To many critics, it seems strange
for Ms. Tramonivic, 72, the legendary print and visual artist who almost singlehandedly brought performance art to the general public and to large venues, to be working on a small off-Broadway dance project.A) for Ms. Tramonivic, 72, the legendary print and visual artist who almost singlehandedly brought performance art to the general public and to large venues, to be working on a small off-Broadway dance project.
B) that Ms. Tramonivic, 72, the legendary print and visual artist who almost singlehandedly brought performance art to the general public and large venues, be working on a small off Broadway-dance project.
C) that Ms. Tramonivic, who is 72 and the legendary print and visual artist that almost singlehandedly brought performance art to the general public and large venues, is working on a small off-Broadway dance project.
D) for Ms. Tramonivic, 72, the legendary print and visual artist who almost singlehandedly brought performance art to the general public, to large venues, and to be working on a small off Broadway dance project.
E) that Ms. Tramonivic, who is 72 and the legendary print and visual artist who almost singlehandedly brought performance art to the general public and large venues, to be working on a small off-Broadway dance project.
cristianosubo
Hi!
A quick assistance required from experts
daagh Bunuel GMATNinja hazelnut generisI narrowed down my options to A and C. The dilemma I was faced with A was that I looked at "72" as a separate modifier modifying Ms. Tramonivic and "the legendary.." as another separate modifier modifying Tramonivic. Can two modifiers modifying the same noun appear continuous as in option A? Or am I making a mistake?
Thanks in advance for your kind replies.
Hi
cristianosubo , you are not mistaken about the fact that on the GMAT we often want to avoid "stacked" modifiers (what you describe).
alessandrolawrence and
nitesh50 (sorry I missed your tag), you two had the same question.
Sometimes is it okay for two modifiers that modify the same noun to appear side-by-side.As is the case with most rules, exceptions exist to the "do not stack adjectives" guideline.
(1) One of the most common exceptions is in the structure:
--
noun + prepositional phrase + comma + which-- Correct:
I bought the book of French recipes, which completed my collection of European cookbooks. Technically, if a prepositional modifier is followed by a
comma + which modifier, we have two modifiers that modify the same noun.
But
essential modifiers trump
nonessential modifiers Simone de Beauvoir's letters to Jean-Paul Sartre, which were written throughout their tempestuous relationship, caused an uproar when they were published in 1990.Neither modifier can be placed differently. The essential modifier (to Jean-Paul Sartre) "trumps" the nonessential WHICH-clause, but both modifiers refer to de Beauvoir's
letters. Quote:
Can two modifiers modifying the same noun appear continuous as in option A?
Yes. The most common example is the one I listed above.
(2) One very short (or shortened) modifier can precede or follow a longer modifier even when both modifiers refer to the same noun.
Spoiler alert: the correct answer to an official question is obliquely revealed.
The best "short phrase" official example is
(3) Rarely, two long-ish phrases can modify the same noun when the sentence makes sense and the option is the best of the five.
Each of the hand sewn couture dresses, some created as wraparounds, others as simple A-lines, had a unique identifier assigned by the dressmaker.
That sentence is modeled on an official question.
Spoiler alert: the correct answer to an official question is revealed.
(4) If both modifiers refer to the noun and are joined by a conjunction (usually AND).
The treasure, found in a tomb and covered with cobwebs, was priceless.
I have
not covered all of the exceptions.
This guideline is the best that I can offer:
If the sentence is grammatical and makes sense but two modifiers refer to the same noun,
check the other options.
If the other options contain errors worse than the stacked-adjective option,
then choose the stacked adjective option.
HERE is an
MGMAT question in which an appositive and a compound relative clause follow the noun.
• THIS question? In this question, which is worse: • (A), in which a tiny adjective, 72, immediately precedes another modifier?
OR
• (C), in which
--
that used to refer to a human being
-- a modifier gives
equal weight to a woman's age and the reason that she is a legend
I'm old school. The word
that never refers to human beings.
Rhetorically, the sentence should emphasize "the legendary print and visual artist who . . ."
In option A, "72" gets nothing but commas.
In option C, "72" and "the legendary artist" get equal weight in the modifier: "who is 72 and the legendary print and visual artist. . . ."
Does option A make sense? Yes. Are the modifiers hard to understand? No.
Option A is better.
Hope that helps.