comma + participles and prepositional phrase (as adjective)

[BearcatBoy45220]

Can experts confirm whether following statements are correct?


1) Verb+ing form (present participle) following a comma modifies the subj and verb of the previous clause

2) Verb+ed form (past participle) following a comma modifies the closet noun in the previous clause.

3) prepositional phrase following a comma and acting as adjective modifier modifies the closest noun in the previous clause.

If any of them are wrong, please provide the corrections.

Thanks,
-Matt

[tim]

none of these is technically correct. please refer to our SC strategy guide for more information on how to deal with modifiers and what significance a comma before the modifier has..

[BearcatBoy45220]

none of these is technically correct. please refer to our SC strategy guide for more information on how to deal with modifiers and what significance a comma before the modifier has..

Tim,

Can you elaborate on why none of these are 'technically' correct? I gathered above info from ron's classes (thursdays with ron) and explanation given for solving various OG SC problems.

-Matt

[Willy]

Can experts confirm whether following statements are correct?


1) Verb+ing form (present participle) following a comma modifies the subj and verb of the previous clause

2) Verb+ed form (past participle) following a comma modifies the closet noun in the previous clause.

3) prepositional phrase following a comma and acting as adjective modifier modifies the closest noun in the previous clause.

If any of them are wrong, please provide the corrections.

Thanks,
-Matt

1. I think you want to say Verb+ING modifier following a comma modifies previous clause.

2. Verb-ed modifier modifies the preceding noun or the noun phrase.

See Q#5 of OG12

Diabetes, together with its serious complications, ranks as the nation’s third leading cause of death, surpassed only by heart disease and cancer.

Here "surpassed" is modifying noun phrase -- the nation’s third leading cause of death NOT the NOUN -- death.

Experts please?

[BearcatBoy45220]

Can experts confirm whether following statements are correct?


1) Verb+ing form (present participle) following a comma modifies the subj and verb of the previous clause

2) Verb+ed form (past participle) following a comma modifies the closet noun in the previous clause.

3) prepositional phrase following a comma and acting as adjective modifier modifies the closest noun in the previous clause.

If any of them are wrong, please provide the corrections.

Thanks,
-Matt

1. I think you want to say Verb+ING modifier following a comma modifies previous clause.

2. Verb-ed modifier modifies the preceding noun or the noun phrase.

See Q#5 of OG12

Diabetes, together with its serious complications, ranks as the nation’s third leading cause of death, surpassed only by heart disease and cancer.

Here "surpassed" is modifying noun phrase -- the nation’s third leading cause of death NOT the NOUN -- death.

Experts please?

Willy,

When you say something is modifying clause, that means something is modifying (subj+verb) and acting as a adverbial modifier.

Yes, in certain cases, the Verb-ed modifier modifies a noun phrase. In the example you have given, there is no way 'surpassed' modifying 'death'.

Here is an example that demonstrate verb-ed modifier modifying the closest noun ('evidenced......' modifies 'irony')

"Many of Guy de Maupassant's short stories have become classics because of the author's famed and masterful use of irony, evidenced in the slow revelation of a tragic twist of fate at the end of each piece"


Tim,

I also checked MGMAT SC strategy guide and I didn't see topics where my questions are addressed or explained in detail.

Two take-aways I get from MGMAT SC guide regarding modifiers are the following:

1) Modifier must be placed as close as possible to modifying phrase
2) Modifiers with comma are non-essential modifiers that can be removed without affecting the meaning of the sentence.


-Matt

[tim]

how can you be sure "evidenced" MUST modify "irony"? if there are two possible interpretations of a modifier, don't automatically jump to the one that is wrong. if the sentence can be correct, let it be. thanks Willy for addressing the first two "rules". as for the third, there is nothing i can do to fix it, because it is so far from true that i can't find anything salvageable in that one. there is pretty much NO rule that applies to how prepositions must operate..

[BearcatBoy45220]

how can you be sure "evidenced" MUST modify "irony"? if there are two possible interpretations of a modifier, don't automatically jump to the one that is wrong. if the sentence can be correct, let it be. thanks Willy for addressing the first two "rules". as for the third, there is nothing i can do to fix it, because it is so far from true that i can't find anything salvageable in that one. there is pretty much NO rule that applies to how prepositions must operate..

The example I quoted is from one of the Ron's class about modifier (filled in by someone else from MGMAT while Ron was out). In that class, the instructor mentions that 'evidenced by...' modifies 'irony'.

I see your point though, 'evidenced by.." could also modify the noun phrase - 'masterful use of irony'.

I do not understand why you say that the third option cannot be salvaged.

If there is a prep phrase following comma and it is acting as adjective modifier (which prep phrase can since they can act as adjective modifier or adverbial modifier), shouldn't it be placed as close as possible to the noun it will be modifying based on MGMAT sentence correction rules?


Also, what's difference between following two statements?

1) modifier modifying previous clause
2) modifier modifying previous clause's subj and verb.

Please explain..

-Matt

[tim]

yes, IF a prepositional phrase is modifying a noun, it needs to be placed as close to the noun as possible. the thing you have to watch out for, especially when the prepositional phrase follows a comma, is the possibility that the phrase can be modifying something other than a noun..

i don't know that there is any relevant difference between 1 and 2 at the end of your post..

[airy]

A adjective modifier modifies noun.
A adverb modifier modifies verb.

In the SC, there is a kind of modifier apply both a verb and the verb's subject. this is the question 2 of Matt, I think.

we know absolute phrase modifies the whole previous clause, this is the question 1.

Actually, I am also trying to find the difference right now.

please explain..

[tim]

i'm not sure i understand what your question is. can you please explain what you'd like help with?