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Mike McGarry
Lesson by Mike McGarry
Magoosh Expert

Summary
Understanding the distinction between vital and non-vital noun modifiers is crucial for mastering GMAT sentence correction questions.
  • Vital noun modifiers are essential for establishing the identity of the noun they modify, and their absence introduces ambiguity.
  • Non-vital modifiers provide additional information or description but are not crucial for identifying the noun.
  • Vital modifiers do not use commas, whereas non-vital modifiers are typically set off by commas.
  • The word 'that' is almost always used with vital modifiers, while 'which' is commonly used with non-vital modifiers.
  • Vital modifiers must directly touch the noun they modify, even if it means coming between the noun and a non-vital modifier.
Chapters
00:00
Introduction to Noun Modifiers
03:51
Rules for Vital and Non-Vital Modifiers
08:17
Priority of Modifiers