Whenever you see an introductory modifying clause on any SAT Writing section, your grammar antenna should start freaking out. Why? Chances are these questions are testing something very specific… something I itch to divulge.
What is an introductory modifying clause? An introductory modifying clause modifies the subject of the sentence’s main clause. For example:
Thrilled with her scores on the SAT, Alison quickly began working on her application to Harvard.
Here, the underlined portion of the sentence is the introductory modifying clause, because it modifies, or tells us something about, Alison. Because the introductory modifying clause describes Alison, “Alison” must come immediately after the comma.
Let’s take a look at a level 5 question from an actual SAT:
Prized for their brilliance and durability, people will spend thousands of dollars on high-quality diamonds.
- (A) Prized for their brilliance and durability, people will spend thousands of dollars on high-quality diamonds.
- (B) Prized for their brilliance and durability, thousands of dollars are spent by people on high quality diamonds.
- (C) Prizing them for their brilliance as well as their durability, thousands of dollars can be spent by people on high quality diamonds.
- (D) Prizing the brilliance and durability of high-quality diamonds, people will spend thousands of dollars for them.
- (E) Prizing high-quality diamonds for their brilliance and durability are what makes people spend thousands of dollars for them.
Even though the entire sentence is underlined, you should immediately recognize that “Prized for their brilliance and durability,” is an introductory modifying clause. Thus, you need to ask yourself: what is this clause describing?
Answer: High-quality diamonds.
Well, self, does the phrase, “high-quality diamonds” come immediately after the comma?
Answer: No, the word, “people” does. How ridiculous! People are not praised for their brilliance and durability!
Normally, we’d improve this sentence by searching for the answer choice that correctly places “high-quality diamonds” beside the introductory modifying clause. For this level 5 question, however, we’ll need to alter the modifier, itself. Take a look a the answer choices. For each, you’ll need to look at the introductory modifying clause, ask yourself what it is describing, and double check that the subject of the modifier comes immediately after the comma. When you’ve selected an answer, hit the link below to see if you’re correct.
The correct answer is D.
In choice (D), the introductory modifying clause is: “prizing the brilliance and durability of high quality diamonds”. Who prizes the brilliance and durability of high quality diamonds? People do! And “people” comes immediately after the comma.
What about the other answer choices?
- We already know that choice (A) doesn’t work, because the introductory modifying clause “prized for their brilliance and durability” describes high-quality diamonds, not people.
- Apply the same logic to rule out choice (B). Again, in choice (B), the introductory modifying clause describes high-quality diamonds, but the phrase, “thousands of dollars” comes after the comma.
- In choice (C), the modifier, “prizing them for their brilliance as well as their durability” tells us about people. Alas! The phrase, “thousands of dollars” follows the comma, so you can cross (C) out.
- Choice (E) is incorrect because it contains a subject-verb agreement error, as the verb “are” does not agree in number with the subject, “[the act of] prizing high-quality diamonds”. I will address subject-verb agreement in a tutorial to come.