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Even though he does not like crowds, John still likes New York City more than Sybil.
A) John still likes New York City more than Sybil
B) New York City is still liked more than Sybil by John
C) John is still liking New York City more than is Sybil
D) John still likes New York City more than Sybil does
E) New York City is still more liked by John than Sybil
Even though he does not like crowds, John still likes New York City more than Sybil.
Grammar issue presented: Comparisons
The original sentence contains an ambiguous comparison; it is unclear whether John likes New York City more than he likes Sybil, or whether John likes New York City more than Sybil likes it. A comparison must have a clear basis of comparison – there can be no question as to what is being compared.
A) John still likes New York City more than Sybil
Clear comparison? NO - ambiguous comparison
B) New York City is still liked more than Sybil by John
Clear comparison? NO - ambiguous comparison
C) John is still liking New York City more than is Sybil
Clear comparison? NO - ambiguous comparison
D) John still likes New York City more than Sybil does
Clear comparison? YES - “more than Sybil does” corrects the issue because the verb “does” stands in for the phrase “likes it.”
Additional errors? NO
E) New York City is still more liked by John than Sybil
Clear comparison? NO - ambiguous comparison
(D) is correct.
In his work, George Santayana is more reminiscent of Plato's poetic narratives and Henry David Thoreau's obsessive detailing than Bertrand Russell’s scientific precisions.
A) In his work, George Santayana is more reminiscent of
B) George Santayana writes more like
C) George Santayana reminds one more of
D) George Santayana's work is more reminiscent of
E) George Santayana’s work more resembles that of
In his work, George Santayana is more reminiscent of Plato's poetic narratives and Henry David Thoreau's obsessive detailing than Bertrand Russell’s scientific precisions.
Grammar issue presented: Comparisons
The original sentence compares a person to other people’s work, which is an invalid basis of comparison. To fix this logical error, isolate the grammatical structures in the fixed part of the sentence: they are all names in the possessive form plus noun phrases (“Plato’s poetic narratives,” “Henry David Thoreau’s obsessive detailing,” “Bertrand Russell’s scientific precisions”). This means you should search the answer choices for the same grammatical structure, a name in the possessive form plus a noun phrase.
A) In his work, George Santayana is more reminiscent of
Clear comparison? NO - “George Santayana” is a name only; we are looking for a name in the possessive form plus a noun phrase.
B) George Santayana writes more like
Clear comparison? NO - “George Santayana” is a name only; we are looking for a name in the possessive form plus a noun phrase.
C) George Santayana reminds one more of
Clear comparison? NO - “George Santayana” is a name only; we are looking for a name in the possessive form plus a noun phrase.
D) George Santayana's work is more reminiscent of
Clear comparison? YES - “George Santayana’s work” is a name in the possessive form plus a noun phrase.
Additional errors? NO
E) George Santayana’s work more resembles that of
Clear comparison? YES - “George Santayana’s work” is a name in the possessive form plus a noun phrase.
Additional errors? Redundancy: “that of Plato’s poetic narratives” is redundant. The correct phrase should be “that of Plato” or “Plato’s poetic narratives.”
(D) is correct.
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A. 
