<p>I urgently need help with two questions I found in the SAT blue book and was hoping you could please help. </p>
<p>1) Many of the instruments used in early operations of the united states Army Signal (Corps were adaptations of equipment used by the Plains Indians, paricularly that of the Heliograph.)</p>
<p>2) Only since the publication of her first novel (Olivia has been considering) herself a writer. </p>
<p>Could you please help me understand why those 2 questions are grammatically incorrect and what rule are they testing?</p>
<p>The phrase “that of the” is not needed because there is no possession here and “Heliograph” is itself equipment.</p>
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<p>This is an instance of the special phrase “Only since…,” which results in the proper form “Only since…has [subject] [remainder of predicate].” So it should be written as</p>
<p>Only since the publication of her first novel has Olivia been considering herself a writer.</p>
<p>If “only” were removed, the inverted verb structure would not be needed:</p>
<p>Since the publication of her first novel, Olivia has been considering herself a writer.</p>
<p>Thanks silverturtle.
But for the 1st question the answer changes the phrase: particularly that of… I understand this- it doesnt make sense as it is- however I dont know why the answer puts the phrase next to corps. Has this question got to do with MISPLACED MODIFIERS as well?? </p>
<p>the answer in the book says:
Many of the instruments used in early operations of the United States Army Signal corps, and in particular the heliograph, were adaptations of equipment used by the Plains Indians. </p>
<p>for question 2 the answer was: has Olivia considered.
Is saying ‘has olivia considered’ the same as saying ‘has Olivia been considering’?
Why are they the same if they are the same?
It seems to me that the question is merely testing the use of the word ‘only’ and not the perfect tense. Am I right in saying this?</p>