GMAT Verbal & Essays

Hi. I'm very confused with absolute phrase and modifier. A lot of times, when I see a group of words set off by a comma, I don't know how to tell whether it's a modifier or an absolute phrase.

Be careful with your wording here. An absolute phrase and a modifier are not mutually exclusive. An absolute phrase is simply a type of modifier.

"One by one, down the hill come the mothers of the neighborhood, their kids running beside them."

Just know that, if something is set off by commas, it is not part of the core structure of the sentence. By that, of course, I mean that it is neither the subject nor the verb.

Thanks a lot. I was totally confused before. Yes, an absolute phrase is just a modifier.