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Scientists claim that the discovery of the first authenticated mammal 29 Nov 2021, 05:50
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devansh18
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Can you please help in ruling out option C?

Option C - to determine how mammals colonized the islands of the West Indies and when they did

Per my understanding, 'They' can not logically refer to islands or West indies. The only logical referent is Mammals. SO pronoun ambiguity should not be an issue here. Is option C incorrect because of incorrect idiom 'to determine'. I believe the difference between 'to determine' and 'for determining' in the context of this question is too subtle to be considered a basis for elimination

Thanks, Devansh
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Hello devansh18,

We hope this finds you well.

Having gone through the question and your query, we believe we can resolve your doubt.

Option C does suffer from pronoun ambiguity, as "they" could also refer to "scientists". Additionally, Option C is also needlessly wordy, making it inferior to Option E.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
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Scientists claim that the discovery of the first authenticated mammal 10 Dec 2021, 08:25
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If someone can help, Option C - They is certainly ambiguous but it starts with 'to determine' i.e verb for clues, E is a very strong ans but as it starts with participle 'for determining' where is the verb for subject clues
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Scientists claim that the discovery of the first authenticated mammal 10 Dec 2021, 09:30
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Dhwanii
If someone can help, Option C - They is certainly ambiguous
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Hi Dhwanii, I don't see a big issue with the usage of they, especially since mammals is the noun in the corresponding parallel structure.

In any case, pronoun ambiguity should not be a reason to eliminate an answer choice.

Quote:
E is a very strong ans but as it starts with participle 'for determining'
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I think there is some mis-understanding; 'for determining' is not a participle; it is a prepositional phrase (because it starts with a preposition "for"). 'determining' is not a participle either; determining is used as a gerund (noun-form) here.

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where is the verb for subject clues
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Note the clues is a noun, not a verb (with the adjective important modifying the noun clues).
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Scientists claim that the discovery of the first authenticated mammal 11 Dec 2021, 06:04
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EducationAisle thanks for your help, last question how does one differentiate between participle and gerund, in this eg itself isn't determining like an act (verb hence a participle)
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Scientists claim that the discovery of the first authenticated mammal 11 Dec 2021, 06:21
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Dhwanii
EducationAisle thanks for your help, last question how does one differentiate between participle and gerund, in this eg itself isn't determining like an act (verb hence a participle)
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Hi Dhwanii, generally speaking, whenever an "-ing" form of the verb ("determining" in this case) acts as an object of a preposition ("for"), the "-ing" form of the verb is most likely a Gerund.

Since "determining" is the object of preposition "for" ("for determining"), "determining" is a gerund.

p.s. Our book EducationAisle Sentence Correction Nirvana discusses differences between Gerunds and Participles, 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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Scientists claim that the discovery of the first authenticated mammal 30 Dec 2021, 10:30
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Here is C:

Scientists claim that the discovery of the first authenticated mammal bones in amber could provide important clues to determine how mammals colonized the islands of the West Indies and when they did.

If we replace 'did':

Scientists claim that the discovery of the first authenticated mammal bones in amber could provide important clues to determine how mammals colonized the islands of the West Indies and when mammals colonized the islands of the West Indies.

E conveys the same information while using fewer words:

Scientists claim that the discovery of the first authenticated mammal bones in amber could provide important clues for determining how and when mammals colonized the islands of the West Indies.
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Scientists claim that the discovery of the first authenticated mammal 23 Jan 2022, 11:17
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1. Can someone explain me the difference between "clue to determine" and "clue for determining" ??
I thought using "to V" format would be preferred than "for ~ ing" format.

2. Is it idiomatically incorrect to use 'to V' format after 'clue' ?

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Scientists claim that the discovery of the first authenticated mammal 24 Jan 2022, 07:00
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celan
1. Can someone explain me the difference between "clue to determine" and "clue for determining" ??
I thought using "to V" format would be preferred than "for ~ ing" format.

2. Is it idiomatically incorrect to use 'to V' format after 'clue' ?

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Hello celan,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, the use of the infinitive verb form "to determine" incorrectly implies that the discovery could provide clues for the purpose of determining something; this is incorrect since a "discovery" cannot be said to have actively done something for specific reasons.

The use of "for determining" directly modifies the noun "clues", conveying the intended meaning - that the discovery could provide clues that could determine something.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
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Scientists claim that the discovery of the first authenticated mammal 25 Jan 2022, 14:00
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celan
1. Can someone explain me the difference between "clue to determine" and "clue for determining" ??
I thought using "to V" format would be preferred than "for ~ ing" format.

2. Is it idiomatically incorrect to use 'to V' format after 'clue' ?

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Both seem fine to me. There's a subtle difference in meaning.

If Tim used clues to determine which of his kids ate all his Pop-Tarts, "to determine" seems to describe the action "used." So Tim had a conscious plan to use the clues in a certain way.

But if Tim thought these clues would be great for determining who ate his Pop-Tarts, "for determining" seems to describe how the clues would be great. One set of clues might be great for figuring out who ate Tim's pancakes. Another set is good for figuring out who ate his Pop-Tarts.

Put another way: in the first example, there seems to be intent by whoever is using the clues. In the second example, we're describing the clues themselves.

Would I be comfortable using that as a decision point under pressure? Probably not. Fortunately, in this question there are plenty of other, better issues to use, such as logic and clarity. So if you find yourself wrestling with an idiom, stop and look for other decision points first. (More on idioms here.)

I hope that helps!
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Scientists claim that the discovery of the first authenticated mammal 19 Jun 2023, 06:36
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Guys I understand pronoun ambiguity is only a last resort for elimination... is there any other reason to eliminate C?

I tried using ellipsis here...Is it incorrect?
Scientists claim that the discovery of the first authenticated mammal bones in amber could provide important clues to determine how mammals colonized the islands of the West Indies and when they did (colonized the islands of the West Indies)

Is there any issue with using ellipsis here. Please clarify
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Scientists claim that the discovery of the first authenticated mammal 20 Jun 2023, 05:00
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Kratosgmat
Guys I understand pronoun ambiguity is only a last resort for elimination... is there any other reason to eliminate C?

I tried using ellipsis here...Is it incorrect?
Scientists claim that the discovery of the first authenticated mammal bones in amber could provide important clues to determine how mammals colonized the islands of the West Indies and when they did (colonized the islands of the West Indies)

Is there any issue with using ellipsis here. Please clarify
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The use of the verb "did" to replace "colonized the islands of the West Indies" is fine there.

Also, there is no pronoun ambiguity in the (C) version. It's clear that "they" refers to "mammals"

The main issue with (C) is that it uses "to" in "the discovery ... could provide clues to determine." The use of "to" rather than "for" there results in the (C) version's conveying that the discovery could provide clues so that the discovery can determine how mammals colonized the islands and when they did.
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Scientists claim that the discovery of the first authenticated mammal 14 Oct 2025, 09:38
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