=\u00a0demonstrative<\/strong>\u00a0= {this, that, these, those} = These “demonstrate” something by indicating it. e.g. “This<\/em>\u00a0is faster than any of those<\/em>.”<\/p>\n =\u00a0relative<\/strong>\u00a0= {who, which, that} = These introduce clause, that is, they “relate” two clauses, e.g. “Here is the book\u00a0that<\/em>\u00a0I recommended.” “Theodore Roosevelt<\/a> is the President\u00a0whom<\/em>\u00a0I admire the most.”<\/p>\n =\u00a0interrogative<\/strong>\u00a0= {who, what, which} = These are question words = “Who<\/em>\u00a0wrote that book?\u00a0What<\/em>\u00a0is the book’s argument?”<\/p>\n Notice that there is a certain overlap between the relative pronouns and the interrogative pronouns. This is a pattern that will continue below.<\/p>\n Clauses can also begin with\u00a0relative adverbs\u00a0{how, where, when, why}<\/p>\n 5) The back of the box tell us how to construct the device.<\/p>\n 6) I know why the caged bird sings.<\/p>\n All of these words also can be used as\u00a0interrogative adverbs, words that begin questions.<\/p>\n 7) Where can we find a subway station?<\/p>\n 8) When was the period of the Crusades in Europe?<\/p>\n OK, the relative and interrogative forms of all these words are spelled the same—they just have different uses. All of these words also have an “indefinite” form, which involves sticking the suffix “-ever” on the back of the word.<\/p>\n Indefinite pronouns<\/strong>:\u00a0whoever, whatever<\/p>\n Indefinite adjective<\/strong>:\u00a0whichever<\/p>\n Indefinite adverb<\/strong>:\u00a0whenever, wherever, however<\/p>\n Here are two blog articles about the\u00a0agreement<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0logic<\/a>\u00a0of indefinite pronouns.<\/p>\n Think about the difference between “who” and “whoever.” With either the relative or interrogative use of “who,” I have the identity of a particular person in mind.<\/p>\n 9) relative<\/u> = “I know who broke the window.”<\/p>\n 10) interrogative<\/u> = “Who broke the window?”<\/p>\n In the first, I know the identity of the specific person. In the second, I want to know the identity of the particular person. Either way, the focus is on one individual in particular.<\/p>\n By contrast, when I use the indefinite, I am saying that I don’t know and don’t care, at least at that moment, about the identity of a specific individual, and even with that identification left uncertain, I am going to make my statement.<\/p>\n indefinite<\/u> = “Whoever broke the window will have to pay for its repair.”<\/p>\n You see, this sentence is conveying information that remains true irrespective of the identity of the particular individual who broke the window.<\/p>\n In general, we use the indefinite form of a word when we want to make a more general statement that doesn’t depend on the particulars.<\/p>\n The relative or interrogative use of the adverb “where” refers to a specific location.<\/p>\n 11) relative<\/u> =\u00a0Henry Morton Stanley<\/a> confirmed where the Nile has its source.<\/p>\n 12) interrogative<\/u> =\u00a0Where is the tallest mountain in South America?<\/p>\n If knowledge of a specific location doesn’t matter to make our statement, we use the indefinite adverb “wherever.”<\/p>\n 13) Wherever you live, you will have to pay taxes.<\/p>\n 14) Wherever the Moon is in the sky, we see only the half facing Earth.<\/p>\n The relative or interrogative use of the adverb “when” refers to a specific time.<\/p>\n 15) relative<\/u> =\u00a0When\u00a0Moby Dick<\/em><\/a>\u00a0was published, only a few intellectuals recognized its tremendous significance.<\/p>\n 16) interrogative<\/u> =\u00a0When is Venus<\/a> visible as the Evening Star?<\/p>\n If knowledge of a specific time doesn’t matter to make our statement, we use the indefinite adverb “whenever.”<\/p>\n 17) Whenever you travel to San Francisco, it would be a good idea to bring a coat.<\/p>\n 18) Whenever it rains, the basement leaks.<\/p>\n The relative or interrogative use of the adverb “how” refers to a specific way of doing something.<\/p>\n 19) relative<\/u> =\u00a0The diagram demonstrates how ancient Near Eastern people understood their world.<\/p>\n 20) interrogative<\/u> =\u00a0How do you get to Scarborough Fair?<\/p>\n If knowledge of a specific way of doing something doesn’t matter to make our statement, we use the indefinite adverb “however.”<\/p>\n 21) However you travel into NY City during the morning rush hour, it will not be an easy experience.<\/p>\n 22) However this chair is assembled, we have to assemble over a hundred copies of it in the next two hours.<\/p>\n You can understand an indefinite by temporarily removing the “-ever” suffix.<\/p>\n When we talk about “wherever something happens,” we are talking about a place “where something happens,” but we don’t care about the specific place.<\/p>\n When we talk about “whenever something happens,” we are talking about a time “when something happens,” but we don’t care about the specific time.<\/p>\n When we talk about “however something happens,” we are talking about “how something happens,” but we don’t care about the specific means by which it happens.<\/p>\n This is Use #1 of the word “however,” which fewer than 25% of GMAT takers truly understand.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If Use #1 was what the word originally meant, how did Use #2 come about?\u00a0 One common clause, used to express qualification or doubt or contrast, was “however that may be.”<\/p>\n 23a) Spiro Agnew ascended to the office of Vice President, the highest office every held by a Greek-American; however that may be, he resigned shamefully, amid charges of corruption and tax evasion.<\/p>\n In that sentence, the word “however” is used in Use #1.\u00a0 In colloquial speech, this entire common clause, “however that may be,” was abbreviated to “however.”<\/p>\n 23b) Spiro Agnew<\/a> ascended to the office of Vice President, the highest office every held by a Greek-American; however, he resigned shamefully, amid charges of corruption and tax evasion.<\/p>\n In this version, “however” is used in Use #2.\u00a0 In general, Use #2 derived from a kind of abbreviation of the clause “however that may be” and similar clauses; in those original clauses, “however” was used in Use #1.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Every authority on English grammar agrees that Use #1 is correct.\u00a0\u00a0 This is unfamiliar to many modern readers, but it is perfectly correct, and appears on the GMAT SC.<\/p>\n Use #2 originally evolved as a colloquial mistake, an illogical mistake, but this usage has become so widespread that this is also accepted almost everywhere.\u00a0 In particular, you will see Used #2 on the GMAT SC as well.\u00a0 Both uses of “however” appear on the GMAT SC and can be used correctly by GMAT standards.<\/p>\n I will share a minority point of view.\u00a0 In my own opinion, I think Use #1 is the only logical and acceptable use of “however” and that Use #2 is an abhorrent illogical colloquialism that the well-spoken should scrupulously avoid.\u00a0 Admittedly, I am being far more conservative that the GMAT in this position, because the GMAT is fine with both uses.\u00a0 I may be one of the only people on the planet to have this opinion, though if T.S Eliot<\/a> were alive, I could imagine that he would agree with me.\u00a0 Consider my position for you own writing, but know that GMAT accepts both uses as perfectly correct.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If the above article gave you any insights, you may want to look at the two practice questions again before reading the solutions below.\u00a0 Pay attention to how sophisticated writers use the word “however,” and notice any patterns.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1) The correct response is (A)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Choice (A) uses the word “however” in its original Use #1 sense, as an indefinite adverb.<\/p>\n Notice the meaning.\u00a0 The CFO most report the earnings.\u00a0 How<\/u> he reports these earnings is what he gets to choose, but he doesn’t get to choose whether to report the earnings.<\/p>\n (B) changes the meaning.\u00a0 The CFO doesn’t have a choice about whether he reports the earnings.<\/p>\n (C) is very wordy, and it contains a pronoun mistake: the pronoun “this” cannot have an action as its antecedent.<\/p>\n (D) changes the meaning and repeats the pronoun mistake.<\/p>\n (E) also changes the meaning.\u00a0 Reporting the earnings is not his choice.\u00a0 How to report the earnings is his choice.<\/p>\n The only acceptable answer is (A)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n 2) Version (A) is clumsy and wordy.\u00a0 We get the idea of Washington<\/a>‘s choices, but this is a poor colloquial construction that has, at best, a tenuous connection to the rest of the sentence.\u00a0\u00a0 This is incorrect.<\/p>\nThe relationship between the two uses<\/h2>\n
What’s legitimate?<\/h2>\n
Summary<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\n\u00a0Practice Problem Explanations<\/h2>\n