IXL | Are the modifiers used correctly? | 11th grade language arts

Which sentence is correct?

Before doing electrical work, the electricity should be turned off.

Before doing electrical work, you should turn off the electricity.

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Learn with an example

question

Which sentence is correct?

At the age of eleven, Benjamin Franklin invented swimming fins that were made to be worn on the hands.

Benjamin Franklin invented swimming fins that were made to be worn on the hands at the age of eleven.

key idea

A modifier is a word or phrase that modifies, or describes, another word or phrase.

A misplaced modifier is a modifier that appears to modify the wrong word or phrase because it is too far from the word or phrase that it should modify.

Winston saw monkeys and peacocks on vacation in India.

This sentence has a misplaced modifier. It wrongly suggests that the monkeys and peacocks were on vacation.

On vacation in India, Winston saw monkeys and peacocks.

This sentence correctly suggests that Winston was on vacation.

A dangling modifier is a modifier that appears to modify the wrong word or phrase because the word or phrase that it should modify is missing from the sentence.

Trying to fall asleep, the sheets felt uncomfortably hot.

This sentence has a dangling modifier. It wrongly suggests that the sheets were trying to fall asleep.

Trying to fall asleep, I felt uncomfortably hot in the sheets.

This sentence correctly suggests that I was trying to fall asleep.

solution

The second sentence has a misplaced modifier. Because the modifier at the age of eleven is adjacent to worn on the hands, this sentence wrongly suggests that the fins should only be worn when someone is eleven.

Benjamin Franklin invented swimming fins that were made to be worn on the hands at the age of eleven.

The first sentence is correct because at the age of eleven is adjacent to Benjamin Franklin, which is what it should modify.

At the age of eleven, Benjamin Franklin invented swimming fins that were made to be worn on the hands.

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EE.2Select the misplaced or dangling modifier

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