OFFICIAL EXPLANATIONProject SC Butler: Day 169: Sentence Correction (SC2)
THE PROMPTThis study's
surveys were conducted over a course of time commencing a few months before the First World War and ending a few months after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, outnumbering all surveys conducted for any single research ever.
THE OPTIONSQuote:
A) This study's surveys were conducted over a course of time ccommencing a few months before the First World War and ending a few months after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, outnumbering all surveys conducted for any single research ever.
--
The surveys were conducted over a course of time. . . , outnumbering all surveys. -- The point of the sentence seems to be that these surveys
outnumbered their counterparts, not that the surveys were conducted from point in time X to point in time Y.
-- [comma + ING] typically modifies the preceding clause, and can modify just the subject of the clause.
But the fact that the surveys outnumber all their counterparts is not really logically connected to the time frame described at length.
In other words, "outnumbering" really refers only to surveys. It's a Big Fact about surveys. It should "outrank"
time frame commencing. Outnumber should be a verb, not a participle (an ___ING word). Keep this issue in mind as other options are checked.
KEEP AND COMPARE
Quote:
B) This study's surveys, which were conducted over a course of time commencing a few months before the First World War and ending a few months after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, outnumber all surveys conducted for any single research ever.
-- This structure makes more sense than that in (A).
--
Outnumber is the strong verb and the point of the sentence.
-- The time period is better set off by which, as is the case here, and the verb
outnumber is appropriate and appropriately stressed by relegating all that other stuff to a which-clause[
This answer is better than (A).
KEEP, and discard A
Quote:
C) This study's surveys, conducted over a course of time commencing a few months before the First World War and that ends a few months after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 and outnumbering all surveys conducted for any single research ever.
• commencing and that ends are not parallel
• No working verb exists in the last part of the sentence
• We have a fragment.
Eliminate C
Quote:
D) This study's surveys, which were conducted over a course of time commencing a few months before the First World War, ending a few months after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, and outnumbering all surveys conducted for any single research ever.
• not a complete sentence. The WHICH clause starts a series of verbals but there is no verb for surveys.
--
which were conducted . . . commencing. . . . ending. . . . and outnumbering
--
were is the only working verb in the sentence. It is "eaten up" by the relative pronoun "which"
• if you are not sure, remove the nonessential clause:
This study's surveys, and outnumbering all surveys conducted for any single research ever. No working verb!Eliminate D
Quote:
E) This study's [i/surveys were conducted over a course of time that commences a few months before the First World War and ended a few months after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, [and?] outnumber[/i] all surveys conducted
for any single research ever.
•
commences and
ended are not parallel.
• Missing conjunction: were conducted, ended, [AND] outnumber
The answer is BCOMMENTSI like the dialogue.
The main verb in this sentence is "outnumber."
The important fact about the surveys is that they outnumber all others of their kind—not the time period through which the surveys were taken.
Many of you caught that idea quickly.
These answers are very good.
Kudos to all.
Surveys outnumber all surveys. Is this sentence a general fact? I do not see it as a general fact. Outnumber is in simple present, and the usage of this verb is wrong. Please correct me.