多来些人讨论一下吧：OG103，关于代词指代

103. Students in the metropolitan school district lack math skills to such a large degree as to make it difficult to absorb them into a city economy becoming ever more dependent on information-based industries.

(A)  lack math skills to such a large degree as to make it difficult to absorb them into a city economy becoming

(B)   lack math skills to a large enough degree that they will be difficult to absorb into a city's economy that becomes

(C)   lack of math skills is so large as to be difficult to absorb them into a city's economy that becomes

(D)  are lacking so much in math skills as to be difficult to absorb into a city's economy becoming

(E)   are so lacking in math skills that it will be difficult to absorb them into a city economy becoming

In A, lack is modified by a wordy and awkward construction, to such a large degree as to make it difficult to. B is similarly flawed, and to a large enough degree that is unidiomatic. C is ungrammatical because it uses lack as a noun rather than as a verb: the phrase beginning Students... becomes a dangling element, and them refers illogically to skills rather than students. Additionally, A, B, and C fail to use one or both of the "-ing" forms are lacking and becoming; these forms are preferable to lack and becomes in describing progressive and ongoing conditions. D uses the "-ing" forms, but so much... as to be difficult to absorb is an awkward and unidiomatic verbal modifier. Choice E is best.

请问，为什么C中的them存在指代歧义的问题，而ABE不存在这个问题呢？？

我的看法：

首先说C，OG的意思是说lack是名词，is前面的部分就变成两个名词“student”和“lack”同时存在，且没有介词或连接性的成分将两者合乎逻辑的联系起来。student就变成了一个多余的，无法在句中合理充当成分的词。此情况下，them就只能指代lack of math skills，就是is的主语。

这里还有一个问题就是为什么OG说them指代skills而不是lack。对于A of B的中心词判断，我也不太清楚。而且这里的C本来就是一个有问题的句子，无法深究了。

B中，they是从句主语，正好指代主句主语student，无歧义。

E中的them是在主句的修饰成分中，我觉得当找代词的先行词时，应该先考虑主句主语和宾语，然后再考虑修饰成分中的词。

A中的them我还没想明白。

欢迎讨论。

好像给了我点启发，但是还感觉不太清晰。。。

号召多些人来讨论吧！

"为什么C中的them存在指代歧义的问题，而ABE不存在这个问题呢？？"  楼主怎么得出这个问题我有点不清楚  根据og解释，我只知道a,b用法累赘 c,d语法有误，所以选e

到是d我犹豫了下，但楼主说指代问题 恕我水平有限 没有弄明白有 什么问题

就是说，ABE和C一样，句子中都有两个复数名次，OG既然说C有指代不清的问题，ABE里的them是否和C一样有指代模糊的问题呢？？

The point here is whether much(Choice D) and larg(choice C) can modify many skills, obviously they can't, so C and D are ruled out.

In terms of A B, I think lack math skills to such a large degree is wordy, and little bit Chinese, don't you think?

hehe