Decoding Verb-ed and Verb-ing modifiers

[mondegreen]

Hello,

So I know how the VERB-ing and Verb-ed modifiers work, and then read on a supposedly respected test prep company blog something which is a turnaround from what I know. :(
If it's ok, I would like to summarize everything here; all I would request is a perusal to state that it is all OK.

VERB-ING: Without Comma

Those are my balls rolling down the aisle.

Structure: Clause- Verb+ing

What it modifies : The immediate preceding noun.

VERB-ING:With Comma

These balls are still on the table,defying gravity.

Structure: Comma+ Verb-ing

What it modifies : The result of the preceding clause/The action of the previous clause.

VERB-ED:Without Comma

Those are my balls destroyed by the thunder.

Structure: Clause+Verb-ed

What it modifies : The immediate preceding noun.

VERB-ED:With Comma

Those are my balls in the courtyard,destroyed by the thunder.

Structure: Comma+Verb-ed

What it modifies : The subject in the preceding clause.

I apologise again if any of this is not correct. It's too darn confusing now.

[RonPurewal]

most of this seems decently accurate, although you may want to watch out with this:

Those are my balls in the courtyard,destroyed by the thunder.

Structure: Comma+Verb-ed

What it modifies : The subject in the preceding clause.

the first thing that's interesting here is that you mentioned "the subject", but "balls" is not actually the subject of the preceding clause.

more to the point, the official evidence contradicts this idea. take a look at problem 57 in og12 -- the modifier with "published" violates the supposed rule articulated here.

[mondegreen]

most of this seems decently accurate, although you may want to watch out with this:

Those are my balls in the courtyard,destroyed by the thunder.

Structure: Comma+Verb-ed

What it modifies : The subject in the preceding clause.

the first thing that's interesting here is that you mentioned "the subject", but "balls" is not actually the subject of the preceding clause.

more to the point, the official evidence contradicts this idea. take a look at problem 57 in og12 -- the modifier with "published" violates the supposed rule articulated here.

:) What a fool I am. So, I gather that Comma+Verb-ed modifier modifies the immediate preceeding noun/noun phrase? As in the given example(OG)?

BTW, I think you are as cool as Batman.

[RonPurewal]

:) What a fool I am. So, I gather that Comma+Verb-ed modifier modifies the immediate preceeding noun/noun phrase? As in the given example(OG)?

BTW, I think you are as cool as Batman.

this is the way i've normally seen it used.

more importantly, i have seen exactly zero official problems in which this issue has been dispositive. so, the best advice here is "don't worry about it".

[suhasand]

nicely sumed up...

What if the modifier doesn't have verb-ing or verb-ed form ?

will that modify the subject of the clause ?

[RonPurewal]

Any attempt to generalize about every kind of modifier in the entire language (or all but two of them, in the case of this latest question) is going to fail. There are lots and lots of different kinds of modifiers.

On the other hand, the set of modifiers that constitute decision points in official GMAT problems is substantially smaller.

The point remains, though, that you'll have to ask about these things...
... specifically
... in the context of a GMAT problem (preferably an official one, in the GMAT Prep folder).

Thanks.

[NehaM981]

[redacted]

[RonPurewal]

^^ please do not post new problems in existing threads.

if you have questions about a problem:

• FIRST, search the forum for the problem.
if you can find an EXISTING thread on that problem, post your question(s) IN THE EXISTING THREAD. please DO NOT create new threads on problems that already have existing threads.

• IF YOU CAN'T find an existing thread on the problem, then create a NEW thread WITH A CITATION OF THE ORIGINAL SOURCE of the problem.

thank you.