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All noun modifiers, by definition, give additional information about the noun they modify. BUT, the importance of that additional information can vary significantly. Consider the following two sentences, both with modifiers underlined.
1) Last year, I visited the Chartres Cathedral, which is considered the principal exemplar of Gothic architecture.
2) The man who lives next door to me has three large dogs.
Both have a relative clause modifier, and both provide information about the noun they modify. Now, consider these sentences, with those modifiers removed.
1) Last year, I visited the Chartres Cathedral.
2) The man has three large dogs.
The first sentence is still perfectly clear: it leaves absolutely no doubt where I went last year (because there is only one Chartres Cathedral in the entire world!). In contrast, the second sentence leaves us in the dark. The natural question evoked by that sentence is “What man? About whom are we talking?” There is something essential now missing from this second sentence.
These two exemplify the difference between an ordinary modifier and a “vital modifier.” A vital modifier is essential to establish the identity of the noun in question, and omitting it leaves an important question unanswered. A non-vital, ordinary modifier may add interesting information, but it is not necessary to establish the identity of the noun.
3) I am going to the show with my friend Kevin, who likes Elvis, the nicest person I know.
This sentence is a train wreck! The appositive phrase modifier “the nicest person I know” is currently next to Elvis, so it implies (a) somehow I know Elvis (who has been dead for 35 years!), and that (b) Elvis is the nicest person I know, contrary to at least some appraisals of the man. 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.
1) Last year, I visited the Chartres Cathedral, which is considered the principal exemplar of Gothic architecture.
2) The man who lives next door to me has three large dogs.
Both have a relative clause modifier, and both provide information about the noun they modify. Now, consider these sentences, with those modifiers removed.
1) Last year, I visited the Chartres Cathedral.
2) The man has three large dogs.
The first sentence is still perfectly clear: it leaves absolutely no doubt where I went last year (because there is only one Chartres Cathedral in the entire world!). In contrast, the second sentence leaves us in the dark. The natural question evoked by that sentence is “What man? About whom are we talking?” There is something essential now missing from this second sentence.
These two exemplify the difference between an ordinary modifier and a “vital modifier.” A vital modifier is essential to establish the identity of the noun in question, and omitting it leaves an important question unanswered. A non-vital, ordinary modifier may add interesting information, but it is not necessary to establish the identity of the noun.
3) I am going to the show with my friend Kevin, who likes Elvis, the nicest person I know.
This sentence is a train wreck! The appositive phrase modifier “the nicest person I know” is currently next to Elvis, so it implies (a) somehow I know Elvis (who has been dead for 35 years!), and that (b) Elvis is the nicest person I know, contrary to at least some appraisals of the man. 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.
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