Quote:
The new employee demonstrated not only strong technical skills
but also they possess excellent communication abilities and a strong work ethic.(A) but also they possess excellent communication abilities and a strong work ethic.
(B) but also possesses excellent communication abilities and a strong work ethic.
(C) but also possessing excellent communication abilities and a strong work ethic.
(D) but also having excellent communication abilities and a strong work ethic.
(E) but also possessing excellent communication abilities and possessing a strong work ethic.
vasu1104
can anyone explain me why option B is incorrect and D is correct
Hello,
vasu1104. Neither one is correct, and the question should be revised. (As a side note, official questions would not underline the same ending in all five answer choices, so
a strong work ethic should not be underlined.) Because of the way the sentence is written, the verb
demonstrated applies equally to the two halves of the
not only X, but also Y idiomatic construct. Check for clarity:
1)
The new employee demonstrated strong technical skills √2)
[The new employee demonstrated] having excellent communication abilities... XYou could say that the new employee
had excellent communication abilities, or that the new employee
demonstrated excellent communication abilities, but
demonstrated having is nonsensical.
Answer choice (B) would only work if
demonstrated were
demonstrates and fell within the not only X, but also Y construct, or if
possesses were
possessed to match verb tenses:
1)
The new employee not only demonstrated strong technical skills but also possessed excellent communication abilities...2)
The new employee not only demonstrates strong technical skills but also possesses excellent communication abilities...Perhaps the question makes more sense now. Good luck with your studies.
- Andrew