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555-605 Level|   Idioms/Diction/Redundancy|   Subject Verb Agreement|                                    
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Nobody knows exactly how many languages there are in the world, partly 18 Feb 2019, 14:12
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I have a concern in option A with the first "it".
Though I agree with your explanation but I still have a doubt

the said it is as well in the underlined portion of the sentence and we can never rule out the possibility or a path there. It therefore becomes difficult to assume that the stated "it" is correct and correctly refers to the singular language!
Can you please help enlighten!

Thanks
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The easiest way to determine the logical antecedent for pronoun is to substitute what word we think the pronoun is referring to and then evaluate the logic of the construction.

Here's (A): "the difficulty of distinguishing between a language and the sub-languages or dialects within it." Because "it" is singular, it seems to be referring to "language". If we substitute "a language" in place of the pronoun, we'd have "the difficulty of distinguishing between a language and the sublanguages within a language." This makes sense. There's the original language and there are the sublanguages within the original language; we're trying to distinguish between them.

Now consider (B): "the difficulty of distinguishing between a language and the sub-languages or dialects within them." Now "them" is plural and so seems to refer to either the "sub-languages" or the "dialects." Here's what we get if we substitute "sub-languages" in place of the pronoun: "the difficulty of distinguishing between a language and the sub-languages or dialects within the sub-languages." Now it sounds as though we're comparing the original language to sub-languages within other sub-languages! It makes far more sense to say that the sub-languages are within the original language than to imagine an endless hierarchy of sub-languages within other sub-languages.

This is why (A) is better - "it" creates a more logical meaning than "them."

Takeaway: when evaluating a pronoun, always try to substitute the referent in place of that pronoun, and then think through the meaning of the sentence.

I hope that helps!
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Nobody knows exactly how many languages there are in the world, partly 10 Mar 2019, 15:48
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I fail to understand why them can't refer to both "language and sub-languages". I've come across a rule which states that if a subject is of the form X and Y, it becomes plural. Sub-languages can also have dialects within. So why are we referring to language alone?
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Nobody knows exactly how many languages there are in the world, partly 11 Mar 2019, 00:43
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I fail to understand why them can't refer to both "language and sub-languages". I've come across a rule which states that if a subject is of the form X and Y, it becomes plural. Sub-languages can also have dialects within. So why are we referring to language alone?
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Hi rarev22, the intent of the sentence is to convey that there is a difficulty of distinguishing between:
i) A language
ii) Sub-languages or dialects within a language

Since the intent is to refer to Sub-languages or dialects within a language, it is the correct pronoun.
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Nobody knows exactly how many languages there are in the world, partly 13 Mar 2019, 15:42
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Hello Everyone!

Let's tackle this question, one issue at a time, and narrow it down to the right option quickly! To begin, here is the original sentence with any major differences between the options highlighted in orange:

Nobody knows exactly how many languages there are in the world, partly because of the difficulty of distinguishing between a language and the sub-languages or dialects within it, but those who have tried to count typically have found about five thousand.

(A) and the sub-languages or dialects within it, but those who have tried to count typically have found
(B) and the sub-languages or dialects within them, with those who have tried counting typically finding
(C) and the sub-languages or dialects within it, but those who have tried counting it typically find
(D) or the sub-languages or dialects within them, but those who tried to count them typically found
(E) or the sub-languages or dialects within them, with those who have tried to count typically finding

After a quick glance over the options, there are a few major differences we can focus on:

1. it vs. them (pronoun agreement)
2. to count / counting (verbs or meaning)
3. have found / finding / find / found (verb tense)

Let's start with #1 on our list: it vs. them. No matter which one we choose, it will eliminate 2-3 options right away. To figure out which one we need to use, let's ask ourselves what the pronoun it/them is referring to. So...what are sub-languages and dialects considered "within?"

Nobody knows exactly how many languages there are in the world, partly because of the difficulty of distinguishing between a language and the sub-languages or dialects within it, but those who have tried to count typically have found about five thousand.

There you go! The pronoun is referring back to the singular word "language!" Now, let's rule out any options that use a plural pronoun instead:

(A) and the sub-languages or dialects within it, but those who have tried to count typically have found
(B) and the sub-languages or dialects within them, with those who have tried counting typically finding
(C) and the sub-languages or dialects within it, but those who have tried counting it typically find
(D) or the sub-languages or dialects within them, but those who tried to count them typically found
(E) or the sub-languages or dialects within them, with those who have tried to count typically finding

We can rule out options B, D, & E because they use the plural pronoun "them" to refer to a singular noun "language." Pretty easy, right? We just eliminated 3 options really quickly!

Now that we've got this narrowed down to only 2 options, let's tackle #2 & #3 on our list. They both have to do with finding the right verb tenses and creating a clear, concise meaning, so let's read them over and see which one does this better:

(A) and the sub-languages or dialects within it, but those who have tried to count typically have found

This is CORRECT! It doesn't have any problems with pronoun agreement, the verbs make logical sense, and the meaning is clear!

(C) and the sub-languages or dialects within it, but those who have tried counting it typically find

This is INCORRECT because there is an agreement problem with the pronoun "it" that people are trying to count. The pronoun "it" is singular, but it's referring to the plural phrase "sub-languages or dialects."


There you have it - option A was the correct choice all along!


Don't study for the GMAT. Train for it.
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Nobody knows exactly how many languages there are in the world, partly 28 Nov 2019, 18:19
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A. and the sub-languages or dialects within it, but those who have tried to count typically have found
I don't love the sound of this answer choice, but SC isn't ever about sound, so... whatever.

The "it" is perfect here. What are the singular nouns that precede "it"? "A language" is the only reasonable option -- and that makes perfect sense. "Those" generally works better with an antecedent of some sort, but it's basically just a synonym for "people" here, and that's acceptable. Keep (A).

Quote:
B. and the sub-languages or dialects within them, with those who have tried counting typically finding
"Them" is confusing: does it refer to "dialects", "sub-languages," or all the way back to "languages" at the beginning of the sentence? I also can't figure out why we would want to conjoin these phrases with "with" -- that doesn't make much sense. (A) is much better, so (B) is out.

Quote:
C. and the sub-languages or dialects within it, but those who have tried counting it typically find
I'm cool with the first "it", but the second "it" doesn't work: "those who have tried counting the language..."? We're trying to count languages, and that needs to be plural. Eliminate (C).

Quote:
D. or the sub-languages or dialects within them, but those who tried to count them typically found
Same problem with "them" as in answer choice (B). Plus, I don't see any good reason to use past tense here. The use of present perfect in (A) makes more sense, since people have presumably attempted to count languages in the past, and continue to do so in the present. (D) is gone.

Quote:
E. or the sub-languages or dialects within them, with those who have tried to count typically finding
Just a hybrid of the worst elements of (B) and (C). (E) is out, and (A) is correct.
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In C, why you were ok with first 'It' but not the second.

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Nobody knows exactly how many languages there are in the world, partly 30 Nov 2019, 02:19
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We definitely need to count languages (plural). zoezhuyan is right that we can't "count the number" of something. In any case, "the number" is never said in the sentence. We definitely can't refer to a noun that isn't there! That leaves us with no logical antecedent for the pronoun "it" in C. Also, the GMAT doesn't tend to "reassign" pronouns. Once "it" means "a language" in this sentence, it's not going to mean something else later in that same sentence.

As for the first use of "it," there's no ambiguity. At that point, the only singular noun we've seen aside from "language" is world (much earlier), and I hope no one thinks "it" refers to "world"!
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Nobody knows exactly how many languages there are in the world, partly 05 Dec 2019, 13:29
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Quote:

In C, why you were ok with first 'It' but not the second.

Posted from my mobile device
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Take another look at (C): "and the sub-languages or dialects within it, but those who have tried counting it typically find." "It" seems to refer to "a language." So let's substitute "language" for the pronoun in each case:

    1) the sub-languages or dialects within a language

This makes sense. A language can have sub-languages or dialects within it.

    2) those who have tried counting a language

It doesn't really make any sense to count a language, does it? It's far more logical to "count" something when we're referring to multiple entities.

I hope that helps!
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Nobody knows exactly how many languages there are in the world, partly 07 Dec 2019, 06:33
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I'm not a native English speaker. Could somebody tell me the difference between 'Try to do sth' and 'Try doing sth', please?
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Nobody knows exactly how many languages there are in the world, partly 08 Feb 2020, 02:57
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Quote:

In C, why you were ok with first 'It' but not the second.

Posted from my mobile device
Take another look at (C): "and the sub-languages or dialects within it, but those who have tried counting it typically find." "It" seems to refer to "a language." So let's substitute "language" for the pronoun in each case:

    1) the sub-languages or dialects within a language

This makes sense. A language can have sub-languages or dialects within it.

    2) those who have tried counting a language

It doesn't really make any sense to count a language, does it? It's far more logical to "count" something when we're referring to multiple entities.

I hope that helps!
Show more


Given that we count "something", why isn't there "something" following "count" in the correct answer choice?
Is it because the subject to be counted is known implicitly? or
Is it because "count" itself can be a transitive or an intransitive verb?

A. and the sublanguages or dialects within it, but those who have tried to count typically have found

Thanks for helping!
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Nobody knows exactly how many languages there are in the world, partly 28 Feb 2020, 08:36
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Quote:

In C, why you were ok with first 'It' but not the second.

Posted from my mobile device
Take another look at (C): "and the sub-languages or dialects within it, but those who have tried counting it typically find." "It" seems to refer to "a language." So let's substitute "language" for the pronoun in each case:

    1) the sub-languages or dialects within a language

This makes sense. A language can have sub-languages or dialects within it.

    2) those who have tried counting a language

It doesn't really make any sense to count a language, does it? It's far more logical to "count" something when we're referring to multiple entities.

I hope that helps!


Given that we count "something", why isn't there "something" following "count" in the correct answer choice?
Is it because the subject to be counted is known implicitly? or
Is it because "count" itself can be a transitive or an intransitive verb?

A. and the sublanguages or dialects within it, but those who have tried to count typically have found

Thanks for helping!
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hyden
... Is it because the subject to be counted is known implicitly?...
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Yes, exactly! Clearly we are talking about a count of the number of languages in the world. To restate the thing being counted would be repetitive and unnecessary. The same is true here:

  • I have no idea how many people visited my tortilla factory last fall because I didn't bother to count.
  • I have no idea how many people visited my tortilla factory last fall because I didn't bother to count how many people visited my tortilla factory last fall.

The meaning is perfectly clear in the first example. Restating the thing being counted, as in the second example, is repetitive and unnecessary.

I hope that helps!
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Nobody knows exactly how many languages there are in the world, partly 28 Feb 2020, 11:31
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Mathisxy
I'm not a native English speaker. Could somebody tell me the difference between 'Try to do sth' and 'Try doing sth', please?
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Hello Mathisxy,

I am not sure if you still have this doubt. Here is the answer nonetheless. :-)


In the GMAT SC, there are certain expressions that are accepted and certain that are not. We just need to learn them.

The expression try to do something is considered correct in the GMAT SC while the expression try doing something is considered incorrect.



Hope this helps. :-)
Thanks.
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Nobody knows exactly how many languages there are in the world, partly 28 Feb 2020, 14:06
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Actually, "try to X" and "try X-ing" are both valid constructions with different meanings. If I try to surf, I am attempting to surf. I may or may not succeed. If I try surfing, I am trying out the experience of surfing to see if I like it. It's common to see advice along the lines of "Try studying in the morning and see if you get better results." You're not ATTEMPTING and possibly failing to study in the morning; rather, you're studying in the morning to see if it works well for you.

In the context of this SC question, however, "tried counting" doesn't make sense. We want to say that people attempted to count but were not able to get a precise answer, not that they tried out the experience of counting to see if they liked it!
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Nobody knows exactly how many languages there are in the world, partly 01 Apr 2020, 08:11
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Was I right to eliminate D & E because 'Between X or Y' is non-idiomatic and that it should be 'Between X and Y'?
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Nobody knows exactly how many languages there are in the world, partly 01 Apr 2020, 08:30
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Was I right to eliminate D & E because 'Between X or Y' is non-idiomatic and that it should be 'Between X and Y'?
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Yes that is correct.

p.s. Our book EducationAisle Sentence Correction Nirvana discusses most frequently tested "idioms", 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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Nobody knows exactly how many languages there are in the world, partly 27 Apr 2020, 01:52
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cs2209

C is changing the tense in this part and is incorrect.
Hence A is correct
Yes, and there is another substantial issue with C. It says:

...but those who have tried counting it typically find...

No instance of the infamous it should never go unnoticed. What does it refer to here? Well perhaps one of the following two entities:

a) Languages (plural): If the intent of it is to refer to languages, then the usage of it is incorrect, since it (a singular pronoun) cannot refer to languages (a plural noun). So, the least that should have been present in the sentence is them and not it.

Or

b) Number of languages (singular): If the intent of it is to refer to number of languages, then the usage of is again incorrect, since the phrase number of languages is not present anywhere in the sentence. Note that pronouns can only refer to nouns that are present in the sentence; number of languages is not present.

p.s. Our book SC Nirvana discusses this concept of pronouns, its application and examples in significant detail. If you can PM you email, I can send you the corresponding section.
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Hi Ashish,

I am not able to figure out what "It" refers to in the correct answer choice A. “It” must refer to language (singular) but in the sentence. Languages (plural) is present.
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Nobody knows exactly how many languages there are in the world, partly 27 Apr 2020, 02:26
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I am not able to figure out what "It" refers to in the correct answer choice A. “It” must refer to language (singular) but in the sentence. Languages (plural) is present.
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Hi Amar, it refers to a language (which is present in the sentence)
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Nobody knows exactly how many languages there are in the world, partly 11 May 2020, 09:07
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Dear Experts,

Please help me to figure out why in first part "it" is more suitable then "them---
------Quote------
Nobody knows exactly how many languages there are in the world, partly because of the difficulty of distinguishing between a language and the sub-languages or dialects within it, but those who have tried to count typically have found about five thousand.

(A) and the sub-languages or dialects within it, but those who have tried to count typically have found
(B) and the sub-languages or dialects within them, with those who have tried counting typically finding
(C) and the sub-languages or dialects within it, but those who have tried counting it typically find

------Unquote------

Thanks!
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Nobody knows exactly how many languages there are in the world, partly 11 May 2020, 09:14
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ShailendraSYadav
Dear Experts,

Please help me to figure out why in first part "it" is more suitable then "them---
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Hi Shailendra, I addressed this issue in this post.

Let me know if something is still not clear.
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Nobody knows exactly how many languages there are in the world, partly 12 May 2020, 13:19
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Hey GMATNinja, I agree with your explanation totally, however, in option A - is 'count typically' the correct usage? I feel that it means that the counting was typical. I'm sorry if I make no sense, but while reading the sentence, that specific part sounded really weird.
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Nobody knows exactly how many languages there are in the world, partly 23 May 2020, 08:34
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Hey GMATNinja, I agree with your explanation totally, however, in option A - is 'count typically' the correct usage? I feel that it means that the counting was typical. I'm sorry if I make no sense, but while reading the sentence, that specific part sounded really weird.
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I understand your point! Does "typically" modify "have found" or "to count"?

Well, the first thing to realize is that, even if this is a problem, there is no way around it: we have something similar in all five answer choices, so it's not worth worrying about.

That said, does it make more sense for "typically" to modify "have found" or "to count"? If "typically" modifies "have found", that means that, in most cases, the people who have tried to count have found about five thousand languages. This makes perfect sense: it tells us what MOST of those people have found when they have tried to count.

Now if "typically" modifies "to count", that means that there must be a "typical" way of counting and an "atypical" way of counting. What exactly are those ways? We have no idea -- this is certainly not common knowledge, and the sentence doesn't give us any other relevant information.

So can "typically" modify "to count"? Technically, yes. But it makes much more sense for it to modify "have found".

Again -- and much more importantly -- we run into this apparent dilemma in all five choices, so we don't have to worry too much about it. :)

I hope that helps!
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