Register    Login    Search    Rss Feeds

 Page 1 of 1 [ 7 posts ] 



 
Author Message
 Post subject: It was not long after the 1930s commenced that
 Post Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 10:47 pm 
The correct answer is a. Why is the pronoun it correct?

It was not long after the 1930s commenced that such baritone singers as Bing Crosby and Russ Columbo contributed to the popularization of a type of romantic, soothing singing that came to be called “crooning.”

a. It was not long after the 1930s commenced that such baritone singers as Bing Crosby and Russ Columbo contributed to

b. Not long after the commencement of the decade of the 1930s, baritone singers such as Bing Crosby and also Russ Columbo decided to contribute in

c. Not long after the 1930s commenced, baritone singers like Bing Crosby and Russ Columbo contributed to

d.Not long after the beginning of the 1930s commencement, baritone singers like Bing Crosby and Russ Columbo had contributed to

e.It was not long after the 1930s commenced that baritone singers such as Bing Crosby and Russ Columbo had contributed in


Top 
 Post subject:
 Post Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2007 10:30 am 
B -> 'contributed to' is correct idiom. Also, 'singers such as Bing Crosby and also Russ Columbo' is wrong. 'Also' should not be there.
C -> 'singers like Bing Crosby' is wrong. These are examples and the correct usage is 'such as'
D -> 'beginning of commencement' is awkward and redundant
E -> 'had contributed' implies the contribution happened before commencement of 1930s. That is not implied by the original sentence.

'It' in A does not need an antecedent. This is just 'part of the usage' for lack of better explanation on my part.


Top 
 Post subject:
 Post Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2007 4:21 am 
Thanks...but why doenst it need an antecedent?


Top 
 Post subject:
 Post Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2007 9:03 am 
Anonymous wrote:
Thanks...but why doenst it need an antecedent?


Not sure brother. English not being my native language, I have a hard time with the SC rules. I go by my ear on things like this and it just 'sounds right'. Somebody from the staff (or somebody who knows) needs to explain.


Top 
 Post subject:
 Post Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2007 7:07 pm 
Offline
ManhattanGMAT Staff


Posts: 108
Location: Chicago, IL
Not every pronoun needs an antecedent in the same sentence. For example, "He is tall" is a perfectly correct sentence, even though "he" does not have an antecedent in the sentence.

In the case of "He is tall", however, we at least know that the pronoun is referring to someone (a male human being). In the case of "It was not long after the 1930s...", the "it" doesn't refer to anything at all. This may seem puzzling, but is conventional. We use "it" as a meaningless subject for expressions concerning time, weather, temperature, or distance. Thus we say:

It was raining hard.
It is hot outside.
It's a long way to Tipperary.
It has been years since I graduated from high school.

-Jad


Top 
 Post subject:
 Post Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 11:59 pm 
I disregarded choice "A" because "baritone singers" was in between such and as (such baritone singers as). I did not know that you were able to do that. Is this just another thing that is ok to do?


Top 
 Post subject: Re: It was not long after the 1930s commenced that
 Post Posted: Sun Feb 15, 2009 3:45 pm 
Offline
ManhattanGMAT Staff


Posts: 901
Location: St. Louis, MO
Yep, you can do that.

I enjoy such ice cream flavors as chocolate, vanilla, and bubble gum.
In English class, we read such classics as Moby Dick, Hamlet, and Beowulf.

You may want to check out OG Verbal Guide #105, which uses the phrase "such specialized areas as" in the correct answer.

_________________
Emily Sledge
Instructor
ManhattanGMAT


Top 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
 
 Page 1 of 1 [ 7 posts ] 





Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest

 
 

 
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: