Tanchat wrote:
Dear Experts,
I know the answer is (B) and I am correct.
However, after doing more than 100 questions, I am still not clear the usage of COMMA + PREPOSITION PHRASE.
In (C), many comments told that it doesn't convey intended meaning. what "already with business costs..." modify ? and why does it change the meaning
Don't overcomplicate it. A prepositional phrase can function as an adjective or an adverb, meaning it can modify a noun or a verb. If you see one, ask yourself if there's a noun or verb in the vicinity that could be logically modified. If there is, the prepositional phrase is fine. If there isn't, it's a problem. That's it.
In (C), there's nothing "already with business costs of" could logically modify. It's clearly not referring to "alcohol abuse... with business costs." (As opposed to alcohol abuse without such costs?)
And it doesn't make much sense to say something is "
compounding with business costs."
A modifier with nothing to modify is a problem.
Contrast that with (B), in which it's crystal clear that the "which" is referring to "drug and alcohol abuse." There's no need to stress about how prepositional phrases function in the abstract -- (B) is clearer and more logical, so it's better.
The takeaway: anytime you're not sure about a rule, 1) there might not be one and 2) the rule you don't know can't help you during the test, so you'll want to pivot to thinking about logic and meaning.
I hope that clears things up!