The construction company saved a significant amount of money when they

Question

The construction company saved a significant amount of money  when they realized that less bricks could be used  per square yard if the pattern of brick laying in the plaza were to be altered.

A. when they realized that less bricks could be used
B. when they used the realization that less bricks could be used
C. when it used the realization of fewer bricks
D. when they realized that fewer bricks could be used
E. when it realized that fewer bricks could be used

stne · Answer

Hi  aragonn ,

Thank you for the question,  but please can you underline the relevant portion.

"The construction company " is a singular subject hence A,B and D are out for using the plural "They "
Between C and E the answer is E because in C " when it used the realization of fewer bricks " is awkward construction.

Hope it helps.

ArupRS · Answer

Dear  aragonn ,

Please underline the question. E has to be the answer.

AkshdeepS · Answer

A. when  they  realized that less bricks could be used

Subject is singular (The construction company) so we need singular pronoun (it)

B. when they used the realization that less bricks could be used

Subject is singular (The construction company) so we need singular pronoun (it)

"Realization" can not be used. So modification error.

C. when it used the realization of fewer bricks

"Realization" can not be used. So modification error.
 
D. when they realized that fewer bricks could be used

Subject is singular (The construction company) so we need singular pronoun (it)

E. when it realized that fewer bricks could be used

octobercold · Answer

My answer is D. Excluding A, B and C is trivial. The difference between D and E is how a company is refferred - by singular or plural pronoun. I think it is only possible to refer by singular pronoun to the company in American English, while in British English it is possible to use plural pronoun, and in fact it is widely used in media. American companies use singular and plural pronouns interchangebly on their British websites.

EducationAisle · Answer

Hi  octobercold , there are many official examples that use the word  company . All these examples quite consistently refer to  the company  as  singular .

aragonn · Answer

Official Explanation: 
The underlined portion of the sentence contains the pronoun they, so check that it agrees with a specific plural noun in the sentence. The underlined portion also contains the adjective less, so check that it is used in reference to a non-countable noun. The plural pronoun they incorrectly refers to the singular noun company, which is a pronoun agreement error. Because less refers to the countable noun bricks, this is a quantity words error. The correct word is fewer. Eliminate choice A for both the pronoun agreement and quantity words errors and look for any obvious repeaters. Choice B is an obvious repeater of both errors because it also contains the plural pronoun they and the quantity word less. Eliminate choice B. Choice D is an obvious repeater of the pronoun agreement error because it also contains the plural pronoun they. Eliminate choice D. Now, evaluate the remaining answer choices individually, looking for reasons to eliminate each.

Choice C contains the phrase, used the realization of, which changes the meaning of the sentence, so eliminate choice C. Choice E fixes the original pronoun agreement error by replacing they with it, fixes the original quantity word error by replacing less with fewer, and introduces no new errors, so keep choice E.

Alternatively, if it is difficult to spot which grammar rule the sentence is testing, another strategy is to try to identify an error from the answers by looking for either a 2/3 split or differences among the answers. Since three answer choices use the plural pronoun they and the others use the singular pronoun it, this difference is an indication to look for agreement errors. Furthermore, since three answer choices use the quantity word fewer, and the others use less, this difference is an indication to look for quantity word errors.

Choice A: No. The plural pronoun they does not agree with the singular noun company. The adjective less does not agree with the countable noun bricks. Pronoun agreement; Quantity words.

Choice B: No. The plural pronoun they does not agree with the singular noun company. The adjective less does not agree with the countable noun bricks. Pronoun agreement; Quantity words.

Choice C: No. The phrase used the realization of changes the meaning of the sentence. Changes meaning.

Choice D: No. The plural pronoun they does not agree with the singular noun company. Pronoun agreement.

Choice E: Correct.

The correct answer is choice E.

VerbalBot · Answer

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The construction company saved a significant amount of money when they

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The construction company saved a significant amount of money when they

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