GMAT Verbal › Correcting Misplaced or Interrupting Modifier Errors
Ascertaining the meaning of ancient writing is often beyond the reach of even the most learning scholars.
even the most learned scholars.
even the most learning scholars.
the most learning scholars.
even scholars most learning.
even the most learning of scholars.
The underlined phrase has a problem with the phrase "most learning." The phrase is describing the word "scholars." While the scholars might have "the most learning," this would make them "the most learned." The correct answer is "even the most learned of scholars."
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.
In all of human history, such actions before had never been undertaken.
such actions had never before been undertaken.
such actions before had never been undertaken.
such actions before never been undertaken.
actions before had never been undertaken.
such actions before had never be undertaken.
The main issue with the underlined phrase is one of word order, as "before" is stuck in a place that makes the meaning confusing. To improve this phrase, "before" should be moved to work with "never." "Such actions had never before been undertaken," is the correct answer choice.
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
The hotel provided complimentary refreshments to the guests in expensive crystal glasses.
the guests with complimentary refreshments in expensive crystal glasses.
complimentary refreshments to guests in expensive crystal glasses.
complimentarily provided to the guests refreshments in expensive crystal glasses.
complementary refreshments to the guests in expensive crystal glasses.
in crystal glasses the guest's refreshments complimentarily.
The example sentence contains a misplaced modifier. The structure of the example sentence suggests that the guests are "in expensive crystal glasses" rather than the refreshments they are being served. The error can be corrected by placing the modifier as close as possible to the object with which it is meant to be associated, in this case by moving "the guests" to precede the mention of the refreshments, thus clarifying what is in the expensive crystal glasses.
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
A musician can pursue a career as a solo instrumentalist or vocalist, a music teacher, or a session player after she graduates from a conservatory with a degree in music, depending on her skill and talent.
Skill and talent determines whether a musician, after graduating from a conservatory with a degree in music, can pursue a career as a solo instrumentalist or vocalist, a music teacher, or a session player.
A musician can pursue a career as a solo instrumentalist or vocalist, a music teacher, or a session player after she graduates from a conservatory with a degree in music, depending on her skill and talent.
After graduating from a conservatory with a degree in music, depending on her skill and talent, a musician can pursue a career as a solo instrumentalist or vocalist, a music teacher, or a session player.
After graduating from a conservatory with a degree in music, a musician’s skill and talent will determine if she can pursue a career as a solo instrumentalist or vocalist, a music teacher, or a session player.
The skill and talent of a female musician, after graduating from a conservatory with a degree in music, will determine whether she can pursue a career as a solo instrumentalist or vocalist, a music teacher, or a session player.
Eliminate the choices that incorrectly imply that the degree in music depends on the skill and talent of the musician. The modifier “depending on her skill and talent” is misplaced leading to possible confusion. Eliminate the choices that imply the talent graduates from a conservatory. The final choice will not show any modifier errors and will have no errors in syntactical logic.
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
A dedicated student can pursue a career as a technician or data manager, a teacher, or a programmer after he or she graduates from our technical institute with a degree in computer science, depending on his or her area of expertise.
Depending on his or her area of expertise, after graduating from our technical institute with a degree in computer science, a dedicated student can pursue a career as a technician, data manager, teacher, or programmer.
A dedicated student can pursue a career as a technician or data manager or a teacher or a programmer after he or she graduates from our technical institute with a degree in computer science, depending on his or her area of expertise.
A dedicated student can pursue a career as a technician or data manager, a teacher, or a programmer after he or she graduates from our technical institute with a degree in computer science, depending on his or her area of expertise.
Depending on his or her area of expertise, a dedicated student can, after graduating from our technical institute with a degree in computer science, pursue a career as a technician, data manager, teacher, or programmer.
A dedicated student can, depending on his or her area of expertise, after graduating from our technical institute with a degree in computer science, pursue a career as a technician, data manager, teacher, or programmer.
Eliminate the choices that incorrectly imply that the degree in computer science depends on the student's area of expertise. The modifier “depending on his or her area of expertise” is misplaced. Eliminate the choices that contain obvious errors in parallelism, such as excessive use of the conjunction "or". The correct choice will not show any modifier errors and will have no errors in syntactical logic.
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
As an English as a Foreign Language instructor, one must help students mediate between their respective cultures, at an international university, and the cultural context in which said students are immersed.
As an English as a Foreign Language instructor at an international university, one must help students mediate between their respective cultures
As an English as a Foreign Language at an international university instructor, one must help students mediate between their respective cultures
At an international university and as an English as a Foreign Language instructor, one must help students mediate between their respective cultures
At an international university but as an English as a Foreign Language instructor, one must help students mediate between their respective cultures
As an English as a Foreign Language instructor, one must help students mediate, at an international university, between their respective cultures
The central problem here is modifier placement. The modifier "at an international university is most appropriate when written as part of the dangling modifier at the beginning of the sentence: "As an English as a Foreign Language instructor at an international university,". The other answer choices result in a modifier which inappropriately interrupts the sentence. Note the importance of thinking about the answer choices as they relate to the sentence as a whole.
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices repeats the underlined portion as it is written.
Happy to get some new chow, the dog's food was quickly gobbled up by the dog.
Happy to get some new chow, the dog quickly gobbled up his food.
Happy to get some new chow, the dog's food was quickly gobbled up.
Happy to get some new chow, the dog was quickly gobbled up.
The dog's food was quickly gobbled up by the dog.
The dog quickly gobbled up his food, which was happy to get some new chow.
The word "happy" in the original sentence is modifying "the dog's food", when we know it should be modifying the dog instead.
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
Even under the sunniest analyses, corporate profits sharply will go down over the final quarter of the year.
corporate profits will go down sharply over the final quarter of the year.
corporate profits sharply will go down over the final quarter of the year.
sharply corporate profits will go down over the final quarter of the year.
corporate profits will go down over the final quarter of the year sharply.
corporate profits will go down over sharply the final quarter of the year.
The adverb "sharply" is awkwardly placed in the sentence, creating confusion and ambiguity in the phrase. An adverb should be placed immediately next to the word it is describing, which in this case is "down." The only answer choice that puts "sharply" correctly in the sentence is "corporate profits will go down sharply over the final quarter of the year."
One associates nominalism most commonly with William of Ockham, but a more careful review of the available evidence seems to suggest that it dates at least to the era of Thomas Aquinas.
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
Nominalism is most commonly associated with William of Ockham, but
One associates nominalism most commonly with William of Ockham, but
Most commonly, one associates nominalism with William of Ockham, but
With William of Ockham is nominalism most commonly associated with, but
William of Ockham is most associated with nominalism commonly, but
The credited response shows with the greatest clarity what is being modified by "most commonly" by placing it within the verb phrase "is associated." The response also omits the unnecessary use of the pronoun "one," which makes the sentence clearer, especially later on when the pronoun "it" refers back to "nominalism" as the subject of the adjusted sentence.
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
We couldn't find our tent among the thousands that lined the shoreline, with its unusual flag; someone must have taken down the flag.
We couldn't find our tent, with its unusual flag, among the thousands that lined the shoreline
We couldn't find our tent among the thousands that lined the shoreline, our tent with its unusual flag
We couldn't find our tent among the thousands that lined the shoreline, ours with its unusual flag
We couldn't find our tent among the thousands that lined the shoreline with its unusual flag
We couldn't find the tent among the thousands that lined the shoreline, with its unusual flag
The problem here comes down to a misplaced modifier. The incorrect answer choices do not place the modifying phrase next to the correct noun "our tent." It may seem like the shoreline had an "unusual flag," but the clause that follows seems to suggest otherwise. It is important to understand the sentence as a whole before attempting to resolve subtle problems.