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Difficulty: MediumAdjective and Adverb Usage

The following passage is an excerpt from an essay about modern architecture.

Although the two architectural firms presented highly innovative concepts for the new civic center, the committee ultimately selected the design from the local firm because it integrated the surrounding landscape more seamless than there competitor's design.

Which of the following alternatives to the underlined portion is grammatically correct?

  1. A
    more seamless than there
  2. more seamlessly than theirAnswer
  3. C
    more seamlessly than there
  4. D
    most seamlessly than their

Answer

The correct answer is the choice that uses the adverb 'seamlessly' to modify the verb 'integrated' and the possessive pronoun 'their' to show ownership of the competitor's design, which is 'more seamlessly than their'.
The correct choice is 'more seamlessly than their' because the adverb 'seamlessly' is required to modify the verb 'integrated'. Furthermore, since the sentence compares two architectural firms, the comparative adverb 'more' is grammatically correct. Finally, the possessive pronoun 'their' correctly indicates ownership of the competitor's design.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the word being modified by the modifier in question.
The modifier describes how the design 'integrated' the landscape. Since 'integrated' is a verb, we must use an adverb ('seamlessly') rather than an adjective ('seamless').
Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs, while adjectives modify nouns.
2
Determine the number of items being compared to choose between comparative and superlative forms.
The sentence compares exactly two items ('the design from the local firm' and 'the competitor's design'). Therefore, we must use the comparative form 'more' instead of the superlative form 'most'.
Comparative forms are used for comparing two things, whereas superlative forms are used for three or more.
3
Determine the correct homophone for the possessive reference to the competitor.
We need the possessive determiner 'their' to modify the noun phrase 'competitor's design' (indicating it belongs to them), rather than the adverb of place 'there'.
'Their' indicates possession, whereas 'there' refers to a place.

Key Concept

Adjective and Adverb Modifier Distinctions and Logical Comparisons
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Adjective and Adverb Usage

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