Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Which vs. That vs. Who
3. Resumptive Modifier
4. Countable vs. Uncountable

Introduction

Modifying phrases must modify the noun immediately following the phrase.

Example

Ever since her tail was crushed in the front door, Julie has been worried about Meow, her pet cat. Incorrect

Ever since her tail was crushed in the front door, Julie’s pet cat Meow has been a source of worry to her owner. Correct

In the example above, the phrase “ever since her tail was crushed by the front door” modifies the noun “Meow,” so “Meow” must be placed immediately after the modifying phrase. “Julie’s,” “pet,” “cat” are all adjectives describing the noun and can be disregarded to simplify the analysis.

Which vs. That vs. Who

“Who” is used to reference people. ”That” and “which” refers to groups or things.

Example

Anya is the one who rescued the bird.

She belongs to an organization that specializes in saving endangered species.

“That” introduces restrictive clauses while “which” introduces non-restrictive clauses.

Example

I do not trust products that claim “all natural ingredients” because this phrase can mean almost anything.

The product claiming “all natural ingredients,” which appeared in the Sunday newspaper, is on sale.

In the first example, we would not know which products were being discussed without the “that” clause. In the second example, the product is already identified; therefore, “which” begins a non-restrictive clause. A good rule of thumb is that restrictive clauses do not have commas surrounding them while non-restrictive clauses are surrounded by commas. A common GMAT trick is to include answer choices with a mixture of phrases using “which” and “that. The key to solving these problems is identifying which problems contain restrictive or non-restrictive phrases, and identifying the correct relative pronoun to use.

Common GMAT trap! If the word “which” is used, 99% of the time it always needs to immediately follow the noun it modifies.

Example

Residents quickly exited the apartment as the fire approached, which made the firefighter’s job much easier. Incorrect

Residents quickly exited the apartment as the fire approached, making the firefighter’s job much easier. Correct

In the first example, the word “which” incorrectly modifies “fire approached.” As written, the approaching fire seems to make the fire fighters job easier. The logical structure of the sentence should be the residents exiting makes the firefighter’s job easier. Eliminating the word “which” and substituting the word “making” resolves this confusion.

Resumptive Modifier

Example

Since the 1950’s aircraft manufacturers have tried to build airplanes with frictionless wings, shaped so smoothly and perfectly that the air passing over them would not become turbulent. Incorrect

Since the 1930’s aircraft manufacturers have tried to build airplanes with frictionless wings, wings so smooth and so perfectly shaped that the air passing over them would not become turbulent. Correct

A resumptive modifier picks up a word or phrase from a sentence that seems to be complete, then adds information to take the reader down a new avenue of thought. In the example above, “wings” needs to be repeated in order to unambiguously convey the meaning of the sentence.

Countable vs. Uncountable

Make sure countable modifiers are matched up with corresponding countable objects.

Example

I have much shirts that can be donated to Goodwill. Incorrect

I have much admiration for Commander Smith’s heroism. Correct

When in doubt whether an object is countable or uncountable, simply perform the count test. One shirt, two shirt, three shirt… yes, this is countable. One admiration, two admiration, three admiration… no, this is uncountable.

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