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ACT English 3.1 Sentence Structure 328 Views


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Description:

ACT English: Sentence Structure Drill 3, Problem 1. How would you change the underlined portion?

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:03

Here's your Shmoop du jour, brought to you by modifying phrases. Poor things. They're

00:09

in a constant state of identity crisis.

00:12

How should you change the underlined portion below, if at all?

00:16

After reading the original study, the article remains unconvincing.

00:27

Knowing one simple rule makes this one a cinch to fix.

00:30

If we don't know this simple rule, though, we may be headed for complete chaos.

00:35

"After reading the original study" is what's known as a modifying phrase. Like adjectives,

00:40

it's the job of modifying phrases to describe nouns and pronouns.

00:45

The one simple rule we need to keep in mind here is that it's important to place the noun

00:49

or pronoun that the modifying phrase is describing directly after or before the phrase itself.

00:57

This way the reader is never confused about what exactly the modifying phrase is describing.

01:02

Confusing modifiers can cause lots of trouble.

01:04

For example, we might write an email to our boss where he mistakenly thinks we're describing

01:09

the way his wife kissed us at the holiday party rather than the cute dog she was holding.

01:14

The original sentence in question definitely breaks our rule. Here, the noun following

01:18

our modifying phrase is "article."

01:21

We're guessing that the article wasn't the thing reading the original study, unless it

01:25

was some kind of sentient article with artificial intelligence.

01:29

Chances are, this is not the author's intention, and so we can eliminate choice (A). We're

01:33

convinced that this sentence is in need of a little TLC.

01:38

Choices (B) and (C) basically make the same mistake. As with the original sentence, both

01:42

options place the noun, "article," after the modifying phrase.

01:46

So we can eliminate both of these options for the same reason as choice (A). Chaos will

01:50

always ensue if we don't place the noun or pronoun we're describing directly after the

01:55

modifying phrase.

01:57

Choice (D) is the correct answer because it does just this by placing the pronoun "I"

02:02

after the modifying phrase.

02:03

In this version, it's totally clear that it's the speaker who's done the background research

02:07

that has apparently exposed this poorly researched article.

02:10

What kind of sicko is this speaker? Exposing articles? They need to keep their pants on

02:14

like everyone else.

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