Modifiers (five types) *they modify the subject

1) Dangling modifier: (the modifier “noun” isn’t found in the sentence)

Modify something but is not related to the main subject of the sentence.
Jogging in the park, the sun was shining    
While the children were jogging in the park, the sun was shining   
Jogging in the park, the children felt the sun shine.   
Slurping (drinking quickly or with making sound) loudly, the clock struck midnight   
While Tom was slurping loudly, the clock struck midnight.
Slurping loudly, Tom heard the clock strike midnight.
dug in 6 months, engineers worked hard to finish the SUEZ CANAL . Wrong
dug in 6 months, The Suez CANAL was finished on time .
2) Misplaced modifier: the modifier is found but its place is incorrect
A scrap from a uniform was part of the quilt that had been worn during the civil war. Wrong
A scrap from a uniform that had been worn during the civil war was part of the quilt. Correct
I want to buy a nice present for Abeer wrapped in a colorful paper. Wrong
I want to buy a nice present wrapped in a colorful paper for Abeer. Correct
3) Wrong adverb:
An adverb is a word that answers one of these questions:
How – when – where – how often – to what extent and usually ends in ly.
Noha works so hard in this semester.
So: to what extent does Noha work hard in this semester?
Hard: How does Noha work in this semester?
I visited the strangely designed Taj Mahal that was built to appreciate a woman’s sacrifice.
- Strangely is wrong it should be strange.
I visited the strange Taj Mahal …………   
Most students grow increasingly nervous especially before exams.
- increasingly is wrong it should be increasing.
4) Wrong adjective:
An adjective: a word that describes a noun or a pronoun.
More than two (est) First, most, fewest Last
Between two (er) Formal, more, fewer Latter
Of the two writers Evan was the most prolific and Ernest was the more creative. (the more)
The first was so intelligent and the last was so polite. (the formal, the latter)
OF all the students in 10 A, Abeer is the most co-operative, but Hala is the more obedient.
The most obedient
The former is intelligent and the last is kinder. (The latter)
5) Awkward passive (week passive):
The essays were written by the students. (Week passive)
The essays were written outstandingly. (Passive)
The children wrote the essays outstandingly. (Active)
How do I know if the sentence is active or passive?
An active sentence is a sentence that has the three parts clear as follows:
People speak English all over the world (active)
English is spoken all over the world. (passive)
English is spoken by people all over the world. (awkward passive)   
Passive: sentence that has v. to be (am - is - are - was - were - being - been - be) + past participle 
The essays corrected by the teacher are written well. (passive)   
Adjective phrase / Participle phrase
The students write the essays well.
Choose the correct sentence:
A) Walking in the street, Noha drenched (‫ )مبلل‬the rain (wrong in its meaning)
B) Walking in the street, Noha was drenched by the rain
C) Walking in the street, Noha drenches the rain (wrong in its meaning)
D) Walking in the street, the rain drenched Noha. (dangling modifier)

Note:
English is a weird language. Don’t be confused by constructions like the one below:
- The magician walked across the stage, dazzling (amaze) the crowd with card tricks.
This sentence is grammatically correct and does not contain a modifier error – it's understood
that dazzling the crowd with card tricks applies to the subject, the magician, even though it’s
placed next to the stage.
Modifier errors will typically occur when the describing phrase is at the start of the sentence, as
in the examples above, so don't overanalyze these types of sentences.
Note that the comma is important; without it, there WOULD be a modifier error

After seeing enough of these, you should be able to instinctively spot the ridiculousness (is that
a word?) of sentences that have this error. There can be multiple ways of correcting them. By
correcting these on your own, you'll learn to think for yourself and more quickly identify the
correct answers on the SAT, rather than relying on the answer choices to "think" for you.
1. Hunting for deer, Julian's rifle misfired and burst into flames.
Dangling modifier. Change Julian's rifle into Julian.
2. Having finished the SAT, the rest of life was easy.
Dangling modifier. Change the rest into I found the rest.
3. Having had no water for five days, the steak and cheese sandwich was squeezed for the
grease that we could drink
the steak and cheese sandwich was squeezed we squeezed the steak and cheese sandwich
4. Active in community service and local affairs, Obama's passion for politics is what would
eventually lead him to the presidency.
Change Obama's passion for politics is what into Obama had a passion for politics that
5. By blasting music at home, the neighbors will start to acquire your musical taste.
Change the neighbors into you will see that the neighbors
6. By majoring in basket weaving, a lifetime of regret and despair awaits.
Because I am majoring in basket weaving, I had a lifetime of regret and despair awaits
7. After catching a cold, my lung surgery was the perfect cure.
Change my into I found that
8. While on air at the radio station, the microphone of the talk show host exploded.
While the talk show was on air at the radio station, the microphone of the exploded
9. As a young child growing up in Massachusetts, Mitt's father gave him airplanes as gifts.
As a young child growing up in Massachusetts, Mitt received airplanes as gifts from her father.
10. Hidden far from sunlight in the caves of Mars, scientists have uncovered an E.T. colony.

11. Chris saw the march of marines looking outside the window as crowds cheered on either side.

12. Overcooked and over-seasoned, Gordon Ramsay swore at the cook and dumped the fish
into the garbage.

13. Dressed in a cute outfit and filled with cotton, Tiffany loved the soft feel of her teddy bear.

14. The magician dazzled and surprised the audience members wearing a cloak and top hat.

15. Decorated with colorful ornaments and stars, we took pictures by the Christmas tree.

16. After missing an easy goal, the crowd booed the soccer player.

17. Having forgotten about the homework assignment, his comments on the book in class were
general statements that could apply to any book.

18. To get the best view of the movie, our seats were reserved in the front and center.

19. Prancing joyously from field to field, the scientist followed the deer.

20. Though skinny and awkward from the outset, Conan's sense of humor made him a
television success.

21. Climbing from tree to tree, the explorers avidly watched the red pandas.
 Tennis
        Since the age of 10, 1. tennis has been my daughter Cayla's fascination. 2. Having
watched them play live, Venus and Serena Williams became her idols and she tries to
imitate their aggressive play style. 3. When other six year olds were watching cartoons,
Cayla would be watching tennis. So, as encouraging parents, 4. lessons were the next step.
At the ages of ten and eleven, the Williams sisters were enrolled at the Academy of Rick
Macci to improve their game, so getting Cayla started with the game early seemed like a
good idea.
1.
A. NO CHANGE
B. tennis has been the fascination of my daughter Cayla.
C. my daughter Cayla has been fascinated with tennis.
D. my daughter Cayla's fascination has been tennis.
2.
A) NO CHANGE B) After Cayla watched them play live,
C) After watching live, D) Watching them play live,
3.
A) NO CHANGE B) Having watched cartoons,
C) When watching cartoons, D) Cartoons being watched by other six year olds,
4.
A) NO CHANGE B) lessons had to be C) Cayla's lessons were D) we decided lessons were
A simple sport, 5. the rules of tennis have not changed since 1890. The main idea is to hit
the ball inside the opponent's side of the court with a racquet. Made and shaped from
wood, 6. players found the first racquets difficult to play with, but by improving the
underlying technology, 7. today's racquets are more powerful than ever before. Hitting the
ball, 8. a player's grip must remain firm and balanced.
5.
A. NO CHANGE B) tennis has not had its rules changed
C) tennis's rules have not D) no one has changed the rules of tennis
changed
6.
A) NO CHANGE B) the game of tennis was
C) the first racquets were D) the first racquets were found to be
7.
A) NO CHANGE B) they are
C) today's racquets have become D) today's racquet creators have made them
8.
A) NO CHANGE B) the grip of the player must remain
C) the grip must be kept D) a player must keep the grip
1. C 2. B 3. A 4. D 5. B 6. C 7. D 8. D
Because he thought of tennis as a serious sport, her coach was quite demanding. During
one particular match, my daughter found it hard to see because of the sun. 9. She swung
and missed the tennis ball squinting at the sky. Her coach got very angry.
Needless to say, we soon had to find her a new coach. Searching for one that was
more patient, 10. it was time we asked our friends for recommendations. Playing tennis
can be tough, but it should also be enjoyable. The new coach turned out to be great. 11.
With spin and power, she taught Cayla a better way to serve the ball. The first time she
spun the ball in, she jumped up and down excitedly like it was Christmas morning.
Growing in confidence, 12. her movements became more smooth. At one point,
Cayla even challenged her coach to a friendly match. I can’t wait to see how she evolves as
a tennis player in the coming years
9.
A. NO CHANGE
B) She swung and missed the tennis ball by squinting at the sky.
C) She swung and missed, squinting at the sky, the tennis ball.
D) Squinting at the sky, she swung and missed the tennis ball.
10.
A) NO CHANGE B) we asked friends for C) our friends gave us D) our friends were asked for
11.
A) NO CHANGE
B) She taught Cayla, with spin and power, a better way to serve the ball.
C) She taught Cayla a better way to serve, with spin and power, the ball.
D) She taught Cayla a better way to serve the ball with spin and power.
12.
A) NO CHANGE B) her movements were smoother
C) she moved more smoothly D) the way she moved became smoother.
9. D 10. B 11. D 12. C

Squinting: partly closed eyes, looking in different direction ‫أحول العينين‬