.
In D, the passive tense of a full finite verb (was being cleared) tells us that we are not focused on the doer.
In D, we are focused on two details: the background action (the field's being cleared) and the explosion.
Option E does not contain these signals; its tone is hard to read.

• Is E's meaning wrong? Maybe not.
-- It is likely that while workers were clearing the field, they detonated the mine.

• although this option is incorrect, it may be hard to say why.

(1) a mine "was exploded" may be grammatical but the style is horrible.
IF a mine is set off deliberately, it is usually better to say, "The mine was detonated."
At the same time, if we want to convey accidental explosion, we say -- active voice -- the mine exploded.

(2) Compare: this option is not as good as D.
Full stop. Make the decision and move on.
E conveys much less of a sense of accident; was exploded sounds purposeful, akin to was detonated.
E's focus on how the mine was exploded (by clearing the field) shifts the emphasis and does so in a really awkward sentence.
A mine was exploded by clearing the field sounds as if the field was intentionally cleared in order, intentionally, to explode (detonate!) the mine.

(3) Finally, clearing is an active noun that either needs a doer or a passive verb construction so that the lack of a doer is not so bothersome.
Clearing should be paired with a doer, or the doer should be implied by writing the sentence in the passive voice. Option D does the latter. Eliminate E.

The answer is D.

• NOTES

WHILE
-- is usually a subordinating conjunction that means either "during the time that" (duration) or "although" (contrast)
-- most subordinating conjunctions must
(1) be followed by a subject and a verb (Although he is the president, he behaves like a thug.)
(2) be in a phrase in which the subject and verb are absolutely clear. (Although a self-professed woman groper, he claims to respect women. The words "he is" are implied and clear.)
-- Not all subordinating conjunctions require clauses with subjects and verbs, express OR implied.
While is one of those conjunctions. (So is even though. )
While can be followed by a participle (a verbING).
Here is one official question in which while + participle [not clause] is correct.
Here is another official question in which while is followed by a participle. (While studying . . .)

But in both of those official cases, the noun to which the while+__ING phrase refers is very clear.
In this question, the only nouns are field and mine, neither of which would ever be clearing a field.

We aren't going to worry about jargon.
When while is followed by ___ING, it modifies something.
If the something is not clear or the meaning is absurd, find a better option.

Correct: While studying for the MCAT, Christopher took long walks at the end of the day. [while + participle]
Correct: While she was mayor, she refused to meet a dignitary whose human rights abuses were well-documented. [while as subordinate clause]

TAKEAWAYS
• being is not always wrong, and GMAC takes advantage of people who think that the shortcut is a guarantee. It isn't so.
Don't get me wrong: being is rarely correct. But I wouldn't start by eliminating options that contain being. Find a different split.
• In certain kinds of sentences that you will recognize when you read them, you can handle a sentence better if you work through the meaning rather than focus on the grammar rules.
• Some subordinating conjunctions do not require clauses.
(From my own review of questions, I am sure about while and even though.)
• When in doubt, compare. Decide in 5-10 seconds which of two options is better.

In the footnote, I listed a couple of resources to look at for the past continuous.
For a non-native speaker, the tense may sound weird at first, but those two short pieces should help.

COMMENTS

I am glad to see everyone.

I am explicitly inviting people who have been following but not posting to post.
My PMs and my instincts tell me that many of you are just a little shy.
Okay. Be a little shy. And post anyway.
Writing an answer is one of the best ways to cement your understanding of a concept, even if you get some parts wrong.

Some people who post regularly here are a little shy, too. They post anyway.

And to those who posted:
Almost all of these answers are outstanding—a true pleasure to read.
I enjoy your different writing styles, sidebar comments, humor, seriousness, and thoughtfulness.

Well done. Kudos to all.


**
Construction and usage of past continuous: here
Usage of past continuous in passive voice: subject + was/were + being + present participle (verbING), 'here

While is a conjunction used to introduce subordinate clause. The tense in the main clause should match the tense in the while clause. so, we need past continuous to refer to past event exploded.
I also think While needs a subject in the subordinate clause , But I will wait for OE to clarify this.

A) Last August, while clearing the field, a mine exploded
Mine cannot be clearing the field.

B) While clearing the field, a mine exploded last August.
Same error as A

C) Last August, a mine exploded while clearing the field. Tense error.

D) A mine exploded last August while the field was being cleared.
While is followed by a seperate clause which is correct.
Ing verb placement is not in the beginning. So missing subject is no more an issue.

E) A mine was exploded by clearing the field last August.
Incorrect subject "Clearing the field"

A) Last August, while clearing the field, a mine exploded

Modifier is placed before the word 'mine' giving an impression that mine is doing the work of ' clearing the field'.

B) While clearing the field, a mine exploded last August

Same error as A.

C) Last August, a mine exploded while clearing the field

clearing the field modifies the noun 'mine'. Same error as A.

D) A mine exploded last August while the field was being cleared
Looks fine.

E) A mine was exploded by clearing the field last August
Meaning issues with this sentence. The act of exploding the mine was done by the clearing of the field.

D is the answer.

Interesting Question.

Let's remove the definite wrong answers.





My first thought was: I can treat the "while clearing the field" as non essential modifier and read the sentence as "Last August, a mine exploded". That's Okay I guess. I have a subject and a verb here. This is an Independent Clause. But where does "while clearing the field" fits? No where. Also who was clearing the field remains a question. So probably for that reason A is incorrect.



Well this does not give me a subject but it clarifies that the field was being cleared by something else (I guess that is implicit here). For this reason I pick D.

P.S: We can say this is my best educated guess.
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Quick read-through reveals that the sentence is fully underlined, meaning that the problem is likely testing meaning and structure. Main action is "a mine exploded". So, let's look at the options.

A) Last August, while clearing the field, a mine exploded
Clearly incorrect, mine cannot be clearing the field. Well, technically it can "clear" everything by destroying everything during the explosion, but that is not the intended meaning.

B) While clearing the field, a mine exploded last August
Again, a mine cannot clear the field. Maybe some workers were clearing it?

C) Last August, a mine exploded while clearing the field
Just imagine that... A mine was casually cleaning the field and then suddenly exploded... Is the mine an Angry Bird or what?

D) A mine exploded last August while the field was being cleared
Okay, the field was being cleared [perhaps, by some people?] and the mine exploded. Well, that makes sense. Unfortunately, this happens once in a while and miners get buried...

E) A mine was exploded by clearing the field last August
The meaning does not make any sense here. A mine can be exploded by a terrorist or a chief engineer who oversees operations.

Last August, while clearing the field, a mine exploded.

this sentence is all about timeline. 1. Establish when did the main event happened, and 2. describe two events happening simultaneously. here while is used to show two events happening simultaneously. Main event is the mine's explosion that happened Last August. And when that happened, a simultaneous event was going on, field was being cleared. Look for AC that establishes both these timelines correctly.

A) Last August, while clearing the field, a mine exploded
Placement of last August is great, it defines , everything that comes after that happened in Last August.
While clearing the field, a mine exploded. 'clearing' the field is an action. its not specified who was clearing the field, it doesn't have it own subject within while clause. hence the nearest noun 'mine' becomes the doer of this action. Logically , Mine cannot be the doer of that action.

B) While clearing the field, a mine exploded last August
This has the same error of doer of the action of clearing. While clearing the field, a mine exploded. 'clearing' the field is an action. its not specified who was clearing the field, it doesn't have it own subject within while clause. hence the nearest noun 'mine' becomes the doer of this action. Logically , Mine cannot be the doer of that action.

C) Last August, a mine exploded while clearing the field
This has the same error of doer of the action of clearing. Rephrasing this answer choice, a mine exploded while it was clearing the field.

D) A mine exploded last August while the field was being cleared
this sets the first event - exploded in last august which is alright
while defines simultaneous action while explosion that is, field was being cleared. While clause has its own subject for the rest of the action.
Looks good.

E) A mine was exploded by clearing the field last August
this option changes the meaning. it suggests mine was exploded by clearing. whereas the intent is to show to simultaneous actions - explosion and clearing.

D is the answer!

Last August, while clearing the field, a mine exploded.

A) Last August, while clearing the field, a mine exploded

last august is supposed to modify "a mine exploded"

therefore A is wrong

B) While clearing the field, a mine exploded last August

a mine was not clearing the field- option B has a meaning error

C) Last August, a mine exploded while clearing the field

this option literally means a mine was clearing the field when it exploded-wrong!

D) A mine exploded last August while the field was being cleared

is the correct answer!

E) A mine was exploded by clearing the field last August
this option literally means "the reason the mine exploded was because of the clearing of the field"-wrong!
_________________

Basically, the meaning of the sentence is that a mine exploded. The explosion occurred last August. This explosion occurred during a time frame when the field is being cleared.
We can, therefore, see from the meaning that the explosion is the main event in the sentence. All other parts were only providing additional information on when the explosion occurred. We need to assess the answer choices to see if the modification is right and convey the right meaning without ambiguities.

Option A: Last August, while clearing the field, a mine exploded.
If we take out the non-essential modifier, the sentence read: Last August a mine exploded. Now let's ask ourselves what while clearing the field modifies? Logically, it modifies Last August. This is not right. It is supposed to modify a mine exploded. In the event that it modifies a mine exploded, there is ambiguity in the meaning because we have no idea who is doing the clearing of the field. Is it the mine that is illogically doing the clearing or is the clearing being done by another entity. Option A does not resolve any of these ambiguities in the meaning. Eliminate A.

Option B: While clearing the field, a mine exploded last August.
Option B is basically saying a mine exploded while clearing the field. This is not right. We cannot assume any other way because we have only one action being undertaken and this action was being done by the mine. So the modifier can only modify a mine in this case. It makes no sense for a mine to actually be clearing a field. Eliminate option B.

Option C: Last August, a mine exploded while clearing the field.
The same illogical meaning is depicted in option C, that a mine exploded while clearing the field. Eliminate option C.

Option D: A mine exploded last August while the field was being cleared.
In this option, we have two main clauses. 1. A mine exploded last August. 2. The field was being cleared. Option C uses while as a subordinator to turn the second main clause into a subordinate clause. We now have two events occurring. An explosion of a mine in clause 1, and clearing of the field in clause 2. It is noteworthy that option D gives us a sequence of occurrence of the two events and we know that the clearing of the field was happening in the background before the explosion of the mine. The use of past continuous tense was being cleared shows that the clearing of the field was ongoing before the mine exploded. The explosion of the mine is rightly expressed in the simple past tense, showing it is the later event. Option D resolves the ambiguities surrounding A,B, and C. Lets keep D.

Option E: A mine was exploded by clearing the field last August.
Option E is saying that a mine exploded and the explosion was caused by a clearing of the field which occurred last August. Eliminate E.

The answer is option D.

The official explanation is here.

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