knight2009 Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 The speculative fever of the Roaring Twenties infected rich and poor alike; vast quantities of people were dangerously overextended, credit was absurdly easy to obtain, and most brokerage houses required only ten percent cash for stocks bought on “margin.” (A) rich and poor alike; vast quantities of people were dangerously overextended (B) both rich and poor alike; large amounts of people dangerously overextended themselves © rich and poor alike; great numbers of people were dangerously overextended (D) both rich and poor alike; vast amounts of people dangerously overextended themselves (E) both rich and poor; great quantities of people were dangerously overextended OA is C, but I think the choice C is a run-on sentence. great numbers of people were dangerously overextended, break [credit was absurdly easy to obtain, and most brokerage houses required only ten percent cash for stocks bought on “margin.”] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knight2009 Posted April 4, 2009 Author Share Posted April 4, 2009 http://www.www.urch.com/forums/gmat-sentence-correction/49282-margaret-courtney-clarke.html B and C are run-on sentences. (B) [Margaret Courtney-Clarke has traveled to remote dwellings in the Transvaal to photograph the art of Ndebele women, whose murals are brilliantly colored,] break [their geometrical symmetries are embellished with old and new iconography, and their style is varying among women and houses.] © [Margaret Courtney-Clarke has traveled to remote dwellings in the Transvaal to photograph the art of Ndebele women, whose murals are brilliantly colored,] break [their geometrical symmetries are embellished with old and new iconography, and they are in styles that vary from woman to woman and house to house.] According to explanation posted by 800Bob, I think the sentence at the top of this thread is a run-on structure. Would you shed some light on this for me? Thx great numbers of people were dangerously overextended, break [credit was absurdly easy to obtain, and most brokerage houses required only ten percent cash for stocks bought on “margin.”] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmat1Mar2009 Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 i eliminated A and E, based on the word 'quantities' referring to number of people, which is incorrect. i eliminated B and D because of the redundant word 'both' ,which is not required in this case, and the word 'amounts' referring to people. the only option left was C. to answer your question, i think the semicolon avoids the run on. I read in one of the posts by 800bob explaining when semicolon can be used and when it cannot be. I dont have it handy but what i remember is that as long as the clause can stand on its own we can use semicolon and that is happening in this case. it has a subject and a verb If the semicolon in this example is replaced by a comma, it would become a run-on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knight2009 Posted April 10, 2009 Author Share Posted April 10, 2009 Thx gmat1Mar2009. Bob, please comment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adi_800 Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 knight2009... I too think that the option C has a run on sentence... But with words such as amounts and quantities used to refer number of people..this is not acceptable... One can also see that the first sentence is stating the main idea and the three elements are a part of list and 2nd element is sepearete by a comma from the first and the last element is seperated by comma+coordinating conjunction and... I would have gone with C on the G day..but wid some doubts... must admit that this one was a bit tough if applies the rules of run on sentence... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mitzi Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 I am afraid not. in C) two complete sentences are separated by a semicolon. I could explain more how you see C is a run-on sentence. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ankitvijay Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 I am afraid not. in C) two complete sentences are separated by a semicolon. I could explain more how you see C is a run-on sentence. Thanks. MITZI can you explain why option is not a run on sentence,,,,,, great numbers of people were dangerously overextended, break [credit was absurdly easy to obtain, and most brokerage houses required only ten percent cash for stocks bought on “margin.”] these two are independent sentences joined by comma......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmatprepzone Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 The speculative fever of the Roaring Twenties infected rich and poor alike; vast quantities of people were dangerously overextended, credit was absurdly easy to obtain, and most brokerage houses required only ten percent cash for stocks bought on “margin.” (A) rich and poor alike; vast quantities of people were dangerously overextended (B) both rich and poor alike; large amounts of people dangerously overextended themselves © rich and poor alike; great numbers of people were dangerously overextended (D) both rich and poor alike; vast amounts of people dangerously overextended themselves (E) both rich and poor; great quantities of people were dangerously overextended In my view ..amounts and qunatities can't specify "number of people" ..C is gramattically correct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikitapatel Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 i think C is the answer. D and E could not be the answer as it changes proper meaning. Could you please explain me what are "run on sentence"???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
india_chintan Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 i think c is the best of the lot and tht is wht gmat wants u to do.. pick the best 1 not necessarily the correct 1.. dont think its a runon sentence.. however not sure whether NUMBERS OF is correct grammar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mitzi Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 MITZI can you explain why option is not a run on sentence,,,,,, great numbers of people were dangerously overextended, break [credit was absurdly easy to obtain, and most brokerage houses required only ten percent cash for stocks bought on “margin.”] these two are independent sentences joined by comma......... Hi ankitvijay, I love to share what I have learned with you. Let me start with some basic about how to link two independent clauses. Two clauses can be linked by 1) semicolon 2) a comma 3) a relative pronoun Keep those in mind and see an example as follows. I saw two movies this weekend, both of them were good ---> it is a wrong construction. It should be written in one of following ways. 1) semicolon I saw two movies this weekend; both of them were good. 2) relative pronoun I saw two movies this weekend, both of which are good. 3) comma with a conjunction I saw two movies this weekend, and both of them were good. Let's apply what we have learned to this question. Two sentences are separated by a semicolon. In general, the first part is a general statement, the other a specific example/statement. in this question, the latter part which consists of three sentences holds up parallel. So it is not a run-on sentence. Have I answered you question? Please let me know if you have any following questions. Thank you for the opportunity!:tup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
india_chintan Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 gr8 explanation mitzi.. its been few days tht i hve joined this community.. and already hve learnt a lot. u guys damn rock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ankitvijay Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 thanx...MITZI...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mitzi Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 My pleasure! Your generous recognition to my contribution makes me keep going like Energizer bunnies. Thanks a lot! Happy studying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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