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at.ouchen
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Ellipsis question

by at.ouchen Sun Mar 30, 2014 10:18 am

Good day
this example is a modification of an OA (I've kept the structure but changed the words)

Today, because of progress in industrial technology, the same quantity of raw materials produces twice as many products as it did in 1990.
in the Manhattan SC book page 249 we have:


The first instance of the verb should usually match the helping verb in tense. If you change tenses, repeat the whole verb in the new tense.
Wrong: I have never seen an aardvark, but last year my father did.
Right: I have never seen an aardvark, but last year my father saw one.

So according to this rule the correct form of the sentence IS:
The same amount of acreage PRODUCES twice as many apples as it PRODUCED in 1910.

the book also stated:

In the rare cases in which the tenses do not need to match, the exact verb form missing after the helping verb should be present elsewhere in the sentence.
Wrong: Our cars were designed to inspire envy, and they ARE.

Right: Our cars were designed to inspire envy, and they do
I hope I could make my confusion clear enough
Many thanks in advance
RonPurewal
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Re: Ellipsis question

by RonPurewal Mon Mar 31, 2014 6:28 pm

That statement in the book is incorrect. Helping verbs are perfectly well allowed to stand for verbs in other tenses.

Marily will never again sing that song as well as she did yesterday.
Past-tense "did"; future-tense "will ... sing". No problem.

(That part will be edited/removed in the next edition of the book.)
RonPurewal
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Re: Ellipsis question

by RonPurewal Mon Mar 31, 2014 6:30 pm

By the way, this is the wrong place for your question. Questions about material from the strategy guides should be posted in the MGMAT non-CAT folder.

Thanks.