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10 Jun 2021, 05:19
Kudos
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Hi.
I am going to the show with my friend Kevin, who likes Elvis, the nicest person I know.
I came across an article on a website (here: https://magoosh.com/gmat/gmat-grammar-v ... nt-1816169) where this sentence was mentioned and the author said that this sentence is wrong because :
"Clearly, the modifier “the nicest person I know” is supposed to modify Kevin, but because its placement violates the Modifier Touch Rule, it creates a grammatically unacceptable sentence that would always be wrong on GMAT SC."
Can you please explain why are we assuming that this sentence is supposed to modify Kevin? Can't it modify Elvis, in which case the sentence would be correct?
Would highly appreciate it if you can address the query. Thanks a ton.
I am going to the show with my friend Kevin, who likes Elvis, the nicest person I know.
I came across an article on a website (here: https://magoosh.com/gmat/gmat-grammar-v ... nt-1816169) where this sentence was mentioned and the author said that this sentence is wrong because :
"Clearly, the modifier “the nicest person I know” is supposed to modify Kevin, but because its placement violates the Modifier Touch Rule, it creates a grammatically unacceptable sentence that would always be wrong on GMAT SC."
Can you please explain why are we assuming that this sentence is supposed to modify Kevin? Can't it modify Elvis, in which case the sentence would be correct?
Would highly appreciate it if you can address the query. Thanks a ton.
11 Jun 2021, 09:04
Kudos
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That whole thing is a mess.
For one thing, as you said, it's not 100 percent clear Elvis is not "the nicest person I know."
Furthermore, if instead Kevin is "the nicest person I know, the "modifier touch rule" is that the modifier has to touch a noun or noun phrase that it modifies, not just a noun. So, since "my friend Kevin, who likes Elvis" is noun phrase, the modifier "the nicest person I know" could indeed be touching what it modifies, which in that case would be "my friend Kevin, who likes Elvis." In that case, the sentence may not be ideal because of the way the second modifier, "the nicest person I know," follows "who likes Elvis," but the sentence is arguably OK.
This rule is covered in the Modifiers chapter of the Target Test Prep Verbal Course, which is super comprehensive and includes over 70 practice questions on Modifiers alone.
You can check out that chapter and the rest of the Target Test Prep course by signing up for the $1 trial.
For one thing, as you said, it's not 100 percent clear Elvis is not "the nicest person I know."
Furthermore, if instead Kevin is "the nicest person I know, the "modifier touch rule" is that the modifier has to touch a noun or noun phrase that it modifies, not just a noun. So, since "my friend Kevin, who likes Elvis" is noun phrase, the modifier "the nicest person I know" could indeed be touching what it modifies, which in that case would be "my friend Kevin, who likes Elvis." In that case, the sentence may not be ideal because of the way the second modifier, "the nicest person I know," follows "who likes Elvis," but the sentence is arguably OK.
This rule is covered in the Modifiers chapter of the Target Test Prep Verbal Course, which is super comprehensive and includes over 70 practice questions on Modifiers alone.
You can check out that chapter and the rest of the Target Test Prep course by signing up for the $1 trial.
TheUltimateWinner
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Schools: Harvard '24 Judge '23 LBS '24 McCombs '24 Mendoza Tepper '24 Ross '24 Cox Marshall '24 Fisher Kelley '24 Jones McDonough '24 Owen '24 Terry BU Simon '24 Katz GWU Mason Babson Gabelli Foster '24 Goizueta '24 Scheller Stern '23 CBS '23 Booth '23 Haas '25 Wharton '25 Stanford '26 Johnson'23 Fuqua '23 Kellogg '23 Kenan-Flagler'23 INSEAD Aug 22 intake Olin '23 Said '23 Sloan '23 Carey Arizona "22 Yale '23 UC Davis Madison '23 Anderson '23 Carroll Carlson '23 Darden '23
Posts: 2,489
11 Jun 2021, 15:18
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Pranjal07
Pranjal07
I am going to the show with my friend Kevin, who likes Elvis, the nicest person I know.
In the sentence above, the who likes Elvis and the nicest person I know just 2 different modifiers. Both modifiers can't simultaneously modify Kevin-I did not see a single official question where the consecutive modifiers (who likes Elvis and the nicest person I know) modify the one thing, Kevin. So, my study says that who likes Elvis modifies the 'Kevin' and the nicest person I know modifies the 'Elvis'.
