IXL | Are the modifiers used correctly?

Which sentence is correct?

Commuting to his office downtown, Hugo was so engrossed with the crossword puzzle that he almost missed his bus stop.

Commuting to his office downtown, the crossword puzzle kept Hugo so engrossed that he almost missed his bus stop.

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Learn with an example

question

Which sentence is correct?

Though exhausted by the effort, the iron gate refused to budge, no matter how hard I pushed.

Though exhausted by the effort, I couldn't get the iron gate to budge, no matter how hard I pushed.

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 first sentence has a dangling modifier. Because the modifier exhausted by the effort is adjacent to the iron gate, this sentence wrongly suggests that the iron gate was exhausted.

Though exhausted by the effort, the iron gate refused to budge, no matter how hard I pushed.

The second sentence is correct because exhausted by the effort is adjacent to I, which is what it should modify.

Though exhausted by the effort, I couldn't get the iron gate to budge, no matter how hard I pushed.

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RR.2Select the misplaced or dangling modifier

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