[求助]GWD18-14

claire_wen

Contrary to financial analysts, who predicted last year that the market for home computers would dwindle, the personal computer industry continued to show strong growth in the first quarter of this year.

 

A.     analysts, who predicted

B.     analysts, whose predictions

C.     analysts and their predictions

D.     analysts’ predicting

E.     analysts’ predictions

the answer is E.

But I don't get it! Why is D wrong?

I cannot detect the subtle difference betwee D and E.

smallto0830

這題我也錯，我選A，A和E哪裡不同阿？

請指教，謝謝．

stevegt

to ls,ls 当动词有名词形式的时候最好用改名词形式，不用ing.况且ing强调动作，而抽象名词形式强调结果。这道题显然是想强调结果。

to ls: contrary to是个比较特殊的词，它在句首的时候只跟抽象名词，修饰整个句子，而且可以不服从逻辑主语的限制。

smallto0830

謝謝樓上的囉 我也知道為什麼囉

1. from Longman,
contrary to popular belief/opinion used to say that something is true even though people believe the opposite:
Contrary to popular belief, a desert can be very cold.
                
所以 contrary to +N 當介係詞片語修飾全句時,那個名詞通常是某種意見.

2. 開頭的Contrary to 應該是相對的
所以A的相對於分析家......個人電腦業持續成長 (比較不同類)
E的意思 相對於分析家的預期....個人電腦業持續成長(合理)
再請其他高手高手補充

mmbee

谢谢楼上们的题和解释，

我顺便复习一下今天学的简洁语言普遍规律: v.>adj.>抽象n.>分词，动名词〉从句(优先顺序排列）

我能用排除法最后选到E,但是对Contrary to A, B,此句中A,B对称有点疑问，predictions 与  the personal computer industry 对称好像行不通的说，

那么就理解Contrary to后面predictions与后面整个句子意思对称

这点和like/unlike等其他的对称结果有所不同?

ScarlettDeng

Ron的解释，虽然选E，但是所有答案其实都不太好

choice (e) is the best of these five choices, but they are all bad.

first, "contrary" is an adjective, so the initial modifier that begins with this adjective must modify a NOUN. (this is what all adjectives do; they modify nouns.) therefore, the initial modifier actually modifies the following subject "the personal computer industry", which doesn't make sense as the referent for any of the options; the industry is not “contrary to analysts”, nor is the industry itself “contrary to analysts' prediction”.
if this problem showed up on the official test, then “contrary to analysts' prediction” would have to modify something like “the performance of the home computer market”, since that is actually what was contrary to the prediction.

second, "prediction" should be singular, since we are just talking about one prediction. it doesn't matter that this prediction was made by multiple analysts; it's still one prediction.