Modifiers: misplaced and dangling — Digital SAT Reading & Writing practice
Make each modifier describe the right word.
Key ideas to know
Placed Modifier Rule
Choose the correct sentence. A) Running down the street, the trees blurred past. B) Running down the street, I watched the trees blur past.
B. The modifier must sit next to the word it describes (I). In A, it incorrectly modifies trees.
Watch out: Assuming any action phrase at the start automatically matches the main subject without checking logic.
Opening Modifier Check
When an opening phrase ends in a comma, what must follow it to avoid a dangling modifier? A) Any verb B) The intended doer C) An adverb D) A preposition
B. The subject immediately following the comma must be the logical doer of the action in the opening phrase.
Watch out: Picking a sentence that flows well but leaves the opening phrase without a logical subject right after it.
Fixing Dangling Modifiers
What is wrong with this sentence and how do you fix it? Walking through the park, the flowers were beautiful. A) Missing comma B) Dangling modifier; rewrite so a person is the subject C) Wrong tense D) No error
B. The flowers cannot walk. Fix by making the intended doer the subject: Walking through the park, I saw beautiful flowers.
Watch out: Trying to patch it by adding there or it after the comma instead of changing the subject.
Adjective vs Adverb Modifiers
Choose the correct sentence. A) She finished the race quick and proud. B) She finished the race quickly and proudly.
B. Adverbs modify verbs. Quickly describes how she ran; proudly describes her manner. Adjectives would modify nouns, not actions.
Watch out: Using an adjective to describe an action because it sounds like a state of being, ignoring that verbs need adverbs.
Placement of Limiting Words
Where should only go to mean she ate just one cookie? She ate only one cookie. vs She only ate one cookie. Which is correct and why?
The first is correct. Only must sit directly before the word it limits (one). In the second, it incorrectly limits ate, implying she did nothing else to the cookie.
Watch out: Placing only at the start of a clause or after the verb, which shifts the intended meaning to the wrong word.