What does this question test?
This question tests your understanding of usage of verb tenses. It also tests your skill in identifying and correcting modifier errors.
What does this sentence mean?
This sentence states that the results of the cost cutting measures are evident in the profits. These profits increased 5% during the first 3 months of the year. This increase was seen after the profits fell over the last 2 years.
What are the errors in the original sentence?
The sentence has pronoun-antecedent number error. The pronoun “it” refers to “profits” and should be plural.
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Answer Choice Analysis
Choice A: The results of the company’s cost-cutting measures are evident in its profits, which increased five percent during the first three months of this year after it fell over the last two years.This choice has pronoun-antecedent number error as explained above.
Choice B: The results of the company’s cost-cutting measures are evident in its profits, which had increased five percent during the first three months of this year after it had fallen over the last two years.This choice has verb tense error. The verb tense “had increased” is written incorrectly in past perfect tense. The two events in the past are – falling of profits & increase in profits. The increase in profits is the later event. Thus, expressing it in past perfect tense is incorrect. Expressing the earlier event in past tense is correct – had fallen.
Also, this choice has pronoun-antecedent number error as in Choice A.
Choice C: The results of the company’s cost-cutting measures are evident in its profits, which have increased five percent during the first three months of this year after falling over the last two years.No error. In this sentence, the use of present perfect tense is justified since this tense presents an event that started in the past and whose effect is still valid in the present time frame. Furthermore, in this sentence, the second event “it fell” has been converted into a modifier that modifies the verb “have increased”. The modifier – after falling over the last two years – presents the sequencing for the verb “have increased” as intended.
Choice D: The results of the company’s cost-cutting measures are evident in its profits, with a five percent increase during the first three months of this year after falling over the last two years.This choice has modifier error. The modifier “with a five percent increase” non-sensically modifies the preceding clause. Per the intended meaning, it should modify the preceding noun – profits.
Choice E: The results of the company’s cost-cutting measures are evident in its profits, with a five percent increase during the first three months of this year after having fallen over the last two years.This choice has modifier error as in Choice D. It also uses unnecessarily passive verb tense – having fallen.
Thus, Choice C is the correct answer.
What are the key take-away messages?
- Past perfect tense is used to express the earlier of the two related events in the past.
- Pronoun-antecedent must agree in number.
- “Which modifier” modifies the preceding noun.
- Comma + with modifier modifies the preceding clause.
- Understand the context of the sentence to determine which modifier will be a better fit for the sentence.
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