<p>" Delgado's dilemma was *like many other<a href="A">/I</a> young wrietrs: he *had to choose<a href="B">/I</a> between assured publication in a student magazine *and<a href="C">/I</a> *probable rejection<a href="D">/I</a> by a popular magazine. *No error<a href="E">/I</a>.</p>
<p>The answer is A, but I don't know why it's wrong and how to correct it. I hope to receive help from all of you. Thanx.</p>
<p>You can't say his DILEMMA is like WRITERS, because you're comparing a dilemma, which is a thing, to writers, who are people. What the sentence is trying to do is compare HIS dilemma to the other writers' dilemmas. So it should be "Delgado's dilemma was like THAT OF MANY OTHER YOUNG WRITERS..."</p>
<p>It is because of the words "young writers." You can't compare a dilemma to young writers. The way the sentence reads it is saying that Delgado's dilemma is very similar to young writers. A would have to be changed to something along the lines of "similar to those of other."</p>
<p>This is called "parallelism." Whenever you compare, you have to compare with things that are equal (not identical). Ex:</p>
<p>I'm better than YOU.
My SAT score is better than that of you. (NOT YOU because SAT score cannot be compared with you)</p>
<p>^ My SAT score is better than yours.</p>
<p>His dilemma "was like THAT of many other young writers."</p>
<p>Oh, thank all of you. I see the point. Thank for your help:D</p>
<p>Instead of problems with parrellism, isn't it a misplaced modifier?</p>
<p>To fix a misplaced modifier, you just have to move the words around. But to fix this sentence, you actually have to change the words.</p>
<p>What do you mean "a misplaced modifier"?</p>
<p>And this is another problem that I find it hard too.</p>
<pre><code> (1)Becoming the best is very difficult.(2) No matter if you are trying to become a better athlete, student, or musician. (3)If you want to be the best, sacrifices must be made by you. (4)You lose a lot of time that you would otherwise have for just relaxing. (5)This time coould also have been spent exercising outdoors. (6)You must also be willing to cut down on time spent with family and friends. (7)If your goal is to become a fine jazz pianist, you must be wiiling to work hard.
(8)Many people think jazz musicians just sit down and play, this is a mistake. (9)Practicing demands many hours in a week. (10)Most of the exercises done are of repetition and becoming boring, but that is the price you must pay for success. (11)You must practice fingering techniques and learn about both classical and jazz harmonies and chords. (12)The reason you need to know about these harmonies is that so much of jazz involves improvisation, making up new sequences of notes to play. (13)You are not just playing notes that a composer wrote but are almost like a composer yourself. (14)Sometimes you will feel discouraged. (15)When you can play a classic like Dizzy Gillespie's "Manteca" the way it really should be played, the long hours and hard work seem worthwhile.
</code></pre>
<ol>
<li><p>Of the following, which is the best way to write the underlined portion of sentences 1 and 2 (reproduced below) ?
*Becoming the best is very difficult. No matter if you are trying to become a better athlete, student, or musician.<a href="A">/I</a> (As it is now)
(B) difficult, never mind if
(C) difficult, whether
(D) difficult. Regardless of whether
(E) difficult; whether or not</p></li>
<li><p>In context, which of the following is the best way to phrase sentence 10 ?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>(A) (As it is now)
(B) The price you must pay consists mostly of repetitious and boring exercises for success.
(C) Doing repetitious and boring exercises; this is the price of success.
(D) Repetition and boredom are the inevitable result when having done most of the exercises.
(E) Doing repetitious and boring exerciese is the price you must pay for success.</p>
<p>Hope that all of you will help me.</p>
<p>In question 1: I can't see the difference between C and E. I choose E, but the answer turn to be C.</p>
<p>In question 2: I think the original sentence is right, and ther's no need to improve it. But I am wrong. Why? I can't understand.</p>
<p>Well, for 1, choice (E) has a semicolon, which isn't necessary. The semicolon splits the sentence into two incomplete parts, so it's wrong. Also, the "or not" at the end isn't necessary. What you want to do is combine those two sentences into one that flows. If you look at the second portion of the original, "Nor matter... or musician," doesn't make sense alone because it isn't a complete sentence. You're left with (B), (C), and (C) is the best answer. </p>
<p>For 2: Re-read the original sentence. "Most of the exercises done are of repetition and becoming boring, but that s the price you must pay for success." According to that sentence, you exercise becoming boring, and becoming a boring person is the price you pay for success. That doesn't make much sense. Is the answer (E)?</p>
<p>Km7289,
Your explaination for question 2 is very difficult to understand. Can you explain it more clearer?
Btw, the answer is E, actually.
And your explaination for question 1 is so easy to understand. Thanks so much.</p>
<p>Mmm, sorry about that. I'll try to rephrase my explanation for 2.
"Most of the exercises done are of repetition and becoming boring, but that is the price you must pay for success."</p>
<p>What if we cut this sentence down to make it simpler and take out "and becoming boring." It would be something like..."Most of the exercises done is of repetition, but that is the price you must pay for success." This sentence says that you are repeating things to become successful, right? Now what happens when we replace "repetition" with "becoming a boring?" You would get something like..."Most of the exercises done is of becoming boring, but that is the price you must pay for success." Following the above example, what does this sentence say? I think it says that you are becoming boring in order to become successful. But we all know that you aren't becoming boring in order to become successful. Rather, you are doing repetitive routines that become boring. </p>
<p>So basically, the problem with the original sentence is that it's ambiguous. Are the exercises becoming boring or are the people doing the exercises striving to become boring people? I hope that helped. Someone else might do a better job of explaining this.</p>
<p>Actually, when I read this sentence, I thought what they are trying to say is that most os the exercises done are repetitious and so they are boring. but if we could get over this, we would succeed. SO I couldn't find any ambiguity here.
*Most of the exercises done are of repetition and becoming boring, but that is the price you must pay for success. *
SO what do you think what does "that" here stand for? I think it stands for that clause before it, that is "Most of the exercises done are of repetition and becoming boring". Your explaination, to me, I could understand, but I don't know if I ever come to a question like that again, I could choose it right.</p>