It's like picking baseball and describing it. How to practice, how to play what material/equipment you need... I hope that helps.
I think the answer is Rhyme and rhythm
Among the two sentences given, the first sentence used the modifier correctly in order to clearly describe the words it is intended. The sentence, "I saw the car, that had passed us, screech to a halt at the red light." The modifier in this sentence is the phrase, "that had passed us". This phrase describes the word "car".
