Where to use which and with?
The results of the company’s cost-cutting measures are evident in its profits, which increased five percent during the first three months of this year after it fell over the last two years.
(A) which increased five percent during the first three months of this year after it fell
(B) which had increased five percent during the first three months of this year after it had fallen
(C) which have increased five percent during the first three months of this year after falling
(D) with a five percent increase during the first three months of this year after falling
(E) with a five percent increase during the first three months of this year after having fallen
Hi Ria,
Please make sure you underline only the necessary parts of the sentence.
“which” refers to the noun immediately before it. In the given sentence, you want to refer to the profits in the part of the sentence after the comma. Hence the usage of which is correct in A,B and C.
In options D and E, “with” refers to “the results”. This is incorrect.
Other errors:
A: not clear what “it” refers to
B: not clear what “it” refers to. Usage of past perfect tense in the first part of the sentence is wrong.
Option C is the correct answer.
Hope this helps!
