OFFICIAL EXPLANATIONProject SC Butler: Sentence Correction (SC2)
THE PROMPTQuote:
Writing in a style blending historical fiction and scientific dystopia, the novels of Octavia Butler, who has been called the “the godmother of Afrofuturism,” have won Hugo and Nebula awards as well as critical acclaim from sociologists for their exploration of racial and environmental issues.
• Whenever you see a present participle (a verbING word) anchor an introductory statement, be on the lookout for
modifier issues.
There are about six kinds of introductory statements.
Five of those six kinds of introductory statements follow fairly strict guidelines.
If you want to read about those six intro statements and how they should be used, you can read my post by
clicking here.
→ In this case, in the nonunderlined portion, we read about
[someone who is] writing in the style . . .The very next thing we should be reading about is the someone who is writing.
That introductory statement is a noun modifier.
Make sure that it modifies the correct noun.
Quote:
A) the novels of Octavia Butler, who has been called the “the godmother of Afrofuturism,” have won Hugo and Nebula awards as well as critical acclaim from sociologists for their exploration of racial and environmental issues.
• Misplaced modifier
→ The novels are not writing in any style, let alone in a style that blends historical fiction and scientific dystopia.
• the word
their might be a bit ambiguous
I don't think so. Only one noun logically fits as the antecedent.
I certainly do not believe that you should eliminate on the basis of pronoun ambiguity on the first pass unless the error is laughably blatant.
Examine pronoun ambiguity at the very end.
Use it to break ties.
The incorrect modifier is fatal.
ELIMINATE A
Quote:
B) the novels of “the godmother of Afrofuturism,” Octavia Butler, have won Hugo and Nebula awards as well as critical acclaim from sociologists for exploring racial and environmental issues.
• modifier error
→ Same issue as that in option A.
The novels are not writing anything. Octavia Butler is writing.
ELIMINATE B
Quote:
C) Octavia Butler, who has been called the “the godmother of Afrofuturism,” has won Hugo and Nebula awards, as well as critical acclaim from sociologists for her novels’ exploration of racial and environmental issues.
• Correct
→ The introductory phrase modifies the correct noun.
Octavia Butler was writing in a particular style.
→
her novels' is better than
their, especially in option D.
If
their were to follow the word
scientists, we might stumble on
their and wonder whether
their referred to the scientists or the novels. Although the potential ambiguity does not loom all that large, the sentence is better off without the possibility of its existence.
KEEP
Quote:
D) Octavia Butler, whose novels have won Hugo and Nebula awards as well as critical acclaim from sociologists for their exploration of racial and environmental issues, has been called “the godmother of Afrofuturism.”
• Tiebreaker: slight possibility of pronoun ambiguity
→
their is arguably vague, albeit slightly: does
their refer to sociologists or to novels?
→ This slight ambiguity is a perfect example of when to use pronoun ambiguity as a tiebreaker.
Options C and D are not very different.
Next question: which one is
worse than the other?
Option C does
not include even a hint of pronoun ambiguity.
In a contest between what otherwise look like equals, choose the sentence that is clearer.
ELIMINATE D
Quote:
E) Octavia Butler’s novels, whose author is called “the godmother of Afrofuturism,” have won Hugo and Nebula awards as well as critical acclaim from sociologists for exploring racial and environmental issues.
• modifier error
Once again, the novels were not writing. The author was.
ELIMINATE E
The correct answer is C.poojapandav95 , welcome to SC Butler. (I know. I welcomed you in the other post for this day. No matter.)
As is my habit, I will remind everyone that all aspirants have a standing invitation to post.
It is good to see everyone.
All of you, posters included, who continue to work hard in the midst of trying times demonstrate resilience and dedication.
Well done.
Stay safe, everyone.