Essential versus Non Essential - Modifers

[mikeyjacobs]

I'm having trouble grasping the concept of essential versus non essential. I find many instances where I think a clause is essential but turns out to be non essential. Is there a way for me to test a clause to see if it should be essential.

Also, does a comma always indicate non essential or can a comma just be a sentence and have nothing to do with a modifier.

Thanks.

[RonPurewal]

I'm having trouble grasping the concept of essential versus non essential. I find many instances where I think a clause is essential but turns out to be non essential. Is there a way for me to test a clause to see if it should be essential.

Also, does a comma always indicate non essential or can a comma just be a sentence and have nothing to do with a modifier.

Thanks.

well, i've got good news for you here: in most circumstances, you're not going to have to choose whether a modifier should be essential or nonessential. that difference is much more of a rhetorical difference that an actual grammatical difference -- i.e., many, if not most, modifiers that can be essential can also be nonessential.

the differences rhetorical: if the modifier narrows the possibilities for the preceding noun, then you should use an essential modifier (no comma).
if the modifier doesn't narrow the possibilities for the preceding noun -- i.e., if the modifier were removed, you would still know exactly which noun you were talking about -- then it should be a nonessential modifier (set off by commas).

the only way you're going to be asked to differentiate between the two is if they give you a problem in which the context makes the distinction entirely clear.

for instance:

* Alvin Toffler, who wrote the book Future Shock in 1970, was remarkably prescient.
--> in this case, you must use a nonessential modifier, since there is only one "Alvin Toffler" to whom we could possibly be referring.

* schools will not generally take into account all your gmat scores; rather, they will generally only consider the test on which you received your highest score.
--> in this case, the context makes it clear that there are multiple test administrations, so "the test", by itself, isn't specific enough. since this modifier narrows the choices down to one test, you must use it as an essential modifier.

--

re: commas

no, there are many, many things that commas can do in a sentence.

however, if you notice a construction that you recognize as a modifier, and that construction is enclosed by commas, then it's a nonessential modifier. (the only way you can really learn to recognize modifiers is to look at lots and lots of examples of them, until you can recognize them on sight.)

[rte.sushil]

I understand the meaning of essential and non-essential modifiers.
Non essential: set off by commas and doesn't effect on meaning
Essential: essential part of sentence.

Example:

Jesus, a boy of 25 years, traveled all over the world. --> a boy of 25 years is set off by commas so it is non-essential. Even if a boy of 25 years is removed still no change in meaning "Jesustraveled all over the world."

but if this part is placed in front of the subject then?
A boy of 25 years, Joy traveled all over the world.--> now this became essential modifier because it is not set off by commas?

But why in one it is essential and in other it is non-essential even meaning is same. Please throw some light on it.

PS: Even if my example is not very clear or has some flaw as per concept, please use another example to explain such a scenario in which part of sentence after comma, is placed in front of subject or vice versa.

[RonPurewal]

but if this part is placed in front of the subject then?
A boy of 25 years, Joy traveled all over the world.--> now this became essential modifier because it is not set off by commas?

this modifier is still set off by a comma. (obviously, it's impossible to put a comma before the modifier -- the modifier is the first thing in the sentence! -- so, that's as much "setting off" as you're going to get.)

But why in one it is essential and in other it is non-essential even meaning is same. Please throw some light on it.

no difference; see above

[rte.sushil]

this modifier is still set off by a comma. (obviously, it's impossible to put a comma before the modifier -- the modifier is the first thing in the sentence! -- so, that's as much "setting off" as you're going to get.)

Question 1: so the intake from above statement is : if a modifier starts with comma then it is non-essential modifier.

But i was strike with an example:

a.) With his head held high, Owen walked out of the store-->
non essential part "with His head held high,". This means he just walked out of store-- > how he walked out doesn't matter?
b.) Owen walked out of the store with his head held high: No comma here: so it is essential modifier ?Owen walked out of store but important is how he walked out of store.

Ques2 :AM i right?
Ques3: as in above example, how to decide what is essential and what is non-essential. Role of comma has become so important.

[tim]

Okay, I'm starting to see a trend in your posts, where you seem to be more concerned about labeling things than about actually using your skills to succeed at sentence correction. Can you show us how labeling any of your examples as essential versus nonessential modifiers will help get you any closer to solving actual GMAT sentence correction examples? If you can, we will be glad to help you; if not, I'd like to suggest that you spend your time on more relevant pursuits.

[CelikhanE392]

I believe it is absolutely crucial to be able to label in order to solve GMAT questions. For instance, if you don't know what is esssential and what is not, how will you know if the below sentence is correct?

[redacted -- OG problem]

[RonPurewal]

please acquaint yourself with the forum rules -- OG problems cannot be reproduced on this forum, in whole or in part. thanks.

I believe it is absolutely crucial to be able to label in order to solve GMAT questions. For instance, if you don't know what is esssential and what is not, how will you know if the below sentence is correct?

^^ the red thing is the problem here. you are forgetting that this is a multiple-choice test.
you DON'T have to "know whether a sentence is correct" INDIVIDUALLY. you only have to be able to decide between/among answer choices.

if you had to do the former, then SC would be WAY harder than it currently is; in that case, it would effectively become the domain of a handful of professional writers, editors, and a few other people who are at that level of verbal skill.

[aditi]

Hi Ron

My understanding of essential modifiers is something that gives additional information about something that has already been identified as distinct

Of the Bollywood films of the 1980s, only a few, which complied with censor standards, could be seen by children without parental guidance.

So in the above sentence, "only a few" - needs to have some characteristic to be distinguished so is the usage of the Non essential modifier 'which" incorrect


Thanks

[RonPurewal]

^^ as per the forum rules,
1/ we need the original source of this sentence,
2/ you need to post the entire problem as originally provided, with ALL answer choices.

if this sentence isn't from a GMAT problem, then there is no reason to be paying attention to this issue, since the "essential"/"non-essential" distinction" isn't even tested on this exam anyway!

[aditi]

Regret the delay in replying.
I have modified the above sentence based on option B in the following question from Princeton Review

[redacted]

[RonPurewal]

as noted in the forum rules, we don't host Princeton Review problems here (per request of the PR company itself).
PR has its own forum, so, please honor the company's request and post your query over there. thanks.

[HuangR731]

Many daring vacationers who participate in guided boat tours on the Tarcoles River encounter native crocodiles lurking in the shallows, whose eyes and noses are peeking out from the surface of the murky water.

encounter native crocodiles lurking in the shallows, whose eyes and noses are peeking out

encountered native crocodiles lurking in the shallows, whose eyes and noses peek out

had encountered native crocodiles lurking in the shallows, whose eyes and noses peek out

encounter native crocodiles lurking in the shallows, with eyes and noses peeking out

encounter native crocodiles lurking in the shallows, with eyes and noses that are peeking out

OA is D
Ron, could u please tell me if the //lurking in the shallows // is a essential modifier? And please tell me why. thanks a lot

[Sage Pearce-Higgins]

The test for a non-essential modifier, is "Can we remove it and still know what noun we're talking about?". In this case, 'lurking in the shallows' identifies the crocodiles that the tourists encounter and is therefore essential. The tourists don't meet just any old crocodiles: they meet the ones lurking in the shallows. The bit about 'eyes and noses', however, is just some extra information about the crocodiles and is therefore non-essential.