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How to Solve Modifiers for the New Digital SAT | TTA Guide
Understanding Participial Phrases for the NEW Digital SAT
Participial phrases are useful tools for making your writing more descriptive and interesting. This guide will help you understand what they are and how to use them effectively.
What is a Participle?
A participle is a form of a verb that can function as an adjective. There are two types of participles:
1. Present Participles
These always end in -ing. Examples: running, singing, writing
2. Past Participles
These often end in -ed, but some are irregular. Examples:
Regular: played, walked, talked
Irregular: eaten, gone, written
What is a Participial Phrase?
A participial phrase is a group of words that starts with a participle and includes any related words. These phrases function as adjectives, describing nouns or pronouns in a sentence.
Running quickly, the athlete crossed the finish line.
The package, damaged during shipping, arrived late.
How to Identify Participial Phrases
To identify a participial phrase, follow these steps:
- Find a word ending in -ing or -ed (or an irregular past participle).
- Check if this word is describing a noun or pronoun.
- Look for other words that are part of the phrase with the participle.
Let's analyze this sentence: "Studying for hours, Maria prepared for her exam."
1. "Studying" ends in -ing
2. It describes Maria's action
3. "for hours" is part of the phrase with "Studying"
Therefore, "Studying for hours" is the participial phrase.
Placement of Participial Phrases
Participial phrases can be placed at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence. The placement can affect the sentence's meaning.
Beginning: Feeling tired, John went to bed early.
Middle: The chef, known for her innovative recipes, won the cooking competition.
End: We watched the sunset, amazed by its vibrant colors.
Punctuation Rules
Correct punctuation is important when using participial phrases:
- Use a comma after a participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence.
- Use commas before and after a participial phrase in the middle of a sentence.
- Usually, don't use a comma when the participial phrase is at the end of the sentence.
Introduction
Modifiers are words or phrases that add details to other words in a sentence. They help make our writing more descriptive and precise. However, when used incorrectly, they can confuse readers. This guide focuses on two common modifier mistakes: dangling modifiers and misplaced modifiers.
Modifiers provide additional information about words in a sentence, enhancing clarity and precision.
Key Terms
Modifier: A word or phrase that describes another word or phrase in a sentence.
Dangling Modifier: A modifier that doesn't clearly or logically describe the word it's supposed to modify.
Misplaced Modifier: A modifier that is positioned too far from the word it's meant to modify.
Participial Phrase: A phrase that starts with a verb form (ending in -ing or -ed) and acts like an adjective.
Dangling Modifiers
Definition
A dangling modifier occurs when a descriptive phrase doesn't clearly connect to the word it's supposed to describe.
A dangling modifier ("Running down the street") incorrectly modifies "the bus" instead of the intended subject "John".
Examples
Incorrect: Walking down the street, the trees were beautiful.
This sentence incorrectly implies that the trees were walking down the street.
Correct: Walking down the street, I saw beautiful trees.
This sentence clarifies that "I" was walking and saw the beautiful trees.
TTA Pro Tip
Make sure the subject of your main clause is the thing being described by the modifier.
If needed, add the subject to the beginning of the sentence.
Correct: Walking down the street, I saw beautiful trees.
This sentence clarifies that "I" was walking and saw the beautiful trees.
Misplaced Modifiers
Definition
A misplaced modifier is too far from the word it's describing, which can create confusion or unintended humor.
Misplaced modifiers are positioned too far from the word they're meant to modify.
Examples
Incorrect: The dog was walked by the girl with a fluffy tail.
This sentence humorously implies that the girl has a fluffy tail.
Correct: The girl walked the dog with a fluffy tail.
This sentence clarifies that it's the dog that has a fluffy tail.
TTA Pro Tip
Place modifiers as close as possible to the words they're describing.
Read your sentence out loud to check if it sounds right.
Real-world Example
Incorrect: I only eat vegetables grown in my garden.
This sentence implies that the writer eats nothing but vegetables from their garden.
Correct: I eat only vegetables grown in my garden.
This sentence clarifies that the writer eats only the vegetables from their garden, not that they eat nothing else.
Tricky Apostrophes and Modifiers
Definition
Sometimes, using apostrophes for possession can accidentally create a misplaced modifier.
Apostrophes used for possession can sometimes create misplaced modifiers.
In the incorrect sentence, the modifier "Injured yesterday" is incorrectly connected to "Ahmad's health" due to the apostrophe, implying that Ahmad's health was injured yesterday.
Correct: Injured yesterday, Ahmad improved his health today.
Examples
Incorrect: After winning the race, the runner's shoes were untied.
This sentence suggests that the shoes won the race.
Correct: After winning the race, the runner untied her shoes.
This sentence makes it clear that the runner both won the race and untied her shoes.
TTA Pro Tip
Check if your sentence implies that an object is doing an action.
Rewrite the sentence to make the person or animal the subject of the action.
Real-world Example
Incorrect: While cooking dinner, the recipe's instructions were easy to follow.
This sentence implies that the recipe's instructions were cooking dinner.
Correct: While cooking dinner, I found the recipe's instructions easy to follow.
This sentence clarifies that "I" was cooking dinner and found the instructions easy to follow.
Summary and Key Takeaways
Modifiers add detail and interest to our sentences, but they need to be used carefully.
Always check that your modifiers clearly connect to the words they're describing.
Place modifiers close to the words they modify to avoid confusion.
Be careful with possessive apostrophes, as they can sometimes create misplaced modifiers.
Reading your sentences out loud can help you catch modifier mistakes.
Clear writing helps your readers understand your ideas easily. By using modifiers correctly, you can make your writing more descriptive and engaging without confusing your audience.
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