Opening modifier: How are they different/incorrect

Question

According to his own account, Schoenberg, in his String Trio of 1946, was depicting in 
musical terms a severe physical debility he suffered in the summer of that year, during 
which his pulse temporarily stopped and he was given an injection to the heart.

(A) According to his own account, Schoenberg, in his String Trio of 1946, was depicting 
in musical terms a severe physical debility he suffered in the summer of that year, during 
which his pulse temporarily stopped and he was given an injection to the heart.

(B) Schoenberg, according to his own account, in his String Trio of 1946, during which his 
pulse temporarily stopped and he was given an injection to the heart, was depicting in musical 
terms a severe physical debility he suffered in the summer of that year.

I just wanna confirm...is there any grammatical mistake in B(Besides meaning error)..especially with the usage of according to in both the cases

mikemcgarry · Answer

Dear JusTLucK04 , I'm happy to respond. :-)

What you are asking is a very strange question. You see, logic is more important than grammar. Logic trumps grammar. Thus, if a sentence is fundamentally illogical, it sometimes doesn't make sense to ask about its grammar. It would be like asking, " Well, besides that fact that this man murdered six people, is he a nice guy ?" There is something inherently incongruous in the very phrasing of the question. I think one would have to say that (B) has no grammar mistakes, because every single mistake in (B) is a logical mistake, not a grammar mistake. Remember, all mistakes involving modification are logical mistake, not grammar mistakes. The phrase " according to " clearly should modify the subject " Schoenberg ", and in both cases that touches " Schoenberg ", so it fully obeys the Modifier Touch Rule. That's one thing that's not a problem in choice (B) . Does this make sense? Mike :-)

JusTLucK04 · Answer

Thank You Mike..It was just to reaffirm the usage..A discussion with a friend who thinks otherwise..
The sentence was a bit lengthy. I lost the sense of meaning here & just attacked the grammatical rules..

mikemcgarry · Answer

Dear JusTLucK04 , My friend, I will just caution you. GMAT SC is about meaning more than than it is about grammar. It is a dangerous thing to lose the meaning and apply grammar rules in isolation: the GMAT specifically designed sentence to catch people who make that mistake. You can never afford to lose the meaning. Mike :-)

Opening modifier: How are they different/incorrect

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