some useful grammatical nuances

Question

USE OF  ALTHOUGH :

- ALTHOUGH is a subordinate conjunction and is  always  followed by a clause.(as per OG explanations)== >ALTHOUGH X,Y(HERE X and Y ARE CLAUSES)

- ALTHOUGH always connects two clauses with a comma.(as per RON)
 
- NEVER use a conjunction and ALTHOUGH together to connect two clauses 
ex: ALTHOUGH X,and Y ==>THIS IS WRONG.((HERE X and Y ARE CLAUSES)

- ALTHOUGH is generally followed by definite thing.....so  probability words  such as  MAY BE,COULD BE,POSSIBLY ...all these are wrong in ALTHOUGH CLAUSE(means clause X)(as per RON) 
example:
Although they  could  afford household appliances their grandparents would find miraculous ===> this is wrong

blueseas · Answer

Normally use of AND ALSO is always redundant.
there are some exceptions when it is correct.

CORRECT USAGE of  AND ALSO :

"X and Y" is normally used to indicate two different things. (if you said "the first woman and the first Swedish writer", without the "also", that would normally imply 2 different people)

"X and also Y" is normally used to bestow two descriptions on the SAME person or thing  .

Turning away from literary realism to write romantic stories about the peasant life and landscape of northern Sweden, in 1909 Selma Lagerlöf was the novelist who became the first woman and was also the first Swedish writer to win  the Nobel Prize for Literature.

A. Turning away from literary realism to write romantic stories about the peasant life and landscape of northern Sweden, in 1909 Selma Lagerlöf was the novelist who became the first woman and was also the first Swedish writer to win 
B. She turned away from literary realism and wrote romantic stories about the peasant life and landscape of northern Sweden, and novelist Selma Lagerlöf in 1909 became the first woman as well as the first Swedish writer that won 
C. Selma Lagerlöf was a novelist who turned away from literary realism to write romantic stories about the peasant life and landscape of northern Sweden, and in 1909 she became the first woman in addition to the first Swedish writer winning 
D. A novelist who turned away from literary realism to write romantic stories about the peasant life and landscape of northern Sweden, Selma Lagerlöf became in 1909 the first woman and also the first Swedish writer to win.====> CORRECT 
E. As a novelist, Selma Lagerlöf turned away from literary realism and wrote romantic stories about the peasant life and landscape of northern Sweden, in 1909 becoming the first woman and also the first Swedish writer that won

blueseas · Answer

MODALS:  
 there is something called MODAL verbs:
 
Verbs such as can, could,should, will, would, may, might are modal auxiliary verbs. Most modals are followed by the simple form of the verb (without "to")

example:  i can do this///he can do this///they can do this.
i may not go///he may not go////they may not go.===>ALL PLURAL VERB.
i will do this///he will do this///they will do this.
i should do this///he should do this///they should do this.

Manhattan ex : 
 When ethnic groups intermarry, it is likely to result in cognitive benefits; indeed, perhaps already having contributed to the Flynn effect, which has been  the worldwide rise in average IQ score by as much as three points per decade over most of the past century.

1. When ethnic groups intermarry, it is likely to result in cognitive benefits; indeed, perhaps having contributed to the Flynn effect, which has been
2. The intermarriage of ethnic groups is likely to result in cognitive benefits and  may indeed have  contributed to the Flynn effect, ===> correct 
3. When ethnic groups intermarry, they are likely to result in cognitive benefits and may indeed have contributed to the Flynn effect, the name given to
4. Ethnic groups that intermarry will likely result in cognitive benefits; indeed, possibly having contributed to the Flynn effect,
5. The intermarriage of ethnic groups, likely to result in cognitive benefits, indeed have possibly contributed to the Flynn effect, the name given to

blueseas · Answer

DETERMINED BY VS DETERMINED FROM  :
"determined by" and "determined from" are both legitimate idioms, but they have different meanings.
"X is/was determined by Y" means that Y actually causes/caused X.
"X is/was determined from Y" means that someone looks at evidence Y and, from that evidence, figures out X.

for instance:
your personality can be determined from your handwriting --> this sentence makes sense (people can look at your handwriting and deduce facts about your personality).
your personality can be determined by your handwriting --> this sentence doesn't make sense (it implies that the way you write actually causes your personality to be a certain way).
but...
some people think that your personality is determined by your genes --> this sentence makes sense (people to think that your genetic makeup causes you to have certain personality traits)
some people think that your personality is determined from your genes --> this doesn't make sense (it implies that people are looking at your genes and using them to guess what your personality is like).

blueseas · Answer

following types of modifiers should be followed by SUBJECT of the sentence after the comma. 
modifiers...
(1) Starting with –ING, or starting with preposition + -ING (especially in + -ING)
(2) Starting with past participle
(3) NOUN + MODIFIERS (i.e., not a clause)
(4) Starting with an ADJECTIVE

examples:

(1)
WRONG:
Coming home from school, the wind blew me off my bike.
RIGHT:
Coming home from school, I was blown off my bike by the wind.

(2)
WRONG:
Thrown from a passing car, the blaze was ignited by a stray cigarette.
RIGHT:
Thrown from a passing car, a stray cigarette ignited the blaze.

(3) 
WRONG:
A survivor of the Holocaust, Primo Levi’s stories demonstrate a resolute determination in the face of tragedy and adversity. 
RIGHT:
A survivor of the Holocaust, Primo Levi wrote stories that demonstrate a resolute determination in the face of tragedy and adversity.

VerbalBot · Answer

Hello from the GMAT Club VerbalBot!

Thanks to another GMAT Club member, I have just discovered this valuable topic, yet it had no discussion for over a year. I am now bumping it up - doing my job. I think you may find it valuable (esp those replies with Kudos).

Want to see all other topics I dig out? Follow me (click follow button on profile). You will receive a summary of all topics I bump in your profile area as well as via email.

some useful grammatical nuances

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards