Re: Contentious grammar questions
Au contraire.
The question specifically asks for the most correct and effective according to standard written English. Our problematic sentence does not qualify the less of that standard to begin with, especially when it has a misplaced modifier. That is to say, the disputed modifier has to be placed right after "applications", of which the modifier makes specific meaning as demonstrated in this sentence.
However, we just have to make the best out of what we have, if that is the case, in which some screwy test designers deliberately, excuse my French, jack us up with similar erroneous sentences. Given this dire circumstance, the best answer is still not our seemingly popular E. The reason E is disqualified because it employs a vague subject, or, rather, subjects: “they.” Who are “they”? Unless provided with a context, the sentence remains unclear with “they” behind a misty veil.
Arguably, any reasonable English learner (I’m trying to be politically correct since using “man” would make me sound sexist, while using “student” would make me sound obnoxious, though I very am) would exclude any choice with “whom” from the list of possible answers. This process of elimination, combined with the above argument against the selection of E, leaves us with only two alternatives: B and C. B strikes us as awkward because of its passive voice. Passive voice might not be too bad, I would say. However, for matters of convenience, let us put B aside and scrutinize C first instead.
C, though seemingly grammatically correct, contains the hidden flaw of eliminating the modifier completely. Take a look at our problematic sentence with C in it, shall we?
“ Seventy-four applications were received, the best of which were selected for detailed review.”
Now, the above sentence should, I hope, strike you as two, not one, independent sentences improperly put together without any proper conjunction. Two independent sentences, when joined together, should be jointly separated with either a comma followed by the conjunction “and” or a semicolon. A semicolon does not work in this case because it cuts short the tiny bitty itty connection between the two sentences through the word “which”. Therefore, painstakingly, the sentence should plainly reads, “Seventy-four applications were received, and the best of which were selected for further review.” Let us cross C out now, shall we?
So, here we are, with no other choice left but B. B’s passive voice makes it sound fancy, tedious, obnoxious, awkward, just about any negatively sensible adjective you can recall. However, to the standard of written English, B most strictly follows the direction of written English grammar. It is also all the more effective, in a sense, because it stresses the passive nature of the selection process that our hypothetical applications have to endure. Therefore, as much as I abhor B, I claim it the most correct and most effective remedy to our disputed sentence.
