josepradeep wrote:
My analysis:
In the shark's jaw: this is a prepositional phrase modifying " lie"
many spare teeth lie in seemingly limitless reserve: this is a Independent clause with subject :teeth an verb: lie.
each one ready to slide into the appropriate position whenever an active tooth is lost or worn down.: this is a modifier modifying teeth.
But my doubt is what kind of modifier is this"each one ready to slide into the appropriate position whenever an active tooth is lost or worn down.T
Dear
josepradeep,
That's an excellent question, and I'm happy to help.
Here's the OA, version
(E):
In the shark’s jaws, many spare teeth lie in seemingly limitless reserve, each one ready to slide into the appropriate position whenever an active tooth is lost or worn down.
You are perfectly correct about the independent clause --- "
many spare teeth lie in seemingly limitless reserve" is the one independent clause in this sentence, with "
many spare teeth" as the main subject of the sentence and "
lie" as the main verb.
After the comma, the phrase starting with "
each one .." is a sophisticated structure known as
an absolute phrase. See
http://magoosh.com/gmat/2013/absolute-p ... -the-gmat/An absolute phrase has the structure
[noun]+[noun modifier] and it is a somewhat independent structure, sometimes modifying the entire independent clause, and sometimes just a part. Here, we have an indefinite pronoun, "
each one", in the place of the noun, referring to the teeth. An absolute phrase is a phrase --- no bonafide verb, so it never can be clause on its own.
This is a structure you would find in sophisticated reading. How much do you read? Reading challenging English material is the best way to develop an ear for sophisticated grammatical structure such as this. Here are some suggestions for reading:
http://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/gmat-reading-list/Does all this make sense?
Mike
_________________
Mike McGarry
Magoosh Test PrepEducation is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire. — William Butler Yeats (1865 – 1939)