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Not one of the potential investors is expected to make an offer to buy 05 May 2017, 07:00
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pratik1709
I am not getting how Option A is correct here... if you see clause "that...".. how come this clause modifies Noun Agreement? Ideally, it should modify preceding verb.
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Hi pratik1709, the that.... clause (relative clause) cannot modify verb; it will always modify a noun.

In fact, many people like to remember relative clauses as adjective clauses, since they always modify a noun.

p.s. Our book EducationAisle Sentence Correction Nirvana discusses this modifier issue of "that", its application and examples in significant detail. If someone is interested, PM me your email-id; I can mail the corresponding section.
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Not one of the potential investors is expected to make an offer to buy 05 May 2017, 07:24
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TheRzS
A is easily the best option here, but is it not violating subjunctive rule?
If we use " if...were...to" structure, don't we need would be expected to make?
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Country X has adequate medicinal preparedness if an epidemic were to break in country X.

Hi TheRzS, the only hypothetical in this sentence is the scenario of an epidemic breaking in country X; Adequate medicinal preparedness is not hypothetical; medicinal preparedness is already there (nothing hypothetical about it!). Hence, we cannot use subjunctive in the first portion of the sentence.

p.s. Our book EducationAisle Sentence Correction Nirvana discusses hypothetical subjunctive, its application and examples in significant detail. If someone is interested, PM me your email-id; I can mail the corresponding section.
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Not one of the potential investors is expected to make an offer to buy 07 May 2017, 21:43
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hi,
expert , i am confused with sub-verb , to me it not one of the potential investors should be plural ?

if not check this example

he is one one of the persons who make money .

here why do we need work not works ?

please clarify
thanks
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Not one of the potential investors is expected to make an offer to buy 10 May 2017, 07:36
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nks2611
hi,
expert , i am confused with sub-verb , to me it not one of the potential investors should be plural ?

if not check this example

he is one one of the persons who make money .

here why do we need work not works ?

please clarify
thanks
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In your example the relative pronoun "who" refers to "persons" - the subject of the verb "make" is "who", i.e. "persons" ( not "one"). Your sentence implies that there are many persons who make (plural) money - he is one of them.

Now consider the following statement:
One of the persons makes money. Here the subject of the verb "makes" is "one", not "persons". This sentence implies that there are many persons, but only one makes money.

The subject sentence is of the latter form. Hence your comparison is not correct.
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Not one of the potential investors is expected to make an offer to buy 10 Jun 2017, 07:36
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I have a doubt regarding option C, why is that choice wrong? Can you please explain.
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Not one of the potential investors is expected to make an offer to buy 11 Jun 2017, 17:03
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vnigam21
I have a doubt regarding option C, why is that choice wrong? Can you please explain.
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Here is the sentence using choice (C):

    "Not one of the potential investors is expected to make an offer to buy First Interstate Bank until a merger agreement be signed by them with a provision for penalties if the deal were not to be concluded."

The pronoun "them" is ambiguous... who will sign the merger agreement? The bank itself is singular, so the only possible referent in this sentence is the potential investors, but it probably doesn't make sense for all potential investors to sign any sort of agreement. Is the agreement to be signed by executives of First Interstate Bank? Shareholders? Board members? If those people aren't explicitly mentioned in the sentence, "them" can't refer to any of them.

Also, the use of the subjunctive "be signed" is not necessary in this case. For example, you would say, "I will not eat my soup until the fly is removed", not "I will not eat my soup until the fly be removed."

You could, however, use the subjunctive to express a hope/request/demand. For example, "I demand that the fly be removed from my soup."

I hope this helps!
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Not one of the potential investors is expected to make an offer to buy 29 Jan 2019, 01:51
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daagh Bishal123456789 AjiteshArun GMATNinjaTwo

How the sentence is correct since the then clause is missing if were, would why the would part is missing ?
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Not one of the potential investors is expected to make an offer to buy 08 Mar 2019, 17:50
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Not one of the potential investors is expected to make an offer to buy First Interstate Bank until a merger agreement is signed that includes a provision for penalties if the deal were not to be concluded.


A. is expected to make an offer to buy First Interstate Bank until a merger agreement is signed that includes a provision for penalties if the deal were - A is the correct response

B. is expected to make an offer for buying First Interstate Bank until they sign a merger agreement including a provision for penalties if the deal was SV agreement error at the end

C. is expected to make an offer to buy First Interstate Bank until a merger agreement be signed by themwith a provision for penalties if the deal were - "Them" has no antecedent

D. are expected to make an offer for buying First Interstate Bank until it signs a merger agreement with a provision for penalties included if the deal was - SV error

E. are expected to be making an offer to buy First Interstate Bank until they sign a merger agreement including a provision for penalties if the deal were
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- SV error
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Not one of the potential investors is expected to make an offer to buy 05 Feb 2020, 02:02
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I agree A is the only possible answer here but how come "that" refers to "agreement" as "agreement is signed" this part has verb and that is jumping to agreement and referring to agreement.

chunjuwu
Not one of the potential investors is expected to make an offer to buy First Interstate Bank until a merger agreement is signed that includes a provision for penalties if the deal were not to be concluded.


(A) is expected to make an offer to buy First Interstate Bank until a merger agreement is signed that includes a provision for penalties if the deal were

(B) is expected to make an offer for buying First Interstate Bank until they sign a merger agreement including a provision for penalties if the deal was

(C) is expected to make an offer to buy First Interstate Bank until a merger agreement be signed by them with a provision for penalties if the deal were

(D) are expected to make an offer for buying First Interstate Bank until it signs a merger agreement with a provision for penalties included if the deal was

(E) are expected to be making an offer to buy First Interstate Bank until they sign a merger agreement including a provision for penalties if the deal were
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Not one of the potential investors is expected to make an offer to buy 17 Apr 2020, 07:37
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daagh
A simple approach to this problem will be:

Rule out D and E because of S-V number mismatch.

Rule out C because, it uses the imperative form of the verb - be signed - inappropriately without the other paraphernalia required for employing the present subjunctive mood. In addition what does the pronoun them stand for? Is it for the investors or the bankers or both?

Rule out B because, it uses the wrong idiom – offer for byiung - rather than - offer to buy.

You are happily left with A, which avoids the wrong idiom, the S-V number disagreement and the inapt present subjunctive.
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Hi daagh,
Can you please explain when to use 'for verb+ing' and when to use 'to +verb', since both kinda are used to show intent or a reason for the action.
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Not one of the potential investors is expected to make an offer to buy 02 Jul 2020, 12:16
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chunjuwu
Not one of the potential investors is expected to make an offer to buy First Interstate Bank until a merger agreement is signed that includes a provision for penalties if the deal were not to be concluded.


(A) is expected to make an offer to buy First Interstate Bank until a merger agreement is signed that includes a provision for penalties if the deal were

(B) is expected to make an offer for buying First Interstate Bank until they sign a merger agreement including a provision for penalties if the deal was

(C) is expected to make an offer to buy First Interstate Bank until a merger agreement be signed by them with a provision for penalties if the deal were

(D) are expected to make an offer for buying First Interstate Bank until it signs a merger agreement with a provision for penalties included if the deal was

(E) are expected to be making an offer to buy First Interstate Bank until they sign a merger agreement including a provision for penalties if the deal were
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Can someone tell me where the marker for subjunctive mood is in the question? A little confused here. Thanks.
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Not one of the potential investors is expected to make an offer to buy 21 Oct 2020, 22:12
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chunjuwu
Not one of the potential investors is expected to make an offer to buy First Interstate Bank until a merger agreement is signed that includes a provision for penalties if the deal were not to be concluded.


(A) is expected to make an offer to buy First Interstate Bank until a merger agreement is signed that includes a provision for penalties if the deal were

(B) is expected to make an offer for buying First Interstate Bank until they sign a merger agreement including a provision for penalties if the deal was

(C) is expected to make an offer to buy First Interstate Bank until a merger agreement be signed by them with a provision for penalties if the deal were

(D) are expected to make an offer for buying First Interstate Bank until it signs a merger agreement with a provision for penalties included if the deal was

(E) are expected to be making an offer to buy First Interstate Bank until they sign a merger agreement including a provision for penalties if the deal were
Show more

This question is based on Idiomatic Usage and Subject-Verb Agreement.

The options give us the choice between the singular verb ‘is’ and the plural verb ‘are’. Since the subject of the verb is “one”, the singular verb ‘is’ agrees with it.

Options D and E contain the verb ‘are’ that doesn’t agree with the subject “one”. So, Options D and E can be eliminated.

The options also give us a choice between the phrases “to make an offer to buy” and “to make an offer for buying”. The noun ‘offer’ should be followed by the infinitive ‘to buy’.

On the basis of this usage, Options B and D can be ruled out.

The options also give us a choice between the verb forms ‘was’ and ‘were’. The last part of the sentence conveys a hypothetical condition, so the appropriate verb form is the subjunctive form ‘were’. On the basis of this rule also, Options B and D can be ruled out.

Option C contains the inappropriate verb form “be signed”. So, Option C can also be eliminated.

Option A corrects the errors in all the other options. Therefore, A is the most appropriate option.

Jayanthi Kumar.
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Not one of the potential investors is expected to make an offer to buy 20 Dec 2020, 05:10
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@e-gmat GMATNinja CrackVerbalGMAT, Please experts can you please explain, because when i saw the egmat video lesson it mentions that one of the students, some of the teachers subjects are the students and teachers, hence they are plural, but in this case why it is singular?
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Not one of the potential investors is expected to make an offer to buy 05 Apr 2021, 10:30
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I still cannot understand why "the deal were not included" is correct. (pluralism confusion)

I understand that in B the "they" doesn't have an antecedent/ refferant. but it seems to be the most correct out of the choice until. But between A and B how do we choose which is more correct??
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Not one of the potential investors is expected to make an offer to buy 05 Apr 2021, 23:47
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NikhilJose
I still cannot understand why "the deal were not included" is correct. (pluralism confusion)
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Hi NikhilJose, the original sentence uses (what's called) a subjunctive usage that depicts hypothetical/wishful/unreal scenarios.

For example:

If I were a fairy, I would fly.

Quote:
I understand that in B the "they" doesn't have an antecedent/ refferant.
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Yeah...no antecedent is pretty much always a no-go Nikhil. It really is a big deal and should pretty much always form the basis of a straight rejection.

p.s. Our book EducationAisle Sentence Correction Nirvana discusses subjunctive usage, its 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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Not one of the potential investors is expected to make an offer to buy 06 Apr 2021, 00:16
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vnigam21
I have a doubt regarding option C, why is that choice wrong? Can you please explain.
Here is the sentence using choice (C):

    "Not one of the potential investors is expected to make an offer to buy First Interstate Bank until a merger agreement be signed by them with a provision for penalties if the deal were not to be concluded."

The pronoun "them" is ambiguous... who will sign the merger agreement? The bank itself is singular, so the only possible referent in this sentence is the potential investors, but it probably doesn't make sense for all potential investors to sign any sort of agreement. Is the agreement to be signed by executives of First Interstate Bank? Shareholders? Board members? If those people aren't explicitly mentioned in the sentence, "them" can't refer to any of them.

Also, the use of the subjunctive "be signed" is not necessary in this case. For example, you would say, "I will not eat my soup until the fly is removed", not "I will not eat my soup until the fly be removed."

You could, however, use the subjunctive to express a hope/request/demand. For example, "I demand that the fly be removed from my soup."

I hope this helps!
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hello Sir,

Could you please explain about the use of singular or plural verb.

"Not one of X" or "not one of Xs (plural)" or "none of the X" "none of the Xs"...

Please let me know what should follow after these mentioned above.

thanku Sir :)
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Not one of the potential investors is expected to make an offer to buy 18 Apr 2021, 05:03
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SudiptoGmat
But how "a merger agreement is signed that includes" is grammatically correct?

until a merger agreement is signed that includes a provision for penalties if the
deal were not to be concluded.

The above part of the text is actually a poetic expression meant to confuse the test takers. If you flip the clause, the classic version of the same will be:

Until a merger agreement that includes a provision for penalties if the
deal were not to be concluded, is signed


The relative clause introduced by the relative pronoun ‘that’ is an essential definer of the agreement. Per se, therefore, there is no grammar error in that expression
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Hey Daagh, Thank You for your response.

Is there any way to know when the text is a poetic expression.
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Not one of the potential investors is expected to make an offer to buy 07 May 2021, 22:58
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QQ:

How come "the deal" is plural? shouldn't it be "provision for penalties if the deal was"

Thanks!
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Not one of the potential investors is expected to make an offer to buy 08 May 2021, 05:27
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ueh55406
QQ:

How come "the deal" is plural? shouldn't it be "provision for penalties if the deal was"
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Good question. This sentence is using (what's called) subjunctive, which is typically used to depict hypothetical situations.

Some examples:

If Michael were to become the President, he would focus on removing poverty.

If Peter were a magician, he would wave a magic wand.

p.s. Our book EducationAisle Sentence Correction Nirvana discusses Subjunctive, its 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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Not one of the potential investors is expected to make an offer to buy 09 May 2021, 10:22
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Rule out D and E because of SVA ERROR.
C HAS PRONOUN ISSUE.
B has idioM issue.
A it is!
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