sid0791 wrote:
And can you please explain, why 'Which' should be a problem?
" towering-two-million-square-meter factory compound in the southern outskirts of Dar es Salaam, which manufactures"
"in the southern outskirts of Dar es Salaam" is basically modifying "factory compound", "which" is a noun modifier, and a noun modifier can jump through other modifiers.
Hi
sid0791,
which almost always modifies the
nearest grammatically eligible word, in this case
Dar es Salaam, thereby making the sentence
nonsensical.
This is an important concept. I am providing few official examples (along with official explanations) that will illustrate this point further.
Official example #1:Correct sentence:There are several ways to build solid walls using just mud or clay, but the most extensively used method has been to form the mud or clay into bricks, and, after some preliminary air drying or sun drying, to lay them in the wall in mud mortar.Incorrect sentence (option E):There are several ways to build solid walls using just mud or clay, but the most extensively used method has been that bricks were formed from mud or clay, which, after some preliminary air drying or sun drying, were laid in the wall in mud mortar.
Official Explanation for incorrect option E: The relative clause beginning with
which apparently (but nonsensically) describes the closest nouns
mud or clay, rather than
bricks.
Official example #2:Correct sentence:Marconi conceived of the radio as a tool for private conversation that could substitute for the telephone; instead, it has become precisely the opposite, a tool for communicating with a large, public audience.
Incorrect sentence (option D):Marconi conceived of the radio to be a tool for private conversation, a substitute for the telephone, which has become precisely the opposite, a tool for communicating with a large, public audience.
Official Explanation for incorrect option D: Versions of the sentence that use the relative pronoun
which indicate that the
telephone has become a mass medium.
Official example #3:Correct sentence:Though called a sea, the landlocked Caspian is actually the largest lake on Earth, covering more than four times the surface area of its closest rival in size, North America's Lake Superior.Incorrect sentence (option A):It is called a sea, but the landlocked Caspian is actually the largest lake on Earth, which covers more than four times the surface area of its closest rival in size, North America's Lake Superior.Official Explanation for incorrect option A: - Because
Earth immediately preceded
which, the sentence appears to say, illogically, that
Earth covers more than four times the surface area of Lake Superior.
p.s. Our book
EducationAisle Sentence Correction Nirvana discusses
modifier issues of "which", their application and examples in significant detail. If you or someone is interested, PM me your email-id; I can mail the corresponding section.
_________________
Ashish
MBA-ISB Hyderabad, GMAT-99th percentile
www.EducationAisle.com