Grammar: Dangling Modifiers

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| By Tpcmercury
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Tpcmercury
Community Contributor
Quizzes Created: 14 | Total Attempts: 7,713
| Attempts: 1,092
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  • 1/5 frågor

    Which is correct?

    • Getting up early, the house seemed unusually quiet to me.
    • Getting up early, I noticed that the house seemed unusually quiet.
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  • 2. 

    Which is correct?

    • While reaching for a hammer, the ladder began to tip.

    • While I was reaching for a hammer, the ladder began to tip.

    Correct Answer
    A. While I was reaching for a hammer, the ladder began to tip.
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "While I was reaching for a hammer, the ladder began to tip." This is the correct answer because it uses the past continuous tense ("was reaching") to indicate that the action of reaching for a hammer was already in progress when the ladder began to tip. The first option, "While reaching for a hammer, the ladder began to tip," is grammatically incorrect as it lacks a subject for the action of reaching.

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  • 3. 

    Does the following sentence contain a dangling modifier? "Discovering that I had left my wallet at home, I asked Janet to pay for our lunch."

    • Yes

    • No

    Correct Answer
    A. No
    Explanation
    The given sentence does not contain a dangling modifier. The introductory phrase "Discovering that I had left my wallet at home" is followed by the subject "I" and the verb "asked," which correctly indicates that the subject is the one asking Janet to pay for lunch. Therefore, there is no ambiguity or misplacement of the modifier in the sentence.

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  • 4. 

    Does the following sentence contain a dangling modifier? "After finishing my assignment, the dog ate it."

    • Yes

    • No

    Correct Answer
    A. Yes
    Explanation
    Yes, the given sentence contains a dangling modifier. The phrase "After finishing my assignment" is a modifier that is not clearly connected to the subject of the sentence. It suggests that the dog finished the assignment, which is illogical. A possible revision could be: "After I finished my assignment, the dog ate it." This would clarify that it was the speaker who finished the assignment, not the dog.

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  • 5. 

    Which is correct?

    • The cook put the fries, still steaming from the deep fryer, into the basket.

    • Still steaming from the deep fryer, the cook put the fries in the basket.

    Correct Answer
    A. The cook put the fries, still steaming from the deep fryer, into the basket.
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "The cook put the fries, still steaming from the deep fryer, into the basket." This is because the phrase "still steaming from the deep fryer" is describing the fries, and it makes more sense for it to be placed immediately after the noun it is modifying. Placing it at the beginning of the sentence disrupts the flow and makes it less clear that the phrase is referring to the fries.

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Quiz Review Timeline (Updated): Mar 20, 2023 +

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  • Current Version
  • Mar 20, 2023
    Quiz Edited by
    ProProfs Editorial Team
  • Feb 14, 2012
    Quiz Created by
    Tpcmercury
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