SAT Lecture 3 SAT Verbal — Subject-modifier Placement Part 1prPNere ape Outline Introduction to Modifiers Modifiers : dangling modifiers and misplaced modifiers Dangling Modifiers: Phrases at the Beginning of Sentences Dangling Modifiers: Situation 1: Main Clause Underlined Dangling Modifiers: Situation 2: Both Modifier and Main Clause Underlined Misplaced Modifiers: Modifier Placement in Sentences Applying Modifier Rules on SAT Writing Questions Modifiers: Rule 1 Keep it Close Modifiers: Rule 2 Keep it Clear . Modifiers: Rule 3 Know Your Commas. . Modifier Placement : Adjectives vs. Adverbs Modifi r Placement : Ambiguous Modifiers Modifier Placement : Comparative Forms . Adjective & Adverb . 10 Modifier Placement practice questions . 17 Additional Exercises on Modifier Placement ; 100 New SAT Words you must know (300 Out of 3000)Modifier Placement One of comedian Groucho Marx's most famous jokes involves a pachyderm and some sleepwear. + "One morning | shot an elephant in my pajamas," he says. "How he got in my pajamas | don't know!" Is highlighted sentence above correct ?Modifier Placement One of comedian Groucho Marx's most famous jokes involves a pachyderm and some sleepwear. + "One morning | shot an elephant in my pajamas," he says. "How he got in my pajamas | don't know!" Is highlighted sentence above correct ? This joke is a play on a grammatical error called a misplaced modifier, where a descriptive phrase or word is placed in the wrong part of the sentence. + The modifier errors on the SAT may not be quite as funny as Groucho's, but it's important that you understand how they work. + The most important concept to remember when dealing with modifiers is that they need to be next to the word they're describing. Sometimes these types of mistakes are obvious: Is the sentence below correct ? Bird for sale by flightless woman.Modifier Placement One of comedian Groucho Marx's most famous jokes involves a pachyderm and some sleepwear. + "One morning | shot an elephant in my pajamas," he says. "How he got in my pajamas | don't know!" Is highlighted sentence above correct ? This joke is a play on a grammatical error called a misplaced modifier, where a descriptive phrase or word is placed in the wrong part of the sentence. + The modifier errors on the SAT may not be quite as funny as Groucho's, but it's important that you understand how they work. + The most important concept to remember when dealing with modifiers is that they need to be next to the word they're describing. Sometimes these types of mistakes are obvious: Is the sentence below correct ? Bird for sale by flightless woman. + No that the bird is flightless, not the woman. Corrected sentence: Flightless bird for sale by woman.Modifier Placement + However, on the SAT, this kind of error is often harder to spot. Is the sentence below correct ? Despite having finished her test, the teacher wouldn't let Jenna leave until the class was over.Modifier Placement + However, on the SAT, this kind of errors often harder to spot. Is the sentence below correct ? Despite having finished her test, the teacher wouldn't let Jenna leave until the class was over. * There's nothing obviously wrong with this sentence, but let's think about what it's actually saying. It starts with the modifier "despite having finished her test." Logically, that phrase would seem to be describing Jenna, but since it's located next to "the teacher,” the sentence js actually saying that the teacher has finished her test. + That doesn't make much sense, so we need to reorder the sentence to place the modifier next to what it's modifying: The teacher wouldn't let Jenna leave until the class was over, despite the fact that she had finished her test. >There are two main types of faulty modifiers: dangling modifiers, which involve phrases at the beginning of sentences (e.g. the example about Jenna), and misplaced modifiers, which involve the order of words and phrases within sentences (e.g. the example about the bird). + Almostall of the faulty modifiers questions on the SAT deal with dangling modifiers.Dangling Modifiers: Phrases at the Beginning of Sentences + When a sentence begins with a modifying phrase, the intro must be immediately followed by a comma and then the noun it's describing. Incorrect sentences of this type start with modifying phrases that describe something other than the noun immediately following the comma. Is the sentence below correct ? ‘swimming toward the shore, a little girl was building a sand castle.Dangling Modifiers: Phrases at the Beginning of Sentences * When a sentence begins with a modifying phrase, the intro must be immediately followed by a comma and then the noun it's describing. Incorrect sentences of this type start with modifying phrases that describe something other than the noun immediately following the comma. Is the sentence below correct ? ‘Swimming toward the shore, a little girl was building a sand castle. Solution: The “little girl" can't be “swimming toward the shore" and “building a sand castle" at the same time—something's missing. There are two ways to correct this kind of error: you can either replace the incorrect noun (in this case "little girl") with a correct one, making any changes necessary to preserve the meaning of the sentence (fix 1), or you can turn the intro phrase into a clause that includes the subject the phrase is meant to be describing (fix 2). These techniques sound more complicated than they are, so let's put them to use remedying our issue with the little girl who is in two places at once: ‘Fix 1: Swimming toward the shore, | sawa little girl building a sand castle. + Fix 2: As | swam toward the shore, a little girl was building a sand castle.Dangling Modifiers: Phrases at the Beginning of Sentences Fix 1: Swimming toward the shore, | saw little girl building a sand castle. Fix 2: As | swam toward the shore, a little girl was building a sand castle. Both versions of the sentence are equally correct. You won't be asked to choose between the two options—instead, which approach makes more sense will depend on which part of the sentence is underlined and what answer choices you're given. Keep in mind that some sentences will use this construction without asking about it (there will be an unrelated error instead), but look out for sentences that begin with verb participles (verbs ending in "ing," "ed," or "en") or prepositional phrases followed by a comma, especially if the underlined portion begins immediately after the comma.Dangling Modifiers: Situation 1: Main Clause Underlined + Ifonly the main clause is underlined, you'll need to pick the answer with the correct subject (fix 1). For example: Is the sentence below correct ? After seven straight hours of studying, Jose's brain was fried.Dangling Modifiers: Situation 1: Main Clause Underlined + Ifonly the main clause is underlined, you'll need to pick the answer with the correct subject (fix 1). For example: Is the sentence below correct ? After seven straight hours of studying, Jose's brain was fried. Corrected sentence: After seven straight hours of studying, Jose felt like his brain was fried. + Even though the distinction may not seem important, "Jose" and "Jose's brain" aren't actually the same—Jose's brain can't study. If only the second half of the sentence is underlined, the best way to correct this issue is to replace the incorrect noun "Jose's brain with the correct one "Jose." For questions like this with the main clause underlined, you must find the answer choice that start with the correct noun. . r it r Xr it choice remaining, check for other grammatical issues.Dangling Modifiers: Situation 1: Main Clause Underlined Correct the underlined part of the sentence. Spread by rat fleas, millions of people in medieval Europe were killed by bubonic plague. millions of people in medieval Europe were killed by bubonic plague B. and millions of medieval Europeans killed by bubonic plague C. this led to the killing of millions of medieval Europeans by bubonic plague D. bubonic plague in medieval Europe was why millions of people were killed E. bubonic plague killed millions of people in medieval EuropeDangling Modifier: Situation 1: Main Clause Underlined Correct the underlined part of the sentence. Spread by rat fleas, millions of people in medieval Europe were killed by bubonic plague. mnillions of people in medieval Europe were killed by bubonic plague B. and millions of medieval Europeans killed by bubonic plague C. this led to the killing of millions of medieval Europeans by bubonic plague D. bubonic plague in medieval Europe was why millions of people were killed E. bubonic plague killed millions of people in medieval Europe Solution: The sentence begins with the modifier "spread by rat fleas," which suggests that there may be a dangling modifier. The first step, then, is to determine what that phrase describes. It's definitely not “millions of people in medieval Europe," so we can know there's a modifier error and can rule out A. We can also eliminate B, which begins with a conjunction instead of a noun, and C, which begins with the unclear pronoun "this." With only D and remaining, it's clear that "bubonic plague" is spread by rat fleas. Both answers are grammatical, but E is much simpler and clearer, so it must be the answer.Situation 2: Both Modifier and Main Clause Underlined + You may also see dangling modifier questions presented with both the modifier and part, or all, of the main clause underlined, though this configuration is much less common. a rr limit entirely, so it's difficult to anticipate what the correct choice will be. * Instead, you want to approach these questions by process of elimination: 1.Determine what the error is—figure out how the modifier is wrong so that you can rule out any choices that make the same mistake. 2. Eliminate answers that aren't grammatical—rule out any answers that create other issues, like run- ons or sentence fragments 3.Choose clearest, most concise answer—of the remaining choices pick the one that expresses the point the simplest structure and fewest extra wordsSituation 2: Both Modifier and Main Clause Underlined Correct the underlined part of the sentence. She was concerned about how Hank would react to the incident, but in searching his face, he did not seemto be at all embarrassed or troubled. A. In searching his face, he did not seem to be B._ by searching his face, it showed that he was not, Ca search of his face showed that he seemed not D. E searching his face, he did not seem to be his face being searched showed that he was not Solution:Situation 2: Both Modifier and Main Clause Underlined Correct the underlined part of the sentence. ‘She was concerned about how Hank would react to the incident, but in searching his face, he not seemto be at all embarrassed or troubled. ‘A. in searching his face, he did not seem to be B. by searching his face, it showed that he was not, C._ asearch of his face showed that he seemed not D. searching his face, he did not seem to be E. his face being searched showed that he was not Solution: Fist, let's figure out what's wrong with this sentence, It's a bt confusing because there's no obvious error. We can start by separating the two independent clauses to make what's happening in the underlined portion clearer: She was concerned about how Hank would react to the incident. In searching his face, he did not seem to be at all embarrassed or troubled. Now its clearer that "in searching his face" is a modifying phrase, currently describing Hank (since "he" comes immediately after the comma). But based on the context, we know the person searching the face's actually "she," so we've located the error. We can rule out A, as well as D, which repeats the same error. Choice B swaps out "it" for “he, which doesn't solve the problem, because "it" is still not the person searching Hank's face. B is also wrong. Choices C and E both fix the misplaced modifier issue, but E is needlessly wordy ("being" is usually wrong), so C Is the correct answer.Misplaced Modifiers: Modifier Placement in Sentences + Now that we've covered how to approach questions about modifiers at the beginning of sentences, let's talk about questions that deal with modifier placement sentences. + The key rule for modifier placement—a_modifier_must_be next to whatever it's modifying— remains the same. * Amisplaced modifier occurs when a modifier is separated from the word it's meant to describe: Is the sentence below correct? The werewolf mailed a package to the vampire full of garlic. Solution:Misplaced Modifiers: Modifier Placement in Sentences + Now that we've covered how to approach questions about modifiers at the beginning of sentences, let's talk about questions that deal with modifier placement sentences. + The key rule for modifier placement—a_modifier_must_be next to whatever it's modifying— remains the same. + Amisplaced modifier occurs when a modifier is separated from the word it's meant to describe: Is the sentence below correct? ‘The werewolf mailed a package to the vampire full of garlic. Solution: Despite what the sentence says, it's clear that the "package" and not the "vampire" is meant to be full of garlic. In order to correct this error, we need to switch around the order of the phrases. Corrected sentence: The werewolf mailed package full of garlicto the vampire, * Because the exact nature of this kind of error can vary so widely, there's no single best way to approach the questions.Misplaced Modifiers: Modifier Placement in Sentences + Many misplaced modifier errors involve gerunds. Remember that like other modifiers gerunds must be next to what they're describing, ihatever or whoever is doing the acti What is wrong with the sentence below? ‘On (A) her most recent (8) vacation to Istanbul, Jill stumbled upon (C) a fantastic jewelry shop walking (D) through the massive market. No error. (E) Solution:Misplaced Modifiers: Modifier Placement in Sentences + Many misplaced modifier errors involve gerunds. Remember that like other modifiers gerunds must be next to what they're describing, i.e. whatever or whoever is doing the action. What is wrong with the sentence below? ‘On (A) her most recent (8) vacation to Istanbul, Jill stumbled upon (C) a fantastic jewelry shop walking (D) through the massive market. No error. (E) Solution: Reading through this sentence, you may not immediately notice anything incorrect—in fact, it seems just fine. But before picking E, we need to check each of the other underlined portions. "On" is, an idiomatically correct preposition and "most recent" is a correct superlative, so we can rule out A and B. "stumbled upon includes a correctly conjugated verb and an idiomatically correct preposition, so Cis also incorrect. This leaves only D, "walking." When a gerund is underlined, you must check placement—is the modifier next to the noun that is walking? No, it's next to "jewelry shop," which can't walk. As such, D is the correct answer.Misplaced Modifiers: Modifier Placement in Sentences Example: Kate Hudson began acting at a young age, being Goldie Hawn's daughter. A. Kate Hudson began acting at a young age, being Goldie Hawn's daughter. B. Kate Hudson began acting at a young age, and she was Goldie Hawn's daughter. Kate Hudson, who as Goldie Hawn’s daughter began acting at a young age. D. Being Kate Hudson, Goldie Hawn's daughter began acting at a young age. E. Kate Hudson, Goldie Hawn's daughter, began acting at a young age. Solution:Misplaced Modifiers: Modifier Placement in Sentences Example: Kate Hudson began acting at a young age, being Goldie Hawn's daughter. A. Kate Hudson began acting at a young age, being Goldie Hawn's daughter. B. Kate Hudson began acting at a young age, and she was Goldie Hawn's daughter. Kate Hudson, who as Goldie Hawn's daughter began acting at a young age. D. Being Kate Hudson, Goldie Hawn's daughter began acting at a young age. E. Kate Hudson, Goldie Hawn's daughter, began acting at a young age. Solution: The misplaced modifier in this sentence is fairly obvious: "being Goldie Hawn's daughter" is Clearly meant to describe "Kate Hudson’ not "a young age." However, there's no answer choice that places the modifier next to what it’s modifying, so we need to narrow down the choices with process of elimination. We already ruled out A (which is the same as the original sentence), and we can eliminate C because it's a fragment. B, D, and € are all grammatically correct, so we need to pick the clearest and most concise answer. B is incorrect because it make the sentence much longer than it needs to be by splitting it into two independent clause. D doesn't work because the word order is confusing. Describing Kate Hudson as Goldie Hawn's daughter makes sense; describing Goldie Hawn's daughter as Kate Hudson doesn't. E is correct because it puts the (slightly rephrased) modifier next to what it's modifying.Applying Modifier Rules on SAT Writing Questions Now that we've gone over all the rules you need to know, let's review some of the key points about how to spot and answer faulty modifier questions on the SAT Writing section. What to watch for + Prepositional phrases at the beginning of sentences where the clause after the comma is underlined * Verb participles (verbs ending in "ing," "ed," or "en'") at the beginning of sentences + Questions underlined gerunds Rules to keep in mind: A modifier must be next to what it's modifying * Gerunds must be next to the noun doing the action * Ifa sentence starts with a descriptor, whatever comes after the comma must be the noun it’s, describingApplying Modifier Rules on SAT Writing Questions Helpful SAT Writing tips: * Think about both what a modifier is currently describing and what it's actually meant to be describing * Watch out for answers that fix the original modifier issue but are ungrammatical in another way + Remember that there are a lot of different ways to fix faulty modifiers—use process of elimination to narrow down wrong answers rather than focusing on one specific way of correcting the errorPractice 1. One of the spiciest cuisines in the world, Sichuan has recently become very popular in the United States. A. Sichuan has recently become B. Sichuan has most recently become known as C. Sichuan food has recently become D. the cuisines of Sichuan have become 2. Thinking, perhaps, that their questions won't be answered, the number of students who attend career counseling has dropped precipitously. A. the number of students who attend career counselinghas dropped precipitously. B. the number of students who attend career counselingis dropping precipitously. C.a dropping number of students are attending career counseling. D. students are attending career counseling in ever lowernumbers. 3. By gazing sadly upon his owner, Tina was convinced to give the puppy more food. A. Tina was convinced to give the puppy more food. 8. Tina was convinced by the puppy to give him more food. C. the puppy was convinced by Tina to give him more food. D. the puppy convinced Tina to give him more food.Practice 1. One of the spiciest cuisines in the world, Sichuan has recently become very popular in the United States. A. Sichuan has recently become B. Sichuan has most recently become known as C. Sichuan food has recently become D. the cuisines of Sichuan have become 2. Thinking, perhaps, that their questions won't be answered, the number of students who attend career counseling has dropped precipitously. A. the number of students who attend career counselinghas dropped precipitously. B. the number of students who attend career counselingis dropping precipitously. C.a dropping number of students are attending career counseling. D. students are attending career counseling in ever lower numbers. 3. By gazing sadly upon his owner, Tina was convinced to give the puppy more food. A. Tina was convinced to give the puppy more food. 8. Tina was convinced by the puppy to give him more food. C. the puppy was convinced by Tina to give him more food. D. the puppy convinced Tina to give him more food.Modifiers: Rule 1 Keep it Close In short, modifiers are words, phrases or clauses used to describe something in a sentence. They are often tested on the SAT in the form of comma usage. The following are the rules that you need to remember about modifiers: Place the modifier as close as possibleto the thing you're describing, Is the sentence below correct ? | dig holes for the tomato seeds that are six inches deep.Modifiers: Rule 1 Keep it Close I dig holes for the tomato seeds that are six inches deep. + The modifier in this sentence “that are six inches deep” is placed right next to the tomato seeds, which makes it sound as if the tomato seeds are six inches deep! That doesn’t make sense. Tomato seeds can be buried deep, but they can’t be deep themselves. + The only thing that can be “six inches deep” in this sentence are the holes, so the modifier describes the holes. According to the keep it close rule, the modifying clause “that are six inches deep” should gonext to “holes.” + Here’s our corrected sentenc dig holes that are six inches deep for the tomato seeds. Is the sentence below correct ? The circus has three clowns with the big red tent, Solution:Modifiers: Rule 1 Keep it Close | dig holes for the tomato seeds that are six inches deep. + The modifier in this sentence “that are six inches deep” is placed right next to the tomato seeds, which makes it sound as if the tomato seeds are six inches deep! That doesn’t make sense. Tomato seeds can be buried deep, but they can’t be deep themselves. + The only thing that can be “six inches deep” in this sentence are the holes, so the modifier describes the holes. According to the keep it close rule, the modifying clause “that are six inches deep” should gonext to “holes.” + Here’s our corrected sentence dig holes that are six inches deep for the tomato seeds. Is the sentence below correct ? The circus has three clowns with the big red tent, Solution: The phrase “with the big red tent” is the modifier, and it’s describing the circus. But right nowy, it looks like it’s describing the clowns, which doesn’t make sense! So, the correct version is “The circus with the big red tent has three clowns.Modifiers: Rule 2 Keep it Clear Some modifierscan incorrectly apply to multiple nouns in the same sentence. Your goal is to make it clear which nouns are being described by the modifier. The best way to do this is to keep the modifier far from things it doesn’t modify. * Yes, thisis essentially the other side of Rule 1. But, if we want to keep a modifier close to the noun it modifies, we also want to keep it farther from any other nouns so the meaning of the sentence is clear. Is the sentence below correct ? We ate a burger at the diner with fries.Modifiers: Rule 2 Keep it Clear Some modifierscan incorrectly apply to multiple nouns in the same sentence. Your goal is to make it clear which nouns are being described by the modifier. The best way to do this is to keep the modifier far from things it doesn’t modify. * Yes, thisis essentially the other side of Rule 1. But, if we want to keep a modifier close to the noun it modifies, we also want to keep it farther from any other nouns so the meaning of the sentence is clear. Is the sentence below correct ? We ate a burger at the diner with fries. Solution: The phrase “with fries” is the modifier, and as written, the sentence could mean that either the burger came with fries or the diner came with fries. Which makes more sense? Definitely the burger coming with fries, unless when the owners bought the building from the city, the city also gave them a side of fries. So, we must move the modifier away from “the diner” and closer to the “burger.” Corrected sentence: We ate a burger with fries at theModifiers: Rule 2 Keep it Clear Is the sentence below correct ? We talked with leather seats about a car.Modifiers: Rule 2 Keep it Clear Is the sentence below correct ? We talked with leather seats about a car. ‘Solution: The phrase “with leather seats”is the modifier, and it could be saying either the car has leather seats or we have leather seats. Which makes more sense? That the car has leather seats, unless we had an unfortunate accident where we stitched leather seats to ourselves. So “with leather seats” should go next to “car.” Correct sentence: We talked about a car with leather seats.Modifiers: Rule 3 Know Your Commas * There is a certain type of modifying clause that you need to pay special attention to, and it’s one the SAT likes to test relatively frequently. When a modifier begins a sentence (and ends with a comma), the noun it modifies must be placed directly after the comma. Is the sentence below correct ? Thinking about the day ahead, a branch on the sidewalk tripped me,Modifiers: Rule 3 Know Your Commas * There is a certain type of modifying clause that you need to pay special attention to, and it’s one the SAT likes to test relatively frequently. When a modifier begins a sentence (and ends with a comma), the noun it modifies must be placed directly after the comma. Is the sentence below correct ? Thinking about the day ahead, a branch on the sidewalk tripped me, Solution: The phrase “Thinking about the day ahead” is the modifying clause - it starts the sentence and ends with the comma. This sentence places “a branch” right after the modifier, which makes it sound as if the branch was thinking about the day ahead! That doesn’t make sense. Rather, “thinking about the day ahead” can only be describing one thing: the person in the sentence, “me.” “Me” doesn’t quite work in this construction, so we can change it to “I” and place it next to “Thinking about the day ahead.” Correct: Thinking about the day ahead, | tripped on a branch on the sidewalk. Now the sentence correctly states that “I” was thinking, not the branch! + The SAT loves this trick because so few students know about it. Once you start looking for this kind of error, you'll see it all the time. Once you realize that this is wrongit’s incredibly easy to spot.Practice Example 1. Hurrying to get her things ready, the search for her laptop charger was nearly impossible for Clarissa. A. No Change B. it was almost ridiculous how long it took for Clarissa to find her laptop charger. C. Clarissa’s laptop charger was impossible to find. D. Clarissa frantically searched for her laptop charger. Solution:Practice Example 1. Hurrying to get her things ready, the search for her laptop charger was nearly impossible for Clarissa. A. No Change B. it was almost ridiculous how long it took for Clarissa to find her laptop charger. C. Clarissa’s laptop charger was impossible to find. D. Clarissa frantically searched for her laptop charger. Solution: You already know that the answer must start with “Clarissa” because she is the noun being modified. You know INSTANTLY that answers A, B, and C are all wrong. The correct answer is D. But wait!!!! Doesn’t answer “C” start with “Clarissa” as well!? The answer is a loud NO. It starts with “Clarissa’s laptop charger!!!” + This is another trick the SAT uses to mess with your head: the possessive noun clause. A possessive noun clause looks like this: Excited about the first game of the season, Javi's hockey skates sat in the fronthall, ready to be worn. + How to fix it: Make sure the thing a phrase modifies is actually in the sentence. Correct: Excited about the first game of the season, Javi kept his hockey skates in the front hall, ready to be worn. + Note: the noun being described, and not something the noun owns, must show up after the comm:Modifier Placement Is the sentence below correct ? After being beaten and deflated, the baker shaped and seasoned the dough. Solution:Modifier Placement Is the sentence below correct ? After being b n and deflated, the baker shaped and seasoned the dough. Solution: The sentence is ridiculous because of the comma phrase at the start—it seems like the baker is being beaten before he goes off to work on the dough. After being beaten and deflated is called a modifier because it modifies or describes someone or something in the same sentence. Here, the modifier is misplaced. Instead, it should go right next to the thing it's supposed to modify: After being beaten and deflated, the dough was shaped and seasoned by the bakerModifier Placement + A modifier is like a describing phrase. How do you know if a phrase is a modifier? Usually it comes at the beginning of the sentence and is separated off by a comma (but not always). If all you read was After being beaten and deflated, your natural thought would be, "Who or What is being beaten?" Having that thought is how you know you're dealing with a modifier. Without the rest of the sentence, It leaves you wondering what's being talked about. When correcting sentences that have this. error, you want to make sure there is a sensible noun that is right next to the modifier. Is the sentence below correct ? I bought a house from the local bakery made of gingerbread.Modifier Placement + A modifier is like a describing phrase. How do you know if a phrase is a modifier? Usually it comes at the beginning of the sentence and is separated off by a comma (but not always). If all you read was After being beaten and deflated, your natural thought would be, "Who or What is being beaten?" Having that thought is how you know you're dealing with a modifier. Without the rest of the sentence, It leaves you wondering what's being talked about. When correcting sentences that have this. error, you want to make sure there is a sensible noun that is right next to the modifier. Is the sentence below correct ? I bought a house from the local bakery made of gingerbread. Correct: | bought a house made of gingerbread from the local bakery. + Modifiers don't necessarily have to be at the start of the sentence. Here, made of gingerbread should be placed next to the house it's describing. Otherwise, it seems like the local bakery is the thing that's made of gingerbread.Modifier Placement Is the sentence below correct ? Watching the end of the world, our lives flashed before our eyes.Modifier Placement Is the sentence below correct ? Watching the end of the world, our lives flashed before our eyes. Correct: While we were watching the end of the world, our lives flashed before our eves. In this example, the sentence makes no sense because our lives don't have eyes to watch the end of the world with. The modifier Watching the end of the world needs to modify we even though that word's not even in the sentence. Therefore, the correct version puts in the subject we and re-words the sentence. ‘The phrase While we were watching the end of the world is an example of a dependent clause, which contains a subject and a verb but can't stand alone as its own complete sentence. Dependent clauses are NOT modifiers. Note the difference between the wrong and correct versions. The wrong version uses a modifier whereas the correct version uses a dependent clause. Dependent clauses don't leave _us wondering who or what like a modifier does. Reading just the first part of the correct version, we already know the subject is we. With dependent clauses, we don't have to worry about modifier errors, because again, they aren't modifiers.Modifier Placement > Rule: Keep modifiers rightnext to the thing they're supposed to describe. Is the sentence below correct ? Running fiercely to the bathroom, John’s pants dropped.Modifier Placement > Rule: Keep modifiers rightnext to the thing they're supposed to describe. Is the sentence below correct ? Running fiercely to the bathroom, John's pants dropped. Correct: Running fiercely to the bathroom, John dropped his pants. Understanding this example is SUPER IMPORTANT. On rare occasions, the SAT will try to trick you by putting the modifier Running fiercely to the bathroom right next to John. But here, it's not John but John’s pants that's actually being modified. And of course, pants can't by themselves run to the bathroom. So be extremely careful when there's an apostrophe s.Modifier Placement Is the sentence below correct ? Spotted dealing cocaine, the police arrested the drug dealers.Modifier Placement Is the sentence below correct ? Spotted dealing cocaine, the police arrested the drug di Correct: The police arrested the drug dealers, who were spotted dealing cocaine. lers. Is the sentence below correct ? Though cooked and seasoned to perfection, the taste of ketchup-covered octopus was revolting.Modifier Placement Is the sentence below correct ? Spotted dealing cocaine, the police arrested the drug dealers. Correct: The police arrested the drug dealers, who were spotted dealing cocaine. Is the sentence below correct ? Though cooked and seasoned to perfection, the taste of ketchup-covered octopus was revolting. Correct: Though cooked and seasoned to perfection, the ketchup-covered octopus had a revolting taste. Correct: The taste of ketchup-covered octopus, though cooked and seasoned to perfection, was revolting. In this case, the modifier should modify the food itself, not the taste of it.Modifier Placement + Note that English is a weird language. Don't be confused by constructions like the one below: ‘The magician walked across the stage, dazzling 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.Modifier Placement >The modifiersin a sentence must never convey contradictory or redundant ideas. Is the sentence below correct ? Whenever! use Grand Central Station, my train usually never comes on time.Modifier Placement >The modifiersin a sentence must never convey contradictory or redundant ideas. Is the sentence below correct ? Whenever! use Grand Central Station, my train usually never comes on time. Correct: When | use Grand Central Station, my train rarely comes on time.Modifier Placement : Adjectives vs. Adverbs > Never use an adjective to do the job of an adverb. + Adverbs (such as quickly and gently) modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, and usually end in -ly. Some common adverbs that don’t end in -ly are always, away, ever, never, there, here, so, too, yet, and very. * Adjectives (such as fast and gentle) modify nouns, and usually don’t end in -ly, but some do, such as lovely, lonely, motherly, fatherly, neighborly, friendly, costly, sickly, beastly, lively, womanly, likely, and scholarly. Is the sentence below correct ? Iwas impressed by how poised Ricardo was and how cogent his argument was presented.Modifier Placement : Adjectives vs. Adverbs > Never use an adjective to do the job of an adverb. + Adverbs (such as quickly and gently) modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, and usually end in -ly. Some common adverbs that don’t end in -ly are always, away, ever, never, there, here, so, too, yet, and very. * Adjectives (such as fast and gentle) modify nouns, and usually don’t end in -ly, but some do, such as lovely, lonely, motherly, fatherly, neighborly, friendly, costly, sickly, beastly, lively, womanly, likely, and scholarly, Is the sentence below correct ? Iwas impressed by how poised Ricardo was and how cogent his argument was presented. Correct: | was impressed by how poised Ricardo was and how cogently he presented his argumentModifier Placement : Ambiguous Modifiers ¥ Some words an serveas either adjectives or adverbs, depending on the context Is the sentence below correct ? You are not expected to come into the office if you are feeling sickly; please stay home until you are wellModifier Placement : Ambiguous Modifiers ¥ Some words can serveas either adjectives or adverbs, depending on the context Is the sentence below correct ? You are not expected to come into the office if you are feeling sickly; please stay home until you are well Correct: You are not expected to come into the office if you are feeling sick; please stay home until you are well. Binary and Nonbinary Comparisons > Comparative adjectives (such as faster, more beautiful, cheaper, or more interesting) are used to make binary comparisons, that is, comparisons between only two things. > Superlative adjectives (such as fastest, most beautiful, cheapest, or most interesting) are used only to compare more than two things. Is the sentence below correct ? | don’t know which is most troubling: his apathy or his incompetence.Modifier Placement : Ambiguous Modifiers ¥ Some words can serveas either adjectives or adverbs, depending on the context Is the sentence below correct ? You are not expected to come into the office if you are feeling sickly; please stay home until you are well Correct: You are not expected to come into the office if you are feeling sick; please stay home until you are well. Binary and Nonbinary Comparisons > Comparative adjectives (such as faster, more beautiful, cheaper, or more interesting) are used to make binary comparisons, that is, comparisons between only two things. > Superlative adjectives (such as fastest, most beautiful, cheapest, or most interesting) are used only to compare more than two things. Is the sentence below correct ? | don’t know which is most troubling: his apathy or his incompetence. Correct: | don’t know which is more troubling: : his apathy or his incompetenceModifier Placement : Comparative Forms + Comparative adjectives that are participial always take more: more grueling, more tired, more shocked. Those with more than two syllables usually take more: more beautiful, more painstaking, more confrontational. But adjectives with one or two syllables usually take the -er suffix: faster, kinder, gentler. Is the sentence below correct ? Incorporating the partnership turned out to be much more simple than our lawyers had thought it would be.Modifier Placement : Comparative Forms + Comparative adjectives that are participial always take more: more grueling, more tired, more shocked. Those with more than two syllables usually take more: more beautiful, more painstaking, more confrontational. But adjectives with one or two syllables usually take the -er suffix: faster, kinder, gentler. Is the sentence below correct ? Incorporating the partnership turned out to be much more simple than our lawyers had thought it would be. Correct: Incorporating the partnership turned out to be much simpler than our lawyers had thought it would be.Adjective & Adverb Adjective ‘Adverb drove that very car. Itis very hot. “The cat is not well. She performed well. She is a fast reader. Don't go so fast twas a straight shot. I can't shoot straight. twas a just decision She just arrived. We hada late lunch. She arrived late, You have set a low bar. Don't sink so low Ihave high standards. I can’t jump very high. That test was hard. Don't push so.Practice Examples 3-10 Since the age of 10, (3) tennis has been my daughter Cayla's fascination. [4] Having watched them play live, Venus and Serena Williams became her idols and she tries to immitate their aggressive play style. [5] When other six year olds were watching cartoons, Cayla would be watching tennis, So as encouraging parents, [6] lessons Were the next step. At the ages of ten and eleven, the Williamssisters were enrolled at the Academy of Rick Maccl to improve their game, so getting Cayla started with the game early seemed like a good idea. A simple sport, [7] the rules of tennis have not changed since 1890. The main ideas to hit the ball inside the opponent’sside of the court with a racquet. Made and shaped from wood, [8] players found the first racquets difficult to play with, but by improving the underlying technology, [9] today’s racquets are more powerful than ever before. Hitting the ball, [10] a player’s grip must remain firm and balanced. 3. A.NO CHANGE B. tennishas been the fascination of my daughter Cayla. C. my daughter Cayla has been fascinated with tennis. 0. my daughter Cayla’sfascination has been tennis Solution:Practice Examples 3-10 Since the age of 10, (3] tennis has been my daughter Cayla's fascination. [4] Having watched them play live, Venus and Serena Williams became her idols and she tries to immitate their aggressive play style. [5] When other six year olds were watching cartoons, Cayla would be watching tennis, So as encouraging parents, [6] lessons Were the next step. At the ages of ten and eleven, the Williamssisters were enrolled at the Academy of Rick Maccl to improve their game, so getting Cayla started with the game early seemed like a good idea. A simple sport, [7] the rules of tennis have not changed since 1890. The main ideas to hit the ball inside the opponent’sside of the court with a racquet. Made and shaped from wood, [8] players found the first racquets difficult to play with, but by improving the underlying technology, [9] today’s racquets are more powerful than ever before. Hitting the ball, [10] a player’s grip must remain firm and balanced. 3. A.NO CHANGE B. tennishas been the fascination of my daughter Cayla. C. my daughter Cayla has been fascinated with tennis. D. my daughter Cayla’s fas: Solution: “Since the age of 10” is describing Cayla and based on Rule 1 (Keep it Close), we know that the noun being ‘modified should be placed next to the modifier. The only answer choice that does that is C, making it the correct answer. Be careful of answer choice D. The noun in this option is not Cayla but her fascination. ation has been tennisPractice Examples 3-10 Since the age of 10, (3) tennis has been my daughter Cayla's fascination. [4] Having watched them play live, Venus and Serena Williams became her idols and she tries to immitate their aggressive play style. [5] When other six year olds were watching cartoons, Cayla would be watching tennis, So as encouraging parents, [6] lessons Were the next step. At the ages of ten and eleven, the Williamssisters were enrolled at the Academy of Rick Maccl to improve their game, so getting Cayla started with the game early seemed like a good idea. A simple sport, [7] the rules of tennis have not changed since 1890. The main ideas to hit the ball inside the opponent’sside of the court with a racquet. Made and shaped from wood, [8] players found the first racquets difficult to play with, but by improving the underlying technology, [9] today’s racquets are more powerful than ever before. Hitting the ball, [10] a player’s grip must remain firm and balanced. 4. A. NO CHANGE B. After Cayla watched them play live, C. After watching live, D. Watching them play live, Solution:Practice Examples 3-10 Since the age of 10, (3] tennis has been my daughter Cayla's fascination. [4] Having watched them play live, Venus and Serena Williams became her idols and she tries to immitate their aggressive play style. [5] When other six year olds were watching cartoons, Cayla would be watching tennis, So as encouraging parents, [6] lessons Were the next step. At the ages of ten and eleven, the Williamssisters were enrolled at the Academy of Rick Maccl to improve their game, so getting Cayla started with the game early seemed like a good idea. A simple sport, [7] the rules of tennis have not changed since 1890. The main ideas to hit the ball inside the opponent’sside of the court with a racquet. Made and shaped from wood, [8] players found the first racquets difficult to play with, but by improving the underlying technology, [9] today’s racquets are more powerful than ever before. Hitting the ball, [10] a player’s grip must remain firm and balanced. 4. A. NO CHANGE B, After Cayla watched them play live, C. After watching live, D, Watching them playlive, Solution: Choices A, C and D make it seem like Serena and Venus were watching something live, whereas it was Cayla who watched. Only option 8 makes that clear, The correct answer is B.Practice Examples 3-10 Since the age of 10, (3) tennis has been my daughter Cayla's fascination. [4] Having watched them play live, Venus and Serena Williams became her idols and she tries to immitate their aggressive play style. [5] When other six year olds were watching cartoons, Cayla would be watching tennis, So as encouraging parents, [6] lessons Were the next step. At the ages of ten and eleven, the Williamssisters were enrolled at the Academy of Rick Maccl to improve their game, so getting Cayla started with the game early seemed like a good idea. A simple sport, [7] the rules of tennis have not changed since 1890. The main idea's to hit the ball inside the opponent’sside of the court with a racquet. Made and shaped from wood, (8] players found the first racquets difficult to play with, but by improving the underlying technology, [9] today’s racquets are more powerful than ever before. Hitting the ball, [10] a player’s grip must remain firm and balanced. 5. A.NO CHANGE B. Having watched cartoons, C, When watching cartoons, D. Cartoons being watched by other six year olds, Solution:Practice Examples 3-10 Since the age of 10, (3) tennis has been my daughter Cayla's fascination. [4 Having watched them play live, Venus and Serena Williams became her idols and she tries to immitate their aggressive play style. [5] When other six year olds were watching cartoons, Cayla would be watching tennis, So as encouraging parents, [6] lessons Were the next step. At the ages of ten and eleven, the Williamssisters were enrolled at the Academy of Rick Maccl to improve their game, so getting Cayla started with the game early seemed like a good idea. A simple sport, [7] the rules of tennis have not changed since 1890. The main ideas to hit the ball inside the opponent's side of the court with a racquet. Made and shaped from wood, [8] players found the first racquets difficult to play with, but by improving the underlying technology, [9] today’s racquets are more powerful than ever before. Hitting the ball, [10] a player’s grip must remain firm and balanced. 5. A. NO CHANGE B. Having watched cartoons, C, When watching cartoons, D. Cartoons being watched by other six year olds, Solution: Choice Ais the only one that makes logical sense. You will easily be able to eliminate the other options if you place them back in the sentence and read it aloud. The correct answer is A.Practice Examples 3-10 Since the age of 10, (3] tennis has been my daughter Cayla's fascination. [4] Having watched them play live, Venus and Serena Williams became her idols and she tries to immitate their aggressive play style. [5] When other six year olds were watching cartoons, Cayla would be watching tennis, So as encouraging parents, [6] lessons Were the next step. At the ages of ten and eleven, the Williamssisters were enrolled at the Academy of Rick Maccl to improve their game, so getting Cayla started with the game early seemed like a good idea. A simple sport, [7] the rules of tennis have not changed since 1890. The main ideas to hit the ball inside the opponent’sside of the court with a racquet. Made and shaped from wood, [8] players found the first racquets difficult to play with, but by improving the underlying technology, [9] today’s racquets are more powerful than ever before. Hitting the ball, [10] player’s grip must remain firm and balanced. 6. A.NO CHANGE B, lessons had to be C, Cayla’s lessons were D. we decided lessons were Solution:Practice Examples 3-10 Since the age of 10, (3] tennis has been my daughter Cayla's fascination. [4] Having watched them play live, Venus and Serena Williams became her idols and she tries to immitate their aggressive play style. [5] When other six year olds were watching cartoons, Cayla would be watching tennis, So as encouraging parents, [6] lessons Were the next step. At the ages of ten and eleven, the Williamssisters were enrolled at the Academy of Rick Maccl to improve their game, so getting Cayla started with the game early seemed like a good idea. A simple sport, [7] the rules of tennis have not changed since 1890. The main ideas to hit the ball inside the opponent’sside of the court with a racquet. Made and shaped from wood, (8] players found the first racquets difficult to play with, but by improving the underlying technology, [9] today’s racquets are more powerful than ever before. Hitting the ball, [10] a player’s grip must remain firm and balanced. 6. A. NO CHANGE B. lessons had to be C. Cayla’s lessons were D. we decided lessons were Solution: The modifier “as encouraging parents” needs to be placed next to “we.” The correct answer is D.Practice Examples 3-10 Since the age of 10, (3) tennis has been my daughter Cayla's fascination. [4] Having watched them play live, Venus and Serena Williams became her idols and she tries to immitate their aggressive play style. [5] When other six year olds were watching cartoons, Cayla would be watching tennis, So as encouraging parents, [6] lessons Were the next step. At the ages of ten and eleven, the Williamssisters were enrolled at the Academy of Rick Maccl to improve their game, so getting Cayla started with the game early seemed like a good idea. A simple sport, [7] the rules of tennis have not changed since 1890. The main idea's to hit the ball inside the opponent’sside of the court with a racquet. Made and shaped from wood, (8] players found the first racquets difficult to play with, but by improving the underlying technology, [9] today’s racquets are more powerful than ever before. Hitting the ball, [10] a player’s grip must remain firm and balanced. 7. A. NO CHANGE B. tennishas not had its rules changed C. tennis'srules have not changed D. no one has changed the rules of tennis Solution:Practice Examples 3-10 Since the age of 10, (3) tennis has been my daughter Cayla's fascination. [4 Having watched them play live, Venus and Serena Williams became her idols and she tries to immitate their aggressive play style. [5] When other six year olds were watching cartoons, Cayla would be watching tennis, So as encouraging parents, [6] lessons Were the next step. At the ages of ten and eleven, the Williamssisters were enrolled at the Academy of Rick Maccl to improve their game, so getting Cayla started with the game early seemed like a good idea. A simple sport, [7] the rules of tennis have not changed since 1890. The main idea's to hit the ball inside the opponent’sside of the court with a racquet. Made and shaped from wood, [8] players found the first racquets difficult to play with, but by improving the underlying technology, [9] today’s racquets are more powerful than ever before. Hitting the ball, [10] a player’s grip must remain firm and balanced. 7. A.NO CHANGEB, tem the rules of tennis Solution: The modifier “a simple sport” should to be placed next to the noun “tennis.” The rules themselves are not 2 sport, The correct answer is B. hhas not had its rules changed C. tennis’s rules have not changed D. no one has changedPractice Examples 3-10 Since the age of 10, (3] tennis has been my daughter Cayla's fascination. [4] Having watched them play live, Venus and Serena Williams became her idols and she tries to immitate their aggressive play style. [5] When other six year olds were watching cartoons, Cayla would be watching tennis, So as encouraging parents, [6] lessons Were the next step. At the ages of ten and eleven, the Williamssisters were enrolled at the Academy of Rick Maccl to improve their game, so getting Cayla started with the game early seemed like a good idea. A simple sport, [7] the rules of tennis have not changed since 1890. The main idea's to hit the ball inside the opponent’sside of the court with a racquet. Made and shaped from wood, [8] players found the first racquets difficult to play with, but by improving the underlying technology, [9] today’s racquets are more powerful than ever before. Hitting the ball, [10] « player’s grip must remain firm and balanced. 8. A.NO CHANGE B, the game of tennis was C. the first racquets were D. the first racquets were found to be Solution:Practice Examples 3-10 Since the age of 10, (3] tennis has been my daughter Cayla's fascination. [4 Having watched them play live, Venus and Serena Williams became her idols and she tries to immitate their aggressive play style. [5] When other six year olds were watching cartoons, Cayla would be watching tennis, So as encouraging parents, [6] lessons Were the next step. At the ages of ten and eleven, the Williamssisters were enrolled at the Academy of Rick Maccl to improve their game, so getting Cayla started with the game early seemed like a good idea. A simple sport, [7] the rules of tennis have not changed since 1890. The main ideas to hit the ball inside the opponent’sside of the court with a racquet. Made and shaped from wood, (8] players found the first racquets difficult to play with, but by improving the underlying technology, [9] today’s racquets are more powerful than ever before. Hitting the ball, [10] a player’s grip must remain firm and balanced. 8. A. NO CHANGE B. the game of tennis was C. the first racquets were D. the first racquets were found to be Solution: The modifier “made and shaped from wood” needs to be placed next to the "first racquets,” not “players” Therefore, the answer has to be either C or D. The correct answer choice is C because it is much more concise than D.Practice Examples 3-10 Since the age of 10, (3) tennis has been my daughter Cayla's fascination. [4] Having watched them play live, Venus and Serena Williams became her idols and she tries to immitate their aggressive play style. [5] When other six year olds were watching cartoons, Cayla would be watching tennis, So as encouraging parents, [6] lessons Were the next step. At the ages of ten and eleven, the Williamssisters were enrolled at the Academy of Rick Maccl to improve their game, so getting Cayla started with the game early seemed like a good idea. A simple sport, [7] the rules of tennis have not changed since 1890. The main ideas to hit the ball inside the opponent’sside of the court with a racquet. Made and shaped from wood, (8] players found the first racquets difficult to play with, but by improving the underlying technology, [9] today’s racquets are more powerful than ever before. Hitting the ball, [10] a player’s grip must remain firm and balanced. 9. A. NO CHANGE B. they are C, today’sracquets have become D. today’sracquet creators have made them. Solution:Practice Examples 3-10 Since the age of 10, (3) tennis has been my daughter Cayla's fascination. [4 Having watched them play live, Venus and Serena Williams became her idols and she tries to immitate their aggressive play style. [5] When other six year olds were watching cartoons, Cayla would be watching tennis, So as encouraging parents, [6] lessons Were the next step. At the ages of ten and eleven, the Williamssisters were enrolled at the Academy of Rick Maccl to improve their game, so getting Cayla started with the game early seemed like a good idea. A simple sport, [7] the rules of tennis have not changed since 1890. The main idea's to hit the ball inside the opponent’sside of the court with a racquet. Made and shaped from wood, [8] players found the first racquets difficult to play with, but by improving the underlying technology, [9] today’s racquets are more powerful than ever before. Hitting the ball, [10] a player’s grip must remain firm and balanced. 9. A. NO CHANGE B. they are C, today’sracquets have become D. today’s racquet creatorshave made them Solution: The modifier “improving the underlying technology” should be placed next to a person/people, in this case “today’sracquet creators.” After all, humans improve the technology, not the racquets themselves. The correct, answer is D.Practice Examples 3-10 Since the age of 10, (3] tennis has been my daughter Cayla's fascination. [4] Having watched them play live, Venus and Serena Williams became her idols and she tries to immitate their aggressive play style. [5] When other six year olds were watching cartoons, Cayla would be watching tennis, So as encouraging parents, [6] lessons Were the next step. At the ages of ten and eleven, the Williamssisters were enrolled at the Academy of Rick Maccl to improve their game, so getting Cayla started with the game early seemed like a good idea. A simple sport, [7] the rules of tennis have not changed since 1890. The main idea's to hit the ball inside the opponent’sside of the court with a racquet. Made and shaped from wood, [8] players found the first racquets difficult to play with, but by improving the underlying technology, [9] today’s racquets are more powerful than ever before. Hitting the ball, [10] « player’s grip must remain firm and balanced. 10. A. NO CHANGE 8, the grip of the player must remain C. the grip must be kept D. a player must keep the grip Solution:Practice Examples 3-10 Since the age of 10, (3] tennis has been my daughter Cayla's fascination. [4] Having watched them play live, Venus and Serena Williams became her idols and she tries to immitate their aggressive play style. [5] When other six year olds were watching cartoons, Cayla would be watching tennis, So as encouraging parents, [6] lessons Were the next step. At the ages of ten and eleven, the Williamssisters were enrolled at the Academy of Rick Maccl to improve their game, so getting Cayla started with the game early seemed like a good idea. A simple sport, [7] the rules of tennis have not changed since 1890. The main ideas to hit the ball inside the opponent’sside of the court with a racquet. Made and shaped from wood, (8] players found the first racquets difficult to play with, but by improving the underlying technology, [9] today’s racquets are more powerful than ever before. Hitting the ball, [10] a player’s grip must remain firm and balanced. 10. A. NO CHANGE 8. the grip of the player must remain C. the grip must be kept D. a player must keep the grip Solution: Who Is “hitting the ball?” The player's...and therefore this modifier should be placed next to the noun “player” Only the correct answer is D starts with the “player” as a noun.Modifier Placement Practice Questions Stes Sol 1. Having little to no food left, no restaurants were in the area to order from.Modifier Placement Practice Questions Gees Etion 1. Having little to no food left, no restaurants Having little to no food left, | could not find any were in the area to order from. restaurants in the area to order from. 2. Wearing a cloak and top hat, the audience members were dazzled by the magician.Modifier Placement Practice Questions eee Eetnn 1. Having little to no food left, no restaurants Having little to no food left, | could not find any were in the area to order from. restaurants in the area to order from. 2. Wearing a cloak and top hat, the audience The audience members were dazzled by the members were dazzled by the magician. magician, wearing a cloak and top hat. 3. Though durable and inexpensive, the purchase of plastic material harms the environment.Modifier Placement Practice Questions eee Eetnn 1. Having little to no food left, no restaurants Having little to no food left, | could not find any were in the area to order from. restaurants in the area to order from. 2. Wearing a cloak and top hat, the audience The audience members were dazzled by the members were dazzled by the magician. magician, wearing a cloak and top hat. 3. Though durable and inexpensive, the Though durable and inexpensive, plastic material purchase of _plastic_material harms the harms the environment. environment. 4, After missing an easy goal, the crowd booed the soccer player.Modifier Placement Practice Questions eee 1. Having little to no food left, no restaurants were in the area to order from. 2. Wearing a cloak and top hat, the audience members were dazzled by the magician. 3. Though durable and inexpensive, the purchase of _plastic_material harms the environment. 4, After missing an easy goal, the crowd booed the soccer player. 5. Though skinny and awkward from the outset, Conan's sense of humor made him a television success. Ea Having little to no food left, | could not find any restaurants in the area to order from. n The audience members were dazzled by the magician, wearing a cloak and top hat. Though durable and inexpensive, plastic material harms the environment. After he missed an easy goal, the crowd booed the soccer player.Modifier Placement Practice Questions eee 1. Having little to no food left, no restaurants were in the area to order from. 2. Wearing a cloak and top hat, the audience members were dazzled by the magician. 3. Though durable and inexpensive, the purchase of _plastic_material harms the environment. 4, After missing an easy goal, the crowd booed the soccer player. 5. Though skinny and awkward from the outset, Conan's sense of humor made him a television success. Ea Having little to no food left, | could not find any restaurants in the area to order from. n The audience members were dazzled by the magician, wearing a cloak and top hat. Though durable and inexpensive, plastic material harms the environment. After he missed an easy goal, the crowd booed the soccer player. Though skinny and awkward from the outset, Conan had a sense of humor that made hima television success.Modifier Placement Pra ee Questions (<7 lad Eris 6. The student’s work was subpar, not complete all the requirements.Modifier Placement Practice Questions Cite mad to 6. The student's work was subpar, not complete The student’s work was subpar, because he did all the requirements. not complete all the requirements. 7. My friend pensively enjoyed his dinner, chewing quietly.Modifier Placement Practice Questions ore en mad ar 6. The student's work was subpar, not complete The student’s work was subpar, because he did all the requirements. not complete all the requirements. 7. My friend pensively enjoyed his dinner, My friend, chewing quietly, pensively enjoyed his chewing quietly. dinner. 8. Once the movie was over, unsatisfied about the ending was |. nModifier Placement Practice Questions Ct to 6. The student's work was subpar, not complete The student’s work was subpar, because he did all the requirements. not complete all the requirements. 7. My friend pensively enjoyed his dinner, My friend, chewing quietly, pensively enjoyed his chewing quietly. dinner. 8. Once the movie was over, unsatisfied about Once the movie was over, | was unsatisfied about the ending was |. the ending. 9. When driving through the city, many pedestrians jaywalked.Modifier Placement Practice Questions eos a 6. The student’s work was subpar, not complete all the requirements. meus 7. My friend pensively enjoyed his dinner, chewing quietly. 8. Once the movie was over, unsatisfied about the ending was |. 9. When driving through the city, pedestrians jaywalked. many 10. Michael Jordan is regarded as the best basketball player of all time, winner of 6 World, Championships. Et The student’s work was subpar, because he did not complete all the requirements. My friend, chewing quietly, pensively enjoyed his dinner. n Once the movie was over, | was unsatisfied about the ending. Many pedestrians jaywalked when I was driving through the city.Modifier Placement Practice Questions ee ein ee 6. The student’s work was subpar, not complete all the requirements. 7. My friend pensively enjoyed his dinner, chewing quietly. 8. Once the movie was over, unsatisfied about the ending was. 9. When driving through the city, pedestrians jaywalked. 10. Michael Jordan is regarded as the best basketball player of all time, winner of 6 World Championships. many 11. After eating the whole pizza, ready to take a nap was John. Et The student’s work was subpar, because he did not complete all the requirements. n My friend, chewing quietly, pensively enjoyed his dinner. Once the movie was over, | was unsatisfied about the ending. Many pedestrians jaywalked when I was driving through the city. Michael Jordan, winner of 6 World Championships, is regarded as the best basketball player of all time.Modifier Placement Practice Questions meus ein ee 6. The student’s work was subpar, not complete all the requirements. 7. My friend pensively enjoyed his dinner, chewing quietly. 8. Once the movie was over, unsatisfied about the ending was. 9. When driving through the city, pedestrians jaywalked. 10. Michael Jordan is regarded as the best basketball player of all time, winner of 6 World Championships. 11. After eating the whole pizza, ready to take a nap was John. many Et The student’s work was subpar, because he did not complete all the requirements. My friend, chewing quietly, pensively enjoyed his dinner. n Once the movie was over, | was unsatisfied about the ending. Many pedestrians jaywalked when I was driving through the city. Michael Jordan, winner of 6 World Championships, is regarded as the best basketball player of all time. After he ate the whole pizza, John was ready to take a nap. (This places “John” in a more logical spot.)Modifier Placement Pras Questions Toe ees 12. About to get out of bed, the covers were removed.Modifier Placement Practice Questions ieee Sol 12. About to get out of bed, the covers were About to get out of bed, he removed the covers. removed. (This clarifies who was ready to get out of bed.) 13. Almost, the writer finished all the pages of the manuscript.Modifier Placement Practice Questions ae Petra 12. About to get out of bed, the covers were About to get out of bed, he removed the covers. removed. (This clarifies who was ready to get out of bed.) 13. Almost, the writer finished all the pages of The writer finished almost all the pages of the the manuscript. manuscript. (Put “almost” next to “all the pages” so there is no doubt that the sentence is referring to the pages, not to the writer herself or to the act of finishing.) 14. When swimming through the lake, a giant, fish was seen jumping.Modifier Placement Practice Questions in eee eee Solut 12. About to get out of bed, the covers were About to get out of bed, he removed the covers. removed. (This clarifies who was ready to get out of bed.) 13. Almost, the writer finished all the pages of The writer finished almost all the pages of the the manuscript. manuscript. (Put “almost” next to “all the pages” so there is no doubt that the sentence is referring to the pages, not to the writer herself or to the act of finishing.) 14. When swimming through the lake, a giant When swimming through the lake, | saw a giant fish was seen jumping. fish jumping. (This clarifies who saw the fish—the fish didn’t see itself jumping.)Modifier Placement Pras Questions toed Pe 15. Although only a short book, Sam found Animal Farm tough to finish.Modifier Placement Practice Questions een ieee Sol 15. Although only a short book, Sam found Although only a short book, Animal Farm was Animal Farm tough to finish. tough for Sam to finish. (The book is Animal Farm, not Sam.) 16. Upon receiving the notice of losing his job, the desk was cleared.Modifier Placement Practice Questions een ae Petra 15. Although only a short book, Sam found Although only a short book, Animal Farm was Animal Farm tough to finish. tough for Sam to finish. (The book is Animal Farm, not Sam.) 16. Upon receiving the notice of losing his job, Upon receiving the notice of losing his job, he the desk was cleared. cleared his desk. (This clarifies who is clearing the desk.) 17. The brand new phone was covered under the cell phone plan | found online, which cost, only $30.Modifier Placement Practice Questions een ae Petra 15. Although only a short book, Sam found Although only a short book, Animal Farm was Animal Farm tough to finish. tough for Sam to finish. (The book is Animal Farm, not Sam.) 16. Upon receiving the notice of losing his job, Upon receiving the notice of losing his job, he the desk was cleared. cleared his desk. (This clarifies who is clearing the desk.) 17. The brand new phone was covered under The brand new phone, which cost only $30, was the cell phone plan | found online, which cost covered under the cell phone plan | found online. only $30. 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