As much as...

by **mclaren7** Thu Mar 13, 2008 1:29 pm

Dear Moderators and friends

Source: GMATPrep 06

If Charles had spent half as much time attending his classes as he did complaining about them, he would have been a good student.

A had spent half as much time attending his classes as he did complaining
B had spent half as much time to attend his classes as he did to complain
C were to spend half as much time attending his classes as he does complaining
D were to spend half as much time attending his classes as complaining
E. should spend half as much time attending his classes as to complain

OA: A

I chose D because of the "were to spend"
How do we differentiate between "had spent" & "were to spend"?

Thank you.
KH[/u]

by **Guest** Thu Mar 13, 2008 4:36 pm

If you look at the non-underlined portion you'll see a reference to answer the question: "would have been" = past tense. If you choose "were to" it sounds to me like you're changing the meaning from the past to a future event.

by **StaceyKoprince** Mon Mar 17, 2008 6:10 pm

The "were" construction here indicates subjunctive tense, specifically when talking about something that isn't actually true. BUT - we have to pair that with what would happen if it were true, eg:
If I were to win the lottery, I would go on a trip around the world.

I CAN'T say: if I were to win the lottery, I would have gone on a trip around the world.

In this case, the non-underlined portion says he would HAVE BEEN a good student, so I can't use subjunctive here. (I'd have to say: If Charles were to spend half as much time... he would be a good student. That's not an option though.)

So C and D are gone.

Should indicates an opinion - this changes the original intent of the sentence. Elim E.

B has an idiom problem (want the participle attending, not the infinitive to attend - same for complaining / complain).

That leaves us with A.

by **mclaren7** Mon Mar 17, 2008 10:28 pm

Hi Stacey

Much appreciated your reply.

Sorry, but could you elaborate on B?

If Charles had spent ... to attend his....to complain..
Why can't we use the infinitive?

Thanks
KH

by **RonPurewal** Wed Mar 26, 2008 5:54 am

mclaren7 Wrote:Hi Stacey

Much appreciated your reply.

Sorry, but could you elaborate on B?

If Charles had spent ... to attend his....to complain..
Why can't we use the infinitive?

Thanks
KH

difference in meaning.

if you say '...spent half as much time to attend his classes', the literal meaning would be that the time was the cost of attending classes: i.e., he spent the time just getting to attend the classes in the first place, not actually attending them.

analogies:
i spent $20 to fly to boston --> i somehow managed to buy a ticket to boston for $20
i spent $20 flying to boston --> i spent $20 on things like drinks, movies, and food during the flight to boston
same principle applies.