OG - SC - #45

[mww7786]

Hey Andrew,

Will you please take a look at #45 in the OG :)



According to some analysts, the gains in the stock market reflect growing confidence that
the economy will avoid the recession that many had feared earlier in the year and instead come
in for a "soft landing," followed by a gradual increase in business activity.

A. That the exonomy will avoid the recession that many had feared earlier in the year and
instead come

(correct answer)

two things please,
1. Past perfect tense was used. ( Are we correct to assume that "followed" was the 2nd verb past tense)
2. The OG explains: Two subordinate clauses begin with THAT (one of them contained within another)

Could you put #2 in simpler terms, and verify#1 that I see the correct 2nd verb in past tense rightly.

Thanks Andrew

[ayang]

Mww,

The past tense action in this case is the statement of the analysts. It's terribly unclear because the past tense is not actually used, except implicitly.

A rewrite of this sentence would be:

Analysts said that the economy will avoid the recession that many had feared earlier in the year.

It is clear by the "earlier in the year" that the fears occurred earlier than the analysts opinion. It is not the "followed by a gradual increase in business activity" clause that serves as the past tense, as you could get rid of that clause and the sentence would still be correct.

As for the two subordinate clauses set off by "that", the OG is only indicating that one "contains" or includes the other:

"that the economy will avoid the recession that many had feared earlier in the year

and instead come in for a . . ."

This is a grammatically correct construction.

I hope that's a bit helpful.

On this particular question, I would have also questioned the past perfect tense, but would have doubled back and concluded answer choice (A) based on the incorrectness of the other answer choices.

Regards, - Andrew

[Aishwary Bhashkar]

Hi,

Would you please explain the problem with choice B in the same sentence

B) In the economy to avoid recession, what many feared earlier in the year, rather to come

Where can we use what? And why it is not appropriate in this sentence.

Regards,

Aishwary

[StaceyKoprince]

Ignoring the other problems with this choice, we're trying to link a dependent clause to the main sentence; for that, we use relative pronouns. This sentence would have to say something like "recession, which many had feared..." "Which" is a relative pronoun, "what" is not ("what" can be either an interrogative pronoun or an interrogative adjective - generally used for asking questions).

These two are often used interchangeably (but incorrectly) in spoken English and so many of us have lost our ability to "hear" the incorrect usage of "what" when we should be using "which."