Question on 'Modifier'

by **sudipta.biswas2** Sat Sep 01, 2012 12:40 pm

Please read the following sentence :

During and immediately after the California gold rush, the way for a merchant to generate the most profit was to move a limited amount of scarce goods to San Francisco as quickly as possible, rather than to carry larger loads more slowly, determining the design of the clipper ship.

The answer says :

the participle determining makes the final phrase of the sentence ('determining the design of the clipper ship') into a modifier.

Is this correct ?

by **vivs.gupta** Mon Sep 03, 2012 7:05 am

During and immediately after the California gold rush, the way for a merchant to generate the most profit was to move a limited amount of scarce goods to San Francisco as quickly as possible, rather than to carry larger loads more slowly, determining the design of the clipper ship.

Here, "determining the design of the clipper ship" acts as a modifier and do not have clear reference to what it is modifying?

I would prefer replacing it with "a situation that determined the design of the clipper ship".

by **Willy** Tue Sep 04, 2012 3:21 pm

sudipta.biswas2 Wrote:Please read the following sentence :

During and immediately after the California gold rush, the way for a merchant to generate the most profit was to move a limited amount of scarce goods to San Francisco as quickly as possible, rather than to carry larger loads more slowly, determining the design of the clipper ship.

The answer says :

the participle determining makes the final phrase of the sentence ('determining the design of the clipper ship') into a modifier.

Is this correct ?

Yes, it is acting as a modifier but IMO it is ambiguous.

determining the design of the clipper ship. can modify "to carry" and "to move"

as stated above by vivs.gupta adding "a situation that determined" would make sense.

by **tim** Sat Sep 08, 2012 9:08 am

yes, the ambiguity of this modifier is the primary problem with this sentence..

by **sanketm5** Sat Sep 06, 2014 2:22 am

The answer says rather than to is necessary for parallelism, but we have seen many cases which prove this wrong.,

I wanted to eat rather than drink. (here to is not required.. is it?

by **RonPurewal** Wed Sep 10, 2014 9:49 am

sanketm5 Wrote:The answer says rather than to is necessary for parallelism, but we have seen many cases which prove this wrong.,

I wanted to eat rather than drink. (here to is not required.. is it?

This version would be fine too.

by **tim** Fri Sep 12, 2014 10:01 am

sanketm5 Wrote:The answer says rather than to is necessary for parallelism, but we have seen many cases which prove this wrong.,

I wanted to eat rather than drink. (here to is not required.. is it?

If you want further clarification, feel free to post some of the "many cases" that "prove this wrong", and we'll be happy to show you that there is no inconsistency in the rules.

by **RonPurewal** Mon Sep 15, 2014 9:08 pm

#39 in the OG verbal supplement does what you're saying a sentence isn't allowed to do. Check it out.

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