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555-605 Level|   Grammatical/Rhetorical Construction|   Idioms/Diction/Redundancy|   Modifiers|                        
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Tanchat
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Of all the record companies involved in early jazz, the three most pro 13 Apr 2022, 11:56
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GMATNinja

I have a question.

I found many comments told that three most prominent is incorrect. "The" is needed.

According to this : To attract the most talented workers, some companies are offering a wider range of benefits, letting employees pick those most important to them.

https://gmatclub.com/forum/to-attract-t ... 41811.html

why "those most important" correct ?

Thank you in advance
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Of all the record companies involved in early jazz, the three most pro 14 Apr 2022, 04:45
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Tanchat
GMATNinja

I have a question.

I found many comments told that three most prominent is incorrect. "The" is needed.

According to this : To attract the most talented workers, some companies are offering a wider range of benefits, letting employees pick those most important to them.

https://gmatclub.com/forum/to-attract-t ... 41811.html

why "those most important" correct ?

Thank you in advance
Show more

Hello Tanchat,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, the phrase "Three most prominent" is incorrect in this context because it needs a preposition or article (such as "the") to introduce it; the phrase "those most important to them" is correct because in it "those" acts as a preposition.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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Of all the record companies involved in early jazz, the three most pro 06 Sep 2022, 04:43
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daagh
raoshahb wrote

Quote:
Of all the record companies involved in early jazz, the three most prominent were Columbia, Victor, and OKeh.

Is the portion before the comma is a modifier ?? If yes, then what is it modifying? ==>"The three most prominent "

I am confused. Please someone explain.

No, it is not a modifier; it is an introductory phrase that is a complement. If a modifier, one can dispense with it altogether without any loss of meaning. However, here in this context, the introductory complement supplies essential features such as that these companies were in involved in early jazz and that there were many other companies aside these three. Without this information, the sentence wouldn't make the meaning what it intends to convey.
More importantly, the question tests whether one can remember to use the definite article 'the' for the superlative degree and whether one can convey the meaning concisely.
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If the first part is an introductory phrase, then the second part should stand on its own. The part "the most prominent were ---" doesn't make complete sense on its own. Correct me if I am wrong and enlighten me.
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Of all the record companies involved in early jazz, the three most pro 06 Sep 2022, 04:59
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daagh
raoshahb wrote

Quote:
Of all the record companies involved in early jazz, the three most prominent were Columbia, Victor, and OKeh.

Is the portion before the comma is a modifier ?? If yes, then what is it modifying? ==>"The three most prominent "

I am confused. Please someone explain.

No, it is not a modifier; it is an introductory phrase that is a complement. If a modifier, one can dispense with it altogether without any loss of meaning. However, here in this context, the introductory complement supplies essential features such as that these companies were in involved in early jazz and that there were many other companies aside these three. Without this information, the sentence wouldn't make the meaning what it intends to convey.
More importantly, the question tests whether one can remember to use the definite article 'the' for the superlative degree and whether one can convey the meaning concisely.

If the first part is an introductory phrase, then the second part should stand on its own. The part "the most prominent were ---" doesn't make complete sense on its own. Correct me if I am wrong and enlighten me.
Show more

Hello Aditi31,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, "the three most prominent were Columbia, Victor, and OKeh." is actually a complete sentence.

Here, the subject is "the three most prominent", and the active verb "were" acts upon it to form a complete thought.

This clause has the same structure as "The best entry was this one."

We hope this helps.
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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Of all the record companies involved in early jazz, the three most pro 06 Sep 2022, 05:05
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Aditi31
If the first part is an introductory phrase, then the second part should stand on its own. The part "the most prominent were ---" doesn't make complete sense on its own. Correct me if I am wrong and enlighten me.
Show more
Hi Aditi, the second part is indeed an Independent clause.

You can refer to this video for Independent and Dependent clauses.

Additionally, our book EducationAisle Sentence Correction Nirvana discusses Independent and Dependent clauses, 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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Of all the record companies involved in early jazz, the three most pro 26 Nov 2022, 01:26
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KarishmaB
Hi Karishma,

D: Columbia, Victor, and OKeh were three most prominent [?] of all the record companies.
Can I consider D correct if D has "the three most prominent"? or it also needs ellipsis "record companies" to appear before to refer to that entity.

Thank you for your help!
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Of all the record companies involved in early jazz, the three most pro 26 Nov 2022, 02:49
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Sneha2021
KarishmaB
Hi Karishma,

D: Columbia, Victor, and OKeh were three most prominent [?] of all the record companies.
Can I consider D correct if D has "the three most prominent"? or it also needs ellipsis "record companies" to appear before to refer to that entity.

Thank you for your help!
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No, you don't need 'record companies' before.
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Of all the record companies involved in early jazz, the three most pro 28 Nov 2022, 16:53
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Sneha2021


It's quite normal to say that something is the best/most of all X. For instance, we might say "This is the best of all worlds" or "She is the strongest of the candidates." In those cases, it isn't even ellipsis, since it would be wrong to actually say the noun in the first part ("This is the best world of all worlds" or "She is the strongest candidate of the candidates.").
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Of all the record companies involved in early jazz, the three most pro 03 Apr 2023, 21:24
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ExpertsGlobal5
Dear Friends,

Here is a detailed explanation to this question-
Gnpth
The Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review 2018

Practice Question
Question No.: SC 240
Of all the record companies involved in early jazz, the three most prominent were Columbia, Victor, and OKeh.

(A) Of all the record companies involved in early jazz, the three most prominent were Columbia, Victor, and OKeh.

(B) Three most prominent record companies of all the ones that were involved in early jazz were Columbia, Victor, and OKeh.

(C) Columbia, Victor, and OKeh were, of all the record companies involved in early jazz, the three of them that were most prominent.

(D) Columbia, Victor, and OKeh were three most prominent of all the record companies involved in early jazz.

(E) Out of all the record companies that were involved in early jazz, three of them that were the most prominent were Columbia, Victor, and OKeh.


SC04874

Concepts tested here: Grammatical Construction + Awkwardness/Redundancy

A: Correct. This answer choice uses the correct superlative adjective construction "preposition ("the" in this case) + superlative ("most prominent" in this case)". Further, Option A is free of any awkwardness or redundancy.

B: This answer choice fails to maintain the correct superlative adjective construction "preposition + superlative", as it omits the preposition "the"; remember, "preposition + superlative" is the correct superlative adjective construction. Further, Option B uses the needlessly wordy phrase "all the ones that were involved", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.

C: This answer choice uses the needlessly wordy phrase "the three of them that were", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.

D: This answer choice fails to maintain the correct superlative adjective construction "preposition + superlative", as it omits the preposition "the"; remember, "preposition + superlative" is the correct superlative adjective construction.

E: This answer choice fails to maintain the correct superlative adjective construction "preposition + superlative", as it omits the preposition "the"; remember, "preposition + superlative" is the correct superlative adjective construction. Further, Option E uses the needlessly wordy phrases "Out of all the record companies that were involved" and "that were the most prominent", leading to awkwardness and redundancy.

Hence, A is the best answer choice.

All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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Is 'the' categorized as a preposition for superlative constructions? It is generally categorized as an article right?
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Of all the record companies involved in early jazz, the three most pro 03 Apr 2023, 21:37
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Gnpth
Of all the record companies involved in early jazz, the three most prominent were Columbia, Victor, and OKeh.

(A) Of all the record companies involved in early jazz, the three most prominent were Columbia, Victor, and OKeh.

(B) Three most prominent record companies of all the ones that were involved in early jazz were Columbia, Victor, and OKeh.

(C) Columbia, Victor, and OKeh were, of all the record companies involved in early jazz, the three of them that were most prominent.

(D) Columbia, Victor, and OKeh were three most prominent of all the record companies involved in early jazz.

(E) Out of all the record companies that were involved in early jazz, three of them that were the most prominent were Columbia, Victor, and OKeh.


SC04874
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CrackverbalGMAT ExpertsGlobal GMATNinja can you help me out and give more insights on the following-
1. Is 'Out of all' is better than 'Of all'- is 'Of all' more colloquial or at par with 'Out of all' when it comes to grammatical usage?
2. 'Of all the record companies involved in early jazz'- why have we dropped 'that' here? Is this a form of participle?
How to identify when 'that' is absolutely necessary and when the participle can stand independently?
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Of all the record companies involved in early jazz, the three most pro 15 Apr 2023, 23:50
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RenB

1) I don't think this matters. "Out" isn't really needed, but "out of all" is not wrong to say.
2) It's actually quite common to see a noun followed directly by a modifying participle. If we are trying to turn a clause into a modifier, then we need THAT. For instance, we could have opened with "Of all the record companies founded by my grandparents . . . " But if we wanted to say "my grandparents founded," that would be a clause, so we'd need to say "Of all the record companies THAT my grandparents founded . . . " We could also say "Of all the record companies that were founded by my grandparents," but we don't NEED to use THAT in this case. I'd only do this if I was trying to clarify or emphasize a point that might otherwise be misunderstood.

Here's another official example where "that" isn't needed: https://gmatclub.com/forum/the-first-tr ... ml#p235977
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Of all the record companies involved in early jazz, the three most pro 16 Apr 2023, 00:32
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RenB
Gnpth
Of all the record companies involved in early jazz, the three most prominent were Columbia, Victor, and OKeh.

(A) Of all the record companies involved in early jazz, the three most prominent were Columbia, Victor, and OKeh.

(B) Three most prominent record companies of all the ones that were involved in early jazz were Columbia, Victor, and OKeh.

(C) Columbia, Victor, and OKeh were, of all the record companies involved in early jazz, the three of them that were most prominent.

(D) Columbia, Victor, and OKeh were three most prominent of all the record companies involved in early jazz.

(E) Out of all the record companies that were involved in early jazz, three of them that were the most prominent were Columbia, Victor, and OKeh.


SC04874

CrackverbalGMAT ExpertsGlobal GMATNinja can you help me out and give more insights on the following-
1. Is 'Out of all' is better than 'Of all'- is 'Of all' more colloquial or at par with 'Out of all' when it comes to grammatical usage?
2. 'Of all the record companies involved in early jazz'- why have we dropped 'that' here? Is this a form of participle?
How to identify when 'that' is absolutely necessary and when the participle can stand independently?
Show more

Hello RenB,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your queries,

1. "out of all" and "of all" are both grammatically equally acceptable; in the absence of any other factors, "of all" may be considered superior, as it is slightly more concise.
2. "involved in early jazz" is a past participle acting as a noun modifier, so "that" is not strictly needed. "that" can be omitted from a modifying phrase if its function in the modifying phrase is only to link the noun and modifier.

For example, "The dog that is brown is mine." can be rewritten as "The brown dog is mine."

We hope this helps.
All the best!
Experts' Global Team
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Of all the record companies involved in early jazz, the three most pro 18 Jun 2023, 08:56
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hiii
GMATNinja
would love to know your approach for this question.
I tried but couldn't get what's the main idea for this sentence.
i got stucked on A, B and D .
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Of all the record companies involved in early jazz, the three most pro 01 Jul 2023, 08:02
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conqueror98
hiii

GMATNinja

would love to know your approach for this question.

I tried but couldn't get what's the main idea for this sentence.

i got stucked on A, B and D .
Show more
(A) and (D) are awfully similar. The only differences are the word order and the article ("the") before "three".

Let's start with the article ("Columbia, Victor, and OKeh were three most prominent" vs. "the three most prominent were Columbia, Victor, and OKeh").

The difference is subtle but significant. Without the article, "most prominent" could be interpreted as "very prominent" -- as in, "a most convincing argument" or "a most delicious plate of bhindi masala".

So is the sentence trying to tell us that those three companies were simply three that were very prominent? Or that those were the three most prominent -- in other words, more prominent than all of the others? Given the "of all..." part, the latter seems to make more sense. So it's better to include the article "the" here.

As for the word order in (A) and (D): neither is necessarily WRONG, exactly. But having the "of all" part at the beginning immediately tells the reader what's being discussed, and that makes the meaning clearer and easier to follow.

Is (D) wrong in a vacuum? Maybe not, but (A) is a better choice.

(B) has the same "missing article" issue. Also, the meaning of "the ones" isn't clear. Does this mean, "of all the record companies that were involved in early jazz..."? Or "of all the prominent record companies that were involved in early jazz..."? Or even "of all the most prominent record companies that were involved in early jazz..."??

(B) isn't terrible, but, like (D), it doesn't have any advantages over (A). So (A) is the best option of the bunch.

I hope that helps!
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