Pronoun ambiguity starting sentences with it

[christina.susie.wong]

I am struggling to know when to accept pronoun ambiguity. For OG-12th edition-question 57 the correct answer reads "It can hardly be said that educators are at fault for not anticipating the impact of microcomputer technology: Alvin Toffler..." The "it doesn't refer to anything---Why is it not wrong?

Then for OG 12-edition question 52 the correct sentence reads "Long before it was fashionable to be an expatriate, Josephine Baker made Paris her home, and she remained in France during the second world war...."

Again the it doesn't refer to anything.

Please help explain when is it okay to start a sentenece with a pronoun??

[tim]

As a general rule, you should just remember that the exception to the antecedent requirement is when "it" is used as an indeterminate subject - think "it is raining" or "it makes sense that ...". In these cases, the "it" isn't supposed to refer to anything, so you don't need to find what it refers to. Remember though that this is a very narrow set of cases and it will probably be obvious whether this exception applies. Just ask yourself if you are dealing with the same "it" as in "it is raining" and you'll be safe..

[HemantR606]

Hi Ron/Tim,

I remember many OG explanations treating the repitition of subject in parallel sentences as redundancy.

For example, consider the following sentences
1. The boy ate lunch and played football.
2. The boy ate lunch and he played football.

Based on some OG explanations, I used to think that the second sentence is wrong because the subject is rudundant. But the original answer of the question quoted in this thread uses 'she' along with 'Josephine Baker'.

"...Josephine Baker made Paris her home and she remained..."

Please let me know whether the redundancy rule I assumed is wrong or there is some flaw in my understanding.


Thanks in advance,
Hemanth

[RonPurewal]

both versions are acceptable.

should you face a choice between them (e.g., OG13 #127), go with the one that's more concise.

[tim]

I'm actually going to disagree with Ron here. If you recapitulate the subject, you now have two independent clauses, which is pretty universally considered wrong in English grammar unless you have a comma in front of the "and" joining the two independent clauses. I am not aware of the GMAT violating this rule in an official problem (even the Josephine Baker problem you reference gets it right), but if they have I'm sure Ron will point it out and I'll be happy to withdraw my claim.

I'll also repeat here what I've said many times before: In all my years of teaching the GMAT, I have never once seen an official problem that actually relies on concision to reach the correct answer. This means that anytime the GMAT claims an answer choice is incorrect because it is "wordy" or "awkward", the explanation is WRONG, and your job is to find out the real reason why that answer choice is incorrect. Again, if Ron can provide an example I'll recant.

[750plus]

Thanks Team.

This is interesting ! I was looking for the same thing for long and I think Mr. Sanders has given me a reason for this.

Whereas you can't join two independent clauses without a comma in front of the "and", if there IS a comma in front of the "and" without it being paired with another comma earlier in the sentence, you MUST create an independent clause by including a subject after the "and".

I'll surely be on a hunt to look for a sentence that violates this rule ( if any ) and will report it here.

Thanks Instructors !

Warm Regards
Rajat Gugnani

[tim]

Glad we could be of help!

[HemantR606]

Hi Tim,

I think Question 86 in Verbal Review 2nd Ed. is one more example that complies with the principle you said. Here 'it' is redundant because there is no comma before 'and'. The option would have been correct if there is no 'it' in it.

Am I right?


Thanks.

[750plus]

both versions are acceptable.

should you face a choice between them (e.g., OG13 #127), go with the one that's more concise.

Mr. Purewal,

We'd like to hear your comments on the rule stated by Mr. Sanders.

Please if you can share your view point as well.

Thanking in anticipation
Warm Regards

[tim]

Hi Tim,

I think Question 86 in Verbal Review 2nd Ed. is one more example that complies with the principle you said. Here 'it' is redundant because there is no comma before 'and'. The option would have been correct if there is no 'it' in it.

Am I right?


Thanks.

It's not an issue of redundancy. The problem with A there is that it creates two independent clauses that would then require a comma before the "and". I didn't say anything about redundancy at all in my previous post; please go back and read it to make sure you are clear on what I was saying.

[RichaChampion]

I'm actually going to disagree with Ron here. If you recapitulate the subject, you now have two independent clauses, which is pretty universally considered wrong in English grammar unless you have a comma in front of the "and" joining the two independent clauses. I am not aware of the GMAT violating this rule in an official problem (even the Josephine Baker problem you reference gets it right), but if they have I'm sure Ron will point it out and I'll be happy to withdraw my claim.

I'll also repeat here what I've said many times before: In all my years of teaching the GMAT, I have never once seen an official problem that actually relies on concision to reach the correct answer. This means that anytime the GMAT claims an answer choice is incorrect because it is "wordy" or "awkward", the explanation is WRONG, and your job is to find out the real reason why that answer choice is incorrect. Again, if Ron can provide an example I'll recant.

Ron sir can I request you to please comment on this conflicting opinion between you and Tim. Tim also seems to be right, but I want to hear this from you sir. whats your Opinion Ron sir?

[RichaChampion]

Thanks Team.

This is interesting ! I was looking for the same thing for long and I think Mr. Sanders has given me a reason for this.

Whereas you can't join two independent clauses without a comma in front of the "and", if there IS a comma in front of the "and" without it being paired with another comma earlier in the sentence, you MUST create an independent clause by including a subject after the "and".

I'll surely be on a hunt to look for a sentence that violates this rule ( if any ) and will report it here.

Thanks Instructors !

Warm Regards
Rajat Gugnani

Hi Gugnani did you find any such violation Mr Gugnani.

[tim]

I'm not sure why people keep asking for Ron to weigh in on this one when every one of you is just as capable of proving me wrong as Ron is. Have any of you found an actual example of a GMAT problem that uses this construction?

[RichaChampion]

I'm not sure why people keep asking for Ron to weigh in on this one when every one of you is just as capable of proving me wrong as Ron is. Have any of you found an actual example of a GMAT problem that uses this construction?

Oh No No. Not at all I never mean to prove you wrong. You are very precise in your analysis 99.99% time. I didn't included 0.01% because some time we human can err. Please Please do not think that way, you are a Superstar. Stacey Koprince is also a super star.

People rever Ron sir because he has some saintly aura he must have gathered that Karma in his past birth. Its not about capability, but Karma accumulation. Richard Branson has different Karma accumulation so he is a different person and Mother Teresa has a different Karma accumulation so she is a different person, but both are superstar. Similarly you are a superstar in your way, Ron sir in his way and Stacey Koprince in her way. In fact all Manhattan instructor are superstars.

I am truly sorry if you felt that way.

[tim]

I think you misinterpreted my intent. I *want* to be proven wrong. Being open to confronting your own mistakes is the best way to grow. *Please* try to prove me wrong, because if you can, I will learn something. If you cannot, you will likely learn something. Either way, we have a positive outcome. Waiting around for someone else to tell you the way it is won't be nearly as helpful for any of us.