Similar to descriptors, modifiers give us more information about something in a sentence. Frequently, it will be more information on the subject of the sentence, but not always. The easiest way to tell what is being modified in a sentence is that the modifier will always be physically next to the thing it is modifying, when it\u2019s used correctly.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Modifiers aren\u2019t hard when you dissect them, all you need to know about how to nail modifier questions on the SAT is in this post. Let\u2019s start off by taking a look at an example sentence:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Although he comes off creepy and weird<\/u>, Mr. Rooney<\/strong> puts so much importance on student attendance that he must be good at his job.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The modifier is directly next to the thing we\u2019re describing<\/strong>. In this case, the described is also the subject of our sentence, Mr. Rooney. The placement of the modifier implies that Mr. Rooney is uptight and weird, which is an important detail.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n If the modifier is not directly next to the thing being modified, it is misplaced. A misplaced modifier could imply something completely different is uptight and weird, and therefore change the entire meaning of the sentence.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n It seems pretty straightforward, but the SAT writers will purposely put modifiers too far away from what they are modifying to trick you into otherwise correct-sounding sentences. Typical college board: making easy things more difficult than they need to be.<\/p>\r\nFeeling Overwhelmed? Get 1-on-1 SAT Help from a Test Geek Tutor<\/a><\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n