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yo4561
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Modifier question

by yo4561 Sat May 08, 2021 9:42 am

What type of modifier is the "not fruit or vegetables" is it an adverbial modifier in the example below?

"Hannah realized that she wanted to just eat ice cream, not fruit or vegetables."

Also, wouldn't the "or" need to be "nor" because you are using "not"?

Thank you! :) [Apologies for my madness with modifiers... they trip me up the most, so I am hoping to understand them inside and out.]
esledge
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Re: Modifier question

by esledge Fri May 14, 2021 10:39 am

I think there's a special name for this (contrasting element?) but that's not important for the GMAT. These seem to work like negative appositives, which are (more generally) noun modifiers, so all the noun modifier rules about placement apply.

Wrong: Florida is a peninsula, not Cuba.
Correct: Florida, not Cuba, is a peninsula.
Correct: Florida is a peninsula, not an island.

Thus, your example seems to be correct, because the contrast is appropriately between "ice cream" and "fruit or vegetables." I think the "or" is fine; I would only use "nor" after "neither."
Emily Sledge
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ManhattanGMAT