which sentence in the passage contains a dangling modifier

2) I learned this lesson when my friend and me studied all afternoon, then aced our final exam for biology. Misplaced and dangling modifiers distract the reader. Misplaced and dangling modifiers. In English sentences, the doer must be the subject of the main clause that follows. from https://www.scribbr.com/sentence-structure/dangling-modifier/. Modifiers work by adding descriptive language to sentences, either just before or just after the words they are modifying. Yes! I learned several rules to stay safe from bears in the woods: get off the trail by sundown, make lots of noise so bears know you're there, and __________. For example, in the following sentence, the word "burger" is modified by the word "vegetarian": Example: I'm going to the Saturn Caf for a vegetarian burger. Wielding ancient ocean secrets with a snap of her fingers, lost the surfing championship, which included a scholarship to college. is a word that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb. tail with two human legs. After completing the job, Jill turned on the television. She seems logically to be the one doing the action ("having finished"), and this sentence therefore does not have a dangling modifier. Birth defects are common among addicted mothers, such as chronic lung diseases. Female Salvation Army officers in the nineteenth century were expected to raise funds by preaching to crowds in attractive dresses. Misplaced Also known as ambiguous modifiers or squinting modifiers, misplaced modifiers are a common mistake. They frequently include an -ing word (gerund) and to + verb (infinitive) phrase near the start of a sentence. In the example below, the introductory phrase modifies Jane, the subject of the main clause. Making discoveries about new creatures, this is an interesting time to be a biologist. Often, they can be found at the beginning of sentences, though they can also appear at a sentence's end. We glued together the vase we broke quietly. The main difference between misplaced modifiers and dangling modifiers is whether the word theyre supposed to describe is in the sentence. Google Classroom. The inevitable passage of time was a particularly painful example of such change, especially since it . . But the purpose of an adjective is to describe a noun, and an adjective phrase ultimately describes a noun by providing a more vivid description than a single adjective can. , all rights reserved. The local residents often saw Ken wandering through the streets. Choose the word that is not related in meaning to the other words. Here are a few examples of misplaced modifiers: In the first sentence, who is Pumpkin? This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Doctoral Capstone Preproposal Starter Kit, Sentence Structure and Types of Sentences, Relative, Restrictive, and Nonrestrictive Clauses, Verb Forms: "-ing," Infinitives, and Past Participles, Mastering the Mechanics: Modifiers (video transcript), Structuring Sentences: Dangling Modifiers (video transcript), Structuring Sentences: Misplaced Modifiers (video transcript), website accessibility and accommodation statement, Walden Departments, Centers, and Resources. How do you communicate where, when, or how something happened? What Is a Dangling Modifier? Directions: Read the However, when a modifier is separated from the word it describes, it becomes unclear which word its supposed to modify. Privacy policy. theyre modifying. (Painting is the -ing modifier.). Does it modify "Dolger" or "civilization"? c) comes at the end of a sentence and is separated from the word it modifies. Incorrect: Walking home at night, the trees looked like spooky aliens. A. Misplaced modifiers describe a word or phrase that is in the sentence, but in the wrong place. ACT English tests two broad content areas. a gymnast (subject complement for Lynn, via state of being expressed in participle). Chapter 11: Writing from Research: What Will I Learn? Often, they can be found at the beginning of sentences, though they can also appear at a sentence's end. To revise, decide who was trying to introduce him. One method of fixing a dangling modifier is to leave the modifier as it is and rewrite the main clause so that it begins with the subject being modified. DANGLING MODIFIER: When we begin a sentence with a modifying word, phrase, or clause, we must make sure the next thing that comes along can, in fact, be modified by that modifier. Scrubbing the tile grout with bleach and an old toothbrush, the mildew stains began to fade. In the incorrect sentence, it seems that the brothers name is. Eliminate grammar errors and improve your writing with our free AI-powered grammar checker. This sentence says that the experiment was trying to improve its own results. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. This modifier placement makes it clear that the "civilization" used astronavigation. Here are a few examples: , I watched a squirrel cross the sidewalk. made a proposal: She would turn him into a merman with the grace and athleticism Lets look at some dangling modifier and misplaced modifier examples to clear things up. A. Did they previously live in bricks? early (adverb), The participial phrase functions as an adjective modifying Lynn. Correct: She wore a bicycle helmet that was too large on her head. Copyright 2022 by The On-Campus Writing Lab& The OWL at Purdueand Purdue University. Confusing: Tyler almost found fifty cents under the sofa cushions. Because a car accident appears where the subject should be, the sentence now suggests that a car accident was driving to work. A dangling modifier is a modifier that doesnt modify any specific word in the sentence. Writing, grammar, and communication tips for your inbox. act as modifiers. D) While waiting for the bus, Egypt ate her breakfast. Uncle Louie bought a running stroller for the baby that he called Speed Racer.. a. du b. au c. de la 3. Theres nothing like a cone of chocolate ice cream on a hot day. scrambling endangered sea turtle eggs for breakfast, an apology had to be This website collects and publishes the ideas of individuals who have contributed those ideas in their capacities as faculty-mentored student scholars. 1) People know that taking tests is hard, but you will get better grades by studying. Oxford University Press, 2023. Hybrid cars use an electric motor, which can draw power from the car's battery when accelerating. After thoughtlessly Usually, this means right before or after the noun: This is also true when theyre modifying a, When a modifier isnt in this position, it can make the sentence confusing for a reader or listener. Mr. Fernandez is teaching us about great world leaders. are phrases that function as adjectives, which means they describe nouns. Chapter 7: Refining Your Writing: How Do I Improve My Writing Technique? Watching the game with her friends, her favourite soccer team won the championship. Tired after a long day at work, Mei napped with her cat. This website collects and publishes the ideas of individuals who have contributed those ideas in their capacities as faculty-mentored student scholars. REVISED: They failed the experiment, not having studied the lab manual carefully. In fact, theyre so common that we included them in our list of ten grammatical errors that make you look bad. These details, depending on how this sentence fits into a larger conversation, could serve as foreshadowing, clarification, distinction between this and another statement, or a means to, The second sentence contains both a modifier and a modifier phrase. Purdue OWL is a registered trademark. Your writing will be stronger for it. Learn how to correct misplaced and dangling modifiers. All rights reserved. In other words, there is no referent in the sentence. Putting straws up his nose and barking like a walrus did not make Tommy Do you really want to submit? A modifier describes, clarifies, or gives more detail about a concept. Remember, modifiers are supposed to appear next to the words they describe, so just move a misplaced modifier before or after the right word. I ate nothing but a cold bowl of noodles for dinner. How to say passage: pronounce syllables in passage. A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that is separated from the word it describes, creating confusion and ambiguity. D. All of the above E. None of the above Click the card to flip A. While a modifier is a single word that alters a sentences meaning, a modifier phrase is a phrase that functions as a modifier. a. du b. la c. de la 2. B) The school bus has a morning and afternoon route. Print Worksheet. cat surprised us by accepting the new kitten. You guessed itwith modifiers. My mother asked me for two weeks to visit the family cottage. Printed from While looking in the mirror, the towel swayed in the breeze. This sentence has a misplaced or dangling modifier! Bent over backward, the posture was very challenging. When you write a formal essay, you should always follow the steps of the writing process, including prewriting to gather your ideas, drafting to organize your ideas, and making revisions to make sure your ideas are logical. Sentence 1: Change "you" to "they' Sentence 2: Change "me" to "I". hair, which became dry and brittle. Have a human editor polish your writing to ensure your arguments are judged on merit, not grammar errors. This will make your readers either laugh or scratch their heads, neither of . 1. The second is Rhetorical Skills (including strategy, organization, and style). Terms Exercises Simple modifiers like only, almost, just, nearly, and barely often get used incorrectly because writers often stick them in the wrong place. Not sure what a modifier is? Furthermore, misplaced modifiers can describe the wrong word or phrase, giving your reader the wrong impression and creating wild scenarios. Canvas A writers goal must always be to communicate clearly and to avoid distracting the reader with strange sentences or awkward sentence constructions. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use. To raise a good dog, patience is useful. In history essays, you have to analyze significant events that have a lot of detail in a precise paragraph. Chapter 4: Working with Words: Which Word Is Right? Correct: The patient with stomach pains was referred to the physician. C) Several students walk home together in the evening. Amy Luo. Rhetorical Skills focuses on your comprehending of . Which of the following sentences contains a dangling modifier? Polluting the ocean so carelessly was the last clam shell For a quick refresher on how to fit these components together to build sentences, read our post on. How to pronounce passage: pas-ij. Here are a few example sentences: Limiting modifiers are modifiers that add detail by describing the limits a noun, pronoun, or other subject in a sentence faces. For example, heres how the word, Demonstrative Pronouns: Definition and Examples. Garner, B. Often this error is a result of a main clause written in the passive voice. The materials collected here do not express the views of, or positions held by, Purdue University. Scribbr. Hanging on a fencepost in a field, I saw a pair of boots. 4) In my opinion, scoring well on it is all about how you prepare. Packing for a trip, a cockroach scurried down the hallway. After identifying the dangling modifier, rewrite the sentence. Like the name suggests, dangling modifiers are also incorrectly used modifiers. Est-ce qu'il ya une boulangerie __________ centre commercial? Repaired: Tyler found almost fifty cents under the sofa cushions. Chapter 8: The Writing Process: How Do I Begin? Dangling modifiers often appear at the beginning of the sentence as a participle phrase. Piled up next to the bookshelf, I chose a romance novel. For example, heres how the word only can modify a sentence: Its GO time for generative AI writing assistance, Grammarly helps you communicate confidently. Decide if the underlined part of each sentence is an absolute phrase, an appositive phrase, a restrictive clause, or a nonrestrictive clause. Try these two tests: Turn your sentences into yes/no questions. In the example above, the first sentence fails to clarify whose hand was injured it does not state the subject of the introductory modifier phrase. For one thing, they make the meaning of a sentence unclear and hinder communication. Rewrite the following the sentences onto your own sheet of paper to correct the dangling modifiers. One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. Correct: They bought a kitten they call Shadow for my brother. A. Which sentence contains a misplaced modifier? Consider this sentence: Having finished the assignment, Jill turned on the TV. Humming and chewing, my sandwich went down smoothly. On ne mange pas tres bien a la cantine _______ ecole! This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. Chapter 13: APA and MLA Documentation and Formatting, Chapter 14: Creating Presentations: Sharing Your Ideas, Next: 2.8 Writing Basics: End-of-Chapter Exercises, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Cite This Source. of a dolphin! A dangling modifier is a word or phrase that modifies a word not clearly stated in the sentence. A reader will wonder, "Was Dolger using astronavigation? popular when he had dinner with Neptune, Marinas father. a. du b. au c. a la 6. No! Incorrect: She wore a bicycle helmet on her head that was too large. out on a swim, Tommy drank a root beer and tossed the empty plastic bottle Specifically, theyre words that modify their sentences meanings. A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that, because of its incorrect position within a sentence, modifies the wrong thing. Modifiers include descriptive words such as adjectives and adverbs: She always listened attentively in class. Rolling down the mountain, the explorer stopped the boulder with his powerful foot. Popping J'adore le marche ___________ Ville! We strongly encourage students to use sources in their work. A dangling modifier (or simply a dangler) is a word, phrase, or clause that describes something that has been left out of the sentence. along the shoreline (prepositional phrase as adverb), The participial phrase functions as an adjective modifying children. Refusing Relationships Psychology- PAST PAPER Q&As, The Language of Composition: Reading, Writing, Rhetoric, Lawrence Scanlon, Renee H. Shea, Robin Dissin Aufses. "Having finished" states an action but does not name the doer of that action. A modifier is a word or participial phrase that provides more information about something being discussed in the sentence. INCORRECT: Relieved of your responsibilities at your job, your home should be a place to relax. C. When taking a grammar quiz, concentration is everything. The young lady was walking the dog on the telephone. A modifier describes, clarifies, or gives more detail about a concept. While driving to the veterinarians office, the dog nervously whined. A word or phrase that modifies a term that is not explicitly expressed in the sentence is known as a dangling modifier. Mei napped with her cat, tired after a long day at work. his coat (direct object of action expressed in participle), The participial phrase functions as an adjective modifying cousin. Chapter 9: Writing Essays: From Start to Finish. We are looking for a babysitter for our precious six-year-old who doesnt drink or smoke and owns a car. Check our our FAQ. Choisis la preposition et l'article ou la contraction qui convient pour completer chaque phrase. This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. Furthermore, they can be downright illogical. Here are the same two sentences with their modifiers in the correct positions: One type of misplaced modifier is known as a dangling modifier. However, since they function as adjectives, participles modify nouns or pronouns. Moving slowly, Bowie stalked the rabbits. Relieved of your responsibilities at your job, not having studied the lab manual carefully, Writing Letters of Recommendation for Students, Higher Order Concerns (HOCs) and Lower Order Concerns (LOCs), Dangling Modifiers and How To Correct Them, Overview of Two-Part (Phrasal) Verbs (Idioms), Comparing Gerunds, Participles, and Infinitives. An adjective phrase can act as a modifier. In the first sentence, there is no clear indication of who or what is performing the action expressed in the participle carrying. Misplaced or Dangling Modifier? After being thoroughly cooked, we enjoyed a delicious lobster dinner. Notice in the incorrect sentence it sounds as if her head was too large! B. Luo, A. Modifiers are words, phrases, or clauses that describe other words and phrases. Correct Sentence? Sheila surprised Helen with the gift of a puppy whose birthday was on Sunday. Crawling across the floor, the baby knocked over the blocks. With a modifier. a. de la b. des c.du 5. Everyone makes a mistake once in a while; no one is infallible. Modifiers should appear next to the words they describe. 2 syllables. Home Placement: In order to prevent confusion, a participial phrase must be placed as close to the noun it modifies as possible, and the noun must be clearly stated. Walking in the dark, the picture fell off the wall. However, if we place the modifying phrase next to the word it describes, the sentence becomes correct. Misplaced modifiers make the sentence awkward and sometimes unintentionally humorous. Walden University is certified to operate by SCHEV This kind of modifier is unclear because its placed in a way that makes it just as applicable to the word before it as it is to the word following it. When a modifier is ambiguously or illogically modifying a word, we consider it amisplaced modifier. Il y a des marches ________ Etats-Unis? This can produce to difficulty in the comprehension of the text. Sometimes writers use modifiers incorrectly, leading to strange and unintentionally humorous sentences. Divide passage into syllables: pas-sage. Ideally, modifiers appear next to the word or phrase they describe, either directly before or after it. When there is nothing that the word, phrase, or clause can modify, the modifier is said to dangle. A few examples of single words that may be used as modifiers are: Modifier phrases, which can be adverbial or adjectival phrases, are phrases like: Sometimes, clauses act as modifiers. You should be aware that textbook requirements might change for this course while processing your order. a regular human being, Tommy regretted the gift that he had squandered. A misplaced modifier is improperly positioned in relation to the word, phrase or clause it is supposed to describe. A participle is a verbal that is used as an adjective and most often ends in -ing or -ed. music (direct object of action expressed in participle) Take a look at these examples to see a variety of ways modifiers operate in sentences: Modifiers are words that modify their sentences meanings by adding details and clarifying facts or by differentiating between people, events, or objects. This is similar to how, are phrases that function as adjectives, noun phrases are phrases that function as nouns, and other grammatical phrases function as specific. Ideally, modifiers appear next to the word or phrase they describe, either directly before or after it. The possible revision might look like this: The main clause now names the person (the captain) who did the action in the modifying phrase (arrived late). With no intelligible written dialect of this ancient civilization, the story of Easter Island remains a matter of speculation. You might hear or read that adjective phrases describe adjectives, and this is true in a pedantic sensean adjective phrase. Naturally, theyre often used as modifiers: can also be used as modifiers. After finishing the team's presentation at the board meeting, the president complimented us. Correct: The trees looked like spooky aliens as Jonas was walking home at night. Sometimes writers use modifiers incorrectly, leading to strange and unintentionally humorous sentences. But the purpose of an adjective is to describe a noun, and an adjective phrase ultimately describes a noun by providing a more vivid description than a single adjective can. The clown at the party was very nice. B. The revision might look something like this: INCORRECT: After reading the original study, the article remains unconvincing. To raise a good dog, patience is useful. A misplaced modifier is a modifier that is placed too far from the word or words it modifies. Fundamentally, modifiers purpose is to make sentences more descriptive or detailed. Please share with a classmate and compare your answers. Which sentences combine the ideas correctly? The modifier "vegetarian" gives extra information about what kind of burger it is. Having finished the assignment, Jill turned on the TV.

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