SC: noun modifier 'which'

[PavanK217]

Hi,

I came across a question in the Manhattan SC guide involving usage of noun modifier 'which'.

As per the theory in the modifiers chapter, which is always a noun modifier - no concerns here!

comma+ which is a non-essential noun modifier - okay I get this as well.

Consider this example,

INCORRECT: People who are well informed know what Bordeaux is a French region whose most famous export is the wine which bears its name

CORRECT: People who are well informed know what Bordeaux is a French region whose most famous export is the wine that bears its name

Am I right that the presence or the absence of a 'comma' does not matter when using noun modifiers such as 'while,who etc' as these modifiers tend to create a non-essential meaning to the sentence?

[Sage Pearce-Higgins]

Commas do matter, and GMAT uses the word 'which' after a comma. However, comma usage isn't tested on GMAT: you can't eliminate a sentence for a "wrong comma". It seems that comma usage is too controversial or subjective an area of grammar for GMAT to cover. However, expect to see "NOUN, which" and "NOUN that". As for other modifiers, I have to admit that I haven't analyzed GMAT comma use.

Also, the area of essential versus non-essential modifiers is one that is very rarely tested. I think I've only seen a few of problems that involve it, so I caution you not to invest too much time studying that area.