hashash1n1
Most employers agree that how a candidate dresses for a job interview and even "the way he positions himself" in his seat leave a lasting impressionThe part in quotes is erroneous according to Manhattan, and the correction should be "how he positions himself", but I don't understand why 'how' is part of the parallelism, and why the sentence isn't okay as it is. Thanks
Hello,
hashash1n1. Let me be clear about my position as someone who has studied linguistics: No one would think twice about the original sentence outside of the context of the GMAT™. It is perfectly functional. That said, on the GMAT™, if you have to choose between two options that follow
and without a comma, then you should look to match the second element as closely as you can (within reason) to the first. Because the subject of the embedded clause is a noun clause itself—
how a candidate dresses for a job interview—and that subject, because of the
and, becomes a compound subject (as in,
Jamie and Bobby went to the store), we should be seeking a second noun clause that parallels the first.
How he positions himself delivers to that end:
how + subject/pronoun + verb follows the same order as before. For that reason, and really for that reason alone, it would be the correct answer to a GMAT™ SC question.
I think I may have found the template for the
Manhattan Prep question in
this classic from several years ago. Notice the similarity:
Quote:
It is well known in the supermarket industry that
how items are placed on shelves and
the frequency of inventory turnovers can be crucial to profits.
(A) the frequency of inventory turnovers can be
(B) the frequency of inventory turnovers is often
(C) the frequency with which the inventory turns over is often
(D) how frequently is the inventory turned over are often
(E) how frequently the inventory turns over can be
Although it is categorized as a Hard question in the forum, if you know how to navigate the parallelism, you should find the task quite simple. (The question took me 20 seconds when I laid eyes on it about a month ago.)
Perhaps that helps with your query. Of course, I would suggest you see what the folks at
Manhattan Prep have to say about parallelism in general. They certainly know what they are talking about.
Good luck with your studies.
- Andrew