ModifiersTotaGopinath CAT Prep

What are modifiers?

Describes

Clarifies

gives more details about a word or a word group

Adjectives modify nouns or pronouns.

Adverbs modify verbs or adjectives.

Kinds of modifiers

Dangling Modifier

Misplaced Modifier

Squinting Modifier

Dangling Modifier

As the name suggests, this modifier must had been left dangling in open space without any support or hinge to cling on to.

Reaching Europe at the beginning of 17th century, they called it “the wine of Arabia.”

Does this sound okay?

Reaching Europe at the beginning of 17th century : this is the modifier in the above sentence and it will modify anything that immediately comes after it

This modifier is modifying 'they'.

Explanation

‘They' did not Reaching Europe at the beginning of 17th century.

Coffee did.

Hence the modifier was left dangling, it had nobody/nothing to modify.

The correct usage would be:

The modifier is supposed to modify “coffee” but it modifies they. 

Reaching Europe at the beginning of 17th century, the coffee was called the wine of Arabia.

Misplaced Modifier

This modifier misses the whole point why it was a modifier in the first place.

It fails to make out whom it is supposed to modify, it rues the fact that it had been wrongly used in the sentence.

See for yourself:

Called the wine of Arabia, at the beginning of the 17th century the coffee reached Europe.

What does seem/sound wrong?

Explanation

The coffee was not called the wine of Arabia only at the beginning of the 17th century, hence it is an improper usage.

The correct usage would be:

At the beginning of the 17th century the coffee, called the wine of Arabia, reached Europe.

Squinting Modifier

Have you seen anyone with squinting eyes. Such is the tragedy with this modifier.

It is placed so awkwardly that it does not know whether it should modify the phrase to the right of it or the one to the left of it.

Sipping coffee slowly makes her dizzy.

Can you find out what is wrong with this sentence?

Explanation

Can you make out what slowly is trying to convey in the above sentence?

Whether it is implying that when she sips coffee slowly she becomes dizzy or is it implying that coffee makes her dizzy slowly?

Please understand the play of adverb here.

This last one is a very interesting type of modifier and is one such that is difficult to gauge.

The correct usage would be:

If she sips coffee slowly, she becomes dizzy. 

One Important TIP

One important thing that you should remember though is that the modifier must be kept, in most cases, within the commas.

Because it is an additional information.

Another test for a modifier is that if you can grope a phrase within parenthesis, it is a modifier.

For example; He, who has not submitted the essay thus far, shall be punished.

He (______) shall be punished.

Examples

Scrubbing the tile grout with bleach and an old toothbrush, the stains began to fade.

Tell me what is wrong with this sentence?

 Can you tell who is scrubbing? Does the verb needs no subject?

If the participle phrase has no target in the sentence, it is a dangling modifier.

The correct usage would be:

As I scrub the tile grout with bleach and an old toothbrush, the stains began to fade.

Adding ‘I’ to the sentence lets the reader know who is scrubbing the tile grout.

Examples

To finish by 3 PM , the computer sang with Sylvia’s flying fingers.

We find Sylvia Path's fingers and not herself.

The correct usage would be:

To finish by 3 PM, Sylvia made the keyboard sing with her flying fingers.

The keyboard has to sing, not Path herself.

And someone has to make the keyboard sing.

Examples

Slathering the popcorn with melted butter, the calorie count sky rocketed. 

How about this?

Participle phrase has no target sentence to describe. Hence that is why there was a modifier error.

Assessing his set as clumsy and inelegant, not a single compliment was received from the judges.

How about t

Who was assessing?

The participle phrase should describe the judges but its distance and awkward passive voice phrasing makes it unclear and misplaced.

Assessing ___________, the judges did not give a single compliment?

Examples

Remember about Gerunds, remember Gerunds are nouns.

Putting straws up his nose and balking like a walrus did not make Tommy popular when he had dinner with Neptune, Mercury’s mother.

 Is there anything wrong? If so, what is it?

Explanation

A: It is not an example for modifiers. It is a plain simple application of gerund phrase. The only modifier is (Mercury's mother) and there is nothing wrong with it

B: Yes, this sentence is perfect. I invoked it because we have been busy with participles way too much and I wanted you to remember that participle in the beginning does not always imply a modifier without a target.

Examples

Polluting the ocean so carelessly was the final nail in the coffin of the marine companies.

Do remember that commas are very crucial in modifier, they are what distinguish a gerund phrase from a modifier.

Exercise

The man saw the house on the hill with the telescope.

The boy decided not to enter the abandoned house, heeding warnings from his friends.

 To become a respected politician, campaign funds must be carefully administered.

We almost walked for 2 hours, before we found our way back to the campsite.

The soccer team only won four games in the last 3 years.

Katrina only eats dal and chawal for lunch.

While playing with her dog, her bracelet fell off.

Exercise

Previously thought to have been extinct, a team of biologists rediscovered the New Caledonia crested gecko in 1994.

a) a team of biologists rediscovered the New Caledonia crested gecko in 1994.b) a team of biologists, in 1994, rediscovered the New Caledonia crested gecko.c) in 1994 the New Caledonia crested gecko was rediscovered by a team of biologists.d) and discovered by a team of biologists in 1994 was the New Caledonia crested gecko.e) the New Caledonia crested gecko was rediscovered by a team of biologists in 1994.

Exercise

She finally got the car to start by pumping the gas pedal, which had been stuck for days.

Bob only had his hat, not his gloves.

Frightened by our presence, the rabbit’s ears perked up, and its nose twitched.

Without a plan for the weekend, a Saturday matinee seemed a good idea at that time.

Exercise

Based on accounts of various ancient writers, scholars have painted a sketchy picture of the activities of an all-female cult that, perhaps as early as the sixth century B.C., worshipped a goddess known in Latin as bona Dea, “the good goddess”

A) same

B) basing it on various ancient writers

C) with accounts of various ancient writers used for a basis

D) By the accounts of various ancient writers they used

E) using accounts of various ancient writers

Exercise

Erasmus's tomb lies inside the Basel Munster, located in Switzerland, an architectural monument which having survived medieval earthquakes, and remains one of Switzerland's most well-known buildings to this day.

a) Erasmus's tomb lies inside the Basel Munster, located in Switzerland, an architectural monument which having survived medieval earthquakes, and

b) Erasmus's tomb lies inside Switzerland's Basel Munster, an architectural monument which survived medieval earthquakes and

c) Switzerland's Basel Munster, a monument of architecture which survived medieval earthquakes, houses Erasmus's tomb

d) The Basel Munster, in Switzerland, an architectural monument which, having survived medieval earthquakes, is now home to the tomb of Erasmus

e) The tomb of Erasmus, being housed inside Switzerland's Basel Munster, is an architectural monument which survived medieval earthquakes and