Forum Home > GMAT > Quantitative > Problem Solving (PS)
Events & Promotions
|
|
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.
Customized
for You
Track
Your Progress
Practice
Pays
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Dec 1410:00 AM EST
-12:00 PM EST
Think a 100% GMAT Verbal score is out of your reach? Target Test Prep will make you think again! Our course uses techniques such as topical study and spaced repetition to maximize knowledge retention and make studying simple and fun.
Dec 1411:00 AM IST
-01:00 PM IST
Attend this session to learn how to Deconstruct arguments, Pre-Think Author’s Assumptions, and apply Negation Test.
Dec 1310:00 AM EST
-12:00 PM EST
Have you ever wondered how to score a PERFECT 805 on the GMAT? Meet Julia, a banking professional who used the Target Test Prep course to achieve this incredible feat. Julia's story is nothing short of an inspiration.- Dec 15
11:00 AM IST
-01:00 PM IST
Attend this free GMAT Algebra Webinar and learn how to master the most challenging Inequalities and Absolute Value problems with ease. 
Dec 1608:00 AM PST
-11:59 PM PST
GMAT Club 12 Days of Christmas is a 4th Annual GMAT Club Winter Competition based on solving questions. This is the Winter GMAT competition on GMAT Club with an amazing opportunity to win over $40,000 worth of prizes!- Dec 17
09:00 AM PST
-10:00 AM PST
Join Manhattan Prep instructor Whitney Garner for a fun—and thorough—review of logic-based (non-math) problems, with a particular emphasis on Data Sufficiency and Two-Parts. - Dec 18
10:00 AM PST
-11:00 AM PST
Here is the essential guide to securing scholarships as an MBA student! In this video, we explore the various types of scholarships available, including need-based and merit-based options.
27 Jun 2017, 04:37
Kudos
Bookmarks
Hi guys,
I have a question regarding pronoun ambiguity.
According to what i have learned - pronouns ambiguity occurs when there is more than one potential antecedent that the pronoun can refer to. For example: in the sentence "Computer A is next to computer B, and it is broken" there is an pronoun ambiguity because the pronoun "it" can refer logically to computer A as well as to computer B.
But look at this Manhattan's sentence: "Researches claim to have developed new "nano-papers" incorporating tiny cellulose fibers, which they allege give them the strength of cast iron". According to Manhattan's explanation - "both they and them have ambiguous antecedents. Either pronoun could refer back to researches or to "nano-papers". But according to what i have learned there is no ambiguity regarding the pronoun "they" in the sentence because this pronoun cannot logically refer to "nano-papers" as "nano-papers" cannot allege something (it's a material).
So what i don't understand is when can i conclude that there is a pronoun ambiguity - just when both optional antecedent can makes sense or in any situation that i have technically two different antecedents.
Thanks in advance!
I have a question regarding pronoun ambiguity.
According to what i have learned - pronouns ambiguity occurs when there is more than one potential antecedent that the pronoun can refer to. For example: in the sentence "Computer A is next to computer B, and it is broken" there is an pronoun ambiguity because the pronoun "it" can refer logically to computer A as well as to computer B.
But look at this Manhattan's sentence: "Researches claim to have developed new "nano-papers" incorporating tiny cellulose fibers, which they allege give them the strength of cast iron". According to Manhattan's explanation - "both they and them have ambiguous antecedents. Either pronoun could refer back to researches or to "nano-papers". But according to what i have learned there is no ambiguity regarding the pronoun "they" in the sentence because this pronoun cannot logically refer to "nano-papers" as "nano-papers" cannot allege something (it's a material).
So what i don't understand is when can i conclude that there is a pronoun ambiguity - just when both optional antecedent can makes sense or in any situation that i have technically two different antecedents.
Thanks in advance!
05 Jul 2017, 16:58
Kudos
Bookmarks
Don't worry too much about ambiguous pronouns. The GMAT is wishy-washy about them. There are lots of examples of problems where a pronoun is technically ambiguous, but the answer choice it appears in is the right one.
On the test, base your thinking on the splits that you see in the problem. If one answer choice uses a pronoun that could technically be ambiguous, but another answer choice replaces it with a noun, pick the answer choice that uses the noun (assuming that everything else is the same). But if you don't see a split that looks like that, ignore the issue and work with something else.
On the test, base your thinking on the splits that you see in the problem. If one answer choice uses a pronoun that could technically be ambiguous, but another answer choice replaces it with a noun, pick the answer choice that uses the noun (assuming that everything else is the same). But if you don't see a split that looks like that, ignore the issue and work with something else.
07 Jul 2017, 23:43
Kudos
Bookmarks
oryahalom
"Researches claim to have developed new "nano-papers" incorporating tiny cellulose fibers, which they allege give them the strength of cast iron".
In my humble opinion, there is one problem in the cited sentence, although I'm not sure whether it should be categorized as a "pronoun ambiguity" error.
Logically, in case no pronoun is used, the sentence can be rewritten as follow:
Researches claim to have developed new "nano-papers" incorporating tiny cellulose fibers, which researchers allege give "nano-papers"/cellulose fibers the strength of cast iron".
In the same sentence, how can pronouns "they" and "them" refer to 2 different nouns? As far as I'm concerned, in this case, "they" and "them" must refer to only one particular noun.
Also, I guess "them" may refer to "nano-papers", because in case pronoun "them" refers to "tiny cellulose fibers", that pronoun should be changed to "themselves" instead ("fibers" plays the role of both subject and object of the clause).
Expert DmitryFarber, please correct me if I'm wrong. Thank you.
