IXL | Are the modifiers used correctly? | 12th grade language arts

Which sentence is correct?

Unable to hear the shrill noise that it makes, the cicada has a special muscle that disables its hearing apparatus.

Unable to hear the shrill noise that it makes, a special muscle disables the cicada's hearing apparatus.

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Learn with an example

question

Which sentence is correct?

Driving past the smoldering buildings, I noticed street signs coated with gray smudges from the smoke.

Driving past the smoldering buildings, the street signs were coated with gray smudges from the smoke.

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 dangling modifier. Because the modifier driving past the smoldering buildings is adjacent to the street signs, this sentence wrongly suggests that the street signs were driving past the smoldering buildings.

Driving past the smoldering buildings, the street signs were coated with gray smudges from the smoke.

The first sentence is correct because driving past the smoldering buildings is adjacent to I, which is what it should modify.

Driving past the smoldering buildings, I noticed street signs coated with gray smudges from the smoke.

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EE.2Select the misplaced or dangling modifier

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