Question

Change the underlined part of the sentence, if required:
She was less successful after she had emigrated to New York compared to her native Germany, photographer Lotte Jacobi nevertheless earned a small group of discerning admirers, and her photographs were eventually exhibited in prestigious galleries across the United States.

• A. She was less successful after she had emigrated to New York compared to her
  
• B. Being less successful after she had emigrated to New York as compared to her
  
• C. Less successful after she emigrated to New York than she had been in her
  
• D. Although she was less successful after emigrating to New York when compared to her
  
• E. She had been less successful after emigrating to New York than in her
  

Answer 1

The correct option is C Less successful after she emigrated to New York than she had been in her

This sentence compares the success Jacobi experienced after moving to New York to the success she had previously experienced in Germany. The phrase less successful anticipates the conclusion of the comparison with the phrase than. ... The main subject of the sentence is photographer Lotte Jacobi, and the main verb is earned. The opening clause She was less successful ... therefore creates a comma splice if the comma is not followed by a conjunction. The most efficient way to incorporate the information about Jacobi's comparative successes in Germany and in New York is to turn this clause into an adjectival phrase describing Jacobi.

The idiomatic construction less successful ... than is incorporated into an introductory adjectival phrase modifying Lotte Jacobi.