Simply because they are genetically engineered does not make

[mcmebk]

I've seen this one before - this is the only official question in 10 years that I have seen use "being" correctly. So it is still generally a good rule to avoid being, but use it more as a tiebreak - look for other stuff first.

So you knew to get rid of A and C. B violates a little known thing that the GMAT writers follow though it is not an official grammar rule - more a choice. It introduces a subject pronoun before the noun itself. Subject pronouns and nouns can be directly interchanged; as such, the test writers prefer to use the noun first and then later use a subject pronoun (if necessary). Note that I am specifically limiting this to subject pronouns, not object or possessive pronouns. Most people read a subject-pronoun-first situation as "awkward" though they don't really know why.

And just study D from the point of view of: this is one of the only ways to use "being" correctly, so familiarize yourself with it.

Hello Stacey,

Could you please give two examples seperately for using an objective pronounc and possessive pronouns before nouns, just for comparison purposes?

Thanks a lot!

Hi

I am not Stacy but I would like to help:

Using objective pronoun before nouns:

He was promoted this month, according to the pay check Mr. William received.

Using possessive pronouns:

Holding two large boxes in his arms, Joe had to be very careful when walking to the parking lot.

Hope it helps.

[jlucero]

I've seen this one before - this is the only official question in 10 years that I have seen use "being" correctly. So it is still generally a good rule to avoid being, but use it more as a tiebreak - look for other stuff first.

So you knew to get rid of A and C. B violates a little known thing that the GMAT writers follow though it is not an official grammar rule - more a choice. It introduces a subject pronoun before the noun itself. Subject pronouns and nouns can be directly interchanged; as such, the test writers prefer to use the noun first and then later use a subject pronoun (if necessary). Note that I am specifically limiting this to subject pronouns, not object or possessive pronouns. Most people read a subject-pronoun-first situation as "awkward" though they don't really know why.

And just study D from the point of view of: this is one of the only ways to use "being" correctly, so familiarize yourself with it.

Hello Stacey,

Could you please give two examples seperately for using an objective pronounc and possessive pronouns before nouns, just for comparison purposes?

Thanks a lot!

Hi

I am not Stacy but I would like to help:

Using objective pronoun before nouns:

He was promoted this month, according to the pay check Mr. William received.

Using possessive pronouns:

Holding two large boxes in his arms, Joe had to be very careful when walking to the parking lot.

Hope it helps.

He is actually a subject pronoun. An example of an object pronoun would be him/her/them:

Working alongside them for months, John was able to gain the trust of the smurfs.

[harika.apu]

B violates a little known thing that the GMAT writers follow though it is not an official grammar rule - more a choice. It introduces a subject pronoun before the noun itself. Subject pronouns and nouns can be directly interchanged; as such, the test writers prefer to use the noun first and then later use a subject pronoun (if necessary). Note that I am specifically limiting this to subject pronouns, not object or possessive pronouns. Most people read a subject-pronoun-first situation as "awkward" though they don't really know why.

Is this the only reason to eliminate B ? Can we take subject-pronoun-first as a valid rule ALWAYS in GMAT ?

what stacey is saying here is all true, but there is a much easier way to eliminate that choice: it tries to use a clause starting with "because" as a subject. that is NEVER allowed.

i.e., you can't say "because SUBJECT VERB ... is ...". this sentence is trying to use "(simply) because it is genetically engineered" as a subject.
in fact, you cannot use ANY clause starting with a conjunction (either a coordinating or subordinating conjunction -- look these up if you need to refresh yourself on what they are) as a subject. ever.

Hello Ron ,
this sentence - where i study makes no difference .
But you told that ANY clause starting with a conjunction cannot act as subject
Is the example i gave wrong ?

Thanks:)

[RonPurewal]

'where' doesn't do what you think it does.

'where' can do 2 things:

1/
it can start a modifier
You shouldn't light a cigarette where there are gasoline fumes in the air.

2/
'where xxxxx happens' can serve as a NOUN
I don't know what she is wearing, where she bought it, or how much she paid for it.
here, each of these three phrases plays the role of a noun.

your sentence is just #2 here. (if you replace "where I study" with "my location", the sentence works in exactly the same way.)

[harika.apu]

'where' doesn't do what you think it does.

'where' can do 2 things:

1/
it can start a modifier
You shouldn't light a cigarette where there are gasoline fumes in the air.

2/
'where xxxxx happens' can serve as a NOUN
I don't know what she is wearing, where she bought it, or how much she paid for it.
here, each of these three phrases plays the role of a noun.

your sentence is just #2 here. (if you replace "where I study" with "my location", the sentence works in exactly the same way.)

Thanks Ron .
Now i understood this phrase you quoted does not belong to category you mentioned (in your previous post which i referred)

[tim]

Great! Let us know if you have any further questions on this one.

[RonPurewal]

Now i understood this phrase you quoted does not belong to category you mentioned (in your previous post which i referred)

this—like everything else in SC—is a good illustration of why you should ALWAYS create easy examples of any principle you wish to learn, and then study the examples, NOT 'rules'.
...just as you did for years and years as a child learning your own native language!

[NinaP494]

Hi Ron,

1. Simply because she is the valedictorian does not make her a nerd - Incorrect
2. Simply being a valedictorian does not make her a nerd - Correct

So what you're saying is - in 1, because because is a conjunction, it should connect two clauses, whereas there is just one clause if we considered 'because she is the valedictorian' as noun which we can't

Is that right?

[RonPurewal]

you lost me with all the grammar terms.

"because xxxx" is not a noun, and can't be used as one. that's sufficient to settle the issue.

[FENGL289]

you lost me with all the grammar terms.

"because xxxx" is not a noun, and can't be used as one. that's sufficient to settle the issue.

Hi Ron, would you pls clarify the following sentence:

Just because I love you doesn't mean I have to do everything you told me.


Often we hear people start a sentence with "just because...doesn't mean...."

Is this wrong in GMAT?

thank you

[Sage Pearce-Higgins]

That sentence is totally fine in ordinary spoken English. However, as you say, it wouldn't be acceptable on GMAT. We'd want a clearer noun phrase to be the subject of the verb 'doesn't mean'. There are various options: "My loving you doesn't mean ..." or "That I love you doesn't mean ...". I'm sure that both of these sound pretty awkward to you, as we don't use these constructions in ordinary English. In any case, note that GMAT doesn't use personal sentences with "I".