在教学过程中, 一直听到学生在抱怨GMAT Sentence Correction（GMAT句子改错，俗称GMAT语法）有太多的属于它自己的规则, 网络上的解释也都众说纷纭, 甚至包括OG也经常会用wordy, indirect来解释一些题目。诚然，GMAT SC中的确存在简洁性考察，但是简洁性真的是考察重点吗？或者简洁性的规则能在实际考试中应用到题目中去吗？这篇文章不针对任何机构或者个人, 只是抛砖引玉, 跟大家一起讨论下GMAT SC.
下面我们先来思考一下OG 2016中的句子改错第94题：
Fossils of the arm of a sloth found in Puerto Rico in 1991, and dated at 34 million years old, made it the earliest known mammal of the Greater Antilles Islands.
(A) sloth found in Puerto Rico in 1991, and dated at 34 million years old, made it the earliest known mammal of
(B) sloth, that they found in Puerto Rico in 1991, has been dated at 34 million years old, thus making it the earliest mammal known on
(C) sloth that was found in Puerto Rico in 1991, was dated at 34 million years old, making this the earliest known mammal of
(D) sloth, found in Puerto Rico in 1991, have been dated at 34 million years old, making the sloth the earliest known mammal on
(E) sloth which, found in Puerto Rico in 1991, was dated at 34 million years old, made the sloth the earliest known mammal of
再看看网络上关于这道题目的解释：
正确选项结构
Fossils (of the arm of sloth),(found in Puerto Rico in 1991), have been dated at 34 million years old, (making the sloth the earliest known mammal on the Greater Antilles Islands.)
Fossils have主谓一致，found in Puerto Rico in 1991 修饰 fossils
Making 修饰前面整句话
错误选项
(A) sloth found in Puerto Rico in 1991, and dated at 34 million years old, made it the earliest known mammal of
Fossils XXX, and V
(B) sloth, that they found in Puerto Rico in 1991, has been dated at 34 million years old, thus making it the earliest mammal known on
That后面they指代不明
主语是fossils，谓语has，主谓不一致
(C) sloth that was found in Puerto Rico in 1991, was dated at 34 million years old, making this the earliest known mammal of
主语fossils, 谓语was，主谓不一致
(E) sloth which, found in Puerto Rico in 1991, was dated at 34 million years old, made the sloth the earliest known mammal of
S which, done..., was...,made结构混乱
考点：主谓一致，定语从句，ving
1 主谓一致：主语谓语的单、复数形式上一致
2 代词指代需要清晰
3 Ving可以形容前面整句话
OK, 思考30秒,这个解释是否说服了你?
A. Fossils XXX, and V其实意思是后面dated不能和fossils平行, 但是这个问题在备考过程中想到这那是远远不够的
比如我问大家一个问题: dated和found平行,made做整句话动词,可以吗?
Fossils of the arm of a sloth [found in Puerto Rico in 1991, and dated at 34 million years old,] made it the earliest known mammal of the Greater Antilles Islands
所以这个选项的实际考察并不是平行结构, 而是句子的主谓逻辑关系.
对比D选项后大家可以发现: A选项发出made的动作发出者是fossils, 而fossils不能made sloth the earliest known mammal, fossils被鉴定34 million years old才能使得sloth成为最早的哺乳动物
而OG上也给出了对应的解释: In this construction, the subject of made is fossils, but it makes no sense to say that the fossils made it the earliest known mammal
B. That后面they指代不明
注意: 指代不明是相对性错误, , 相对性意味着它是到最后别的正确性错误都没有的情况下,通过比较选项而产生的错误而不是优先用来排除选项的规则
而没有指代是正确性错误,是可以优先使用的排除规则
那这边的they是指代不明吗? 其实并不是, 因为前面复数名词只有一个,就是fossils, 在这应该是没有指代, 因为found在这只能做动词
OG也给出了对应的解释: The introduction of the mysterious they, a pronoun without a reference, adds confusion to this sentence
E: 结构混乱., 这个依据如果要使用, 至少我们得找到3个以上的题目是一样的结构问题, 才可以作为排除的理由
所以, 实际上还是fossils不能做made的主语
再来一道PREP 08 PART 2-196, 请思考:
Leaching, the recovery of copper from the drainage water of mines, as a method of the extraction of minerals, it was well established as early as the eighteenth century, but until about 25 years ago miners did not realize that bacteria take an active part in the process.
A. as a method of the extraction of minerals, it was well established
B. as a method of the extraction of minerals well established
C. was a well-established method of mineral extraction
D. was a well-established method of extracting mineral that was
E. had been a method of mineral extraction, well established
再看网上的解释, 请大家思考30s能说服自己吗?
正确选项结构
Leaching, (the recovery of copper from the drainage water of mines), was a well-established method (of mineral extraction) (as early as the eighteenth century), but (until about 25 years ago) miners did not realize (that bacteria take an active part in the process).
错误选项
A. as a method of the extraction of minerals, it was well established
as不能做谓语，后面it导致主语重复
B. as a method of the extraction of minerals well established
as不能做谓语，导致句子不完整缺谓语
D. was a well-established method of extracting mineral that was
that was后面跟as early as过于累赘
mineral extraction由于extracting mineral
E. had been a method of mineral extraction, well established
这里用过去完成时不合适，并没有说过去的过去
加了逗号，感觉句子不清晰
总结考点：句子结构，时态
1 SVO要完整
2 过去完成时用于过去的过去
A. 过于累赘. That was +adj. 的确是GMAC不喜欢的结构,
比如在上面OG 2016 SC 94 C选项中
OG解释: The relative clause that was . . . is wordy and awkward, 但是这些都是简洁性的规则.
我想分享一段Manhattan 6th关于简洁性的论述: Test-takers focus far too quickly and broadly on concision. As a result, the GMAT often makes the right answer less concise than an attractive wrong answer. Furthermore, Official Guide (OG) explanations often label a sentence wordy or awkward without additional explanation; typically, these sentences have a meaning problem or an idiom error. In general, focus your efforts on grammar and meaning; concision is unlikely to help much.
包括 Manhattan 5th 中关于简洁性的论述: The GMAT prefers concise expressions to wordier ones. As you were warned in Chapter 2, this is only a preference. In fact, the GMAT will often make the less concise answer correct by putting a subtle error into the more concise choice. Since so many students over-apply the principle of concision, you’re better off putting any judgments about wordiness out of your mind until you’ve mastered the prior chapters.
在新版的Manhattan 6th 已经大幅削减了关于简洁性的论述, 而在国内的题目解释很多仍然是以简洁性作为训练点, 所以才会有同学上了考场发现SC无法入手
所以这题其实简洁性只是表面, 本质是that修饰对象,无论是mineral还是method都不能as early as the eighteenth century
E. 过去完成时=past of the past, 我的问题是: 如果要找过去, 那后面未划线部分did not realize就是一般过去时, had been不是也是发生在 did not realize之前, 那为什么不行呢?
所以, 需要大家在把过去完成时掌握的在深刻一点, 请看RON的论述:
If the past perfect is used to describe a state or description of something (as opposed to an action verb), it should generally be used to describe a state/description that is no longer the case. Since leaching is presumably still an extraction method (this is not the sort of thing that is subject to change), the past perfect is inappropriate.
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