Register    Login    Search    Rss Feeds

Forums Home » Ask An Instructor » GMAT Verbal » Manhattan GMAT Verbal Strategy Guides


 Page 1 of 1 [ 6 posts ] 



  Print view Print view Previous topic Previous topic | Next topic Next topic
 

Based on the recent decline in enrollment (SC Ch 5 #11)

Author Message
CD
 Post subject: Based on the recent decline in enrollment (SC Ch 5 #11)
 Post Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 10:51 pm 
"Based on the recent decline in enrollment, the admissions office decided to reevaluate its recruitment strategies."

The correct answer changes "based on" to "because of". The book says that based on modifies the subject which is incorrect and because of correctly modifies the verb.

A couple of questions:

1. I must not understand the explanation, because I though the modifier is supposed to modify the word after the comma, which is the subject. Can someone please explain this?

2. Can someone give an example of a construction similar to this in which "Based on" is correct?

Thanks
Top 
StaceyKoprince
 Post subject:
 Post Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 6:12 pm 
Offline
ManhattanGMAT Staff


Posts: 6064
Location: San Francisco
Noun modifiers must be placed next to the nouns they modify. Verb or clause modifiers do not have the same requirement.

What was "based on" or "because of" the decline in enrollment? Not the admissions office itself, but the decision that was made. So you need to modify the verb decided, not the noun office.

She believed that her success was based on her habit of closing her eyes, clicking her heels together, and repeating, "there's no place like home."
:)

_________________
Stacey Koprince
Instructor
Director of Online Community
ManhattanGMAT
Top 
anirudhdixit26
 Post subject: Re: Based on the recent decline in enrollment (SC Ch 5 #11)
 Post Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2009 7:36 pm 
Offline
Students


Posts: 4
HI
in this question could u please explain why" based on the recent decline in enrollment" phrase cannot act as a verb modifier.It clearly cannot modify admissions office and refers to the verb or action of decided.
Verb modifiers can be placed more freely(not necessarily next to the verb they modify)
However if we know that this phrase is only a noun modifier then the above given explanation would be wrong.If this is the case,plz explain y the above mentioned phrase can act only as a noun modifier
Top 
Ben Ku
 Post subject: Re: Based on the recent decline in enrollment (SC Ch 5 #11)
 Post Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 8:56 pm 
Offline
ManhattanGMAT Staff


Posts: 823
anirudhdixit26 wrote:
HI
in this question could u please explain why" based on the recent decline in enrollment" phrase cannot act as a verb modifier.It clearly cannot modify admissions office and refers to the verb or action of decided.
Verb modifiers can be placed more freely(not necessarily next to the verb they modify)
However if we know that this phrase is only a noun modifier then the above given explanation would be wrong.If this is the case,plz explain y the above mentioned phrase can act only as a noun modifier


"Based on" is a phrase with a past participle. Past participles are noun modifiers, because they describe the condition of a noun. For example, here, "based on the recent decline in enrollment" begs the question, "what was based on the recent decline?" Because the answer is a noun, this phrase is a noun modifier.

If you wanted to use "based on," you can rewrite the sentence this way:
"Based on the recent decline in enrollment, the recruitment strategies was reevaluated by the admissions office." (although this has a slightly different meaning)

Hope that makes sense.

_________________
Ben Ku
Instructor
ManhattanGMAT
Top 
igordudchenko
 Post subject: Re: Based on the recent decline in enrollment (SC Ch 5 #11)
 Post Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 9:43 am 
Offline
Students


Posts: 23
Location: Turkey
Quote:
"Based on the recent decline in enrollment, the recruitment strategies was reevaluated by the admissions office." (although this has a slightly different meaning)


Ben, should not it be 'strategies WERE reevaluated by...'?
Top 
jnelson0612
 Post subject: Re: Based on the recent decline in enrollment (SC Ch 5 #11)
 Post Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 11:23 am 
Online
ManhattanGMAT Staff


Posts: 1857
igordudchenko wrote:
Quote:
"Based on the recent decline in enrollment, the recruitment strategies was reevaluated by the admissions office." (although this has a slightly different meaning)


Ben, should not it be 'strategies WERE reevaluated by...'?


igor, yes. That is a typo on Ben's part.

_________________
Jamie Nelson
ManhattanGMAT Instructor
Top 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
 
 Page 1 of 1 [ 6 posts ] 





Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests

 
 

 
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: