Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers | Exercise 5 | Grammar Bytes!
Directions: Complete each sentence in a correct and logical manner. Download the
accompanying handout to keep track of your answers.
Sucking with its powerful mouth,
- the vacuum cleaned dog hair and crumbs off the carpet.
- dog hair and crumbs disappeared from the carpet.
Working a minimum-wage job on the weekends,
- the expensive gifts that his girlfriend Gloria required could not be purchased with Caesar’s limited funds.
- Caesar discovered that he could not afford the expensive gifts that his girlfriend Gloria required.
We enjoyed
- the crisp and spicy fried shrimp served on paper plates.
- the fried shrimp served on paper plates which were spicy and crisp.
Grooving to the music pumping through his earbuds,
- Colby danced on the sidewalk, which amused the passengers waiting for the bus.
- Colby's dance moves amused the passengers waiting for the bus.
Squeezing from the bottom of the tube,
- toothpaste splattered the mirror.
- Kendra splattered the mirror with toothpaste.
Cursing her heavy book bag,
- Jillian's professors seldom made assignments in the thick textbooks.
- Jillian lugged thick textbooks that her professors seldom asked her to use.
- the textbooks that Jillian seldom needed made her shoulders ache.
Gobbling the slice of pizza,
- the complaints from Phillip's growling stomach finally stopped.
- Phillip's growling stomach ceased its complaints.
- Phillip quieted his growling stomach.
Inching toward the 12,
- Christopher watched the minute hand crawl through the last half hour of his work week.
- Christopher's work week would end once the minute hand reached the top of the clock.
- the minute hand crawled through the last half hour of Christopher's work week.
Snapping open,
- Angelina was so happy that she brought an umbrella.
- protection from the rain made Angelina so happy that she had brought an umbrella.
- the umbrella saved Angelina from a soaking in the rain.
To keep her hair straight,
- Diane applied abundant goopy product before she ventured into the summer humidity.
- abundant goopy product was applied before venturing into the summer humidity.
- the summer humidity was thwarted with abundant goopy product.
Gulping his sports drink,
- Rob's thirst was quenched enough to give Coach Jones another hour in the hot Florida sun.
- Rob quenched his thirst enough to give Coach Jones another hour in the hot Florida sun.
- rehydration meant that Coach Jones could expect another hour of practice from Rob even with the hot Florida sun.
To get to class on time,
- campus traffic was dodged as bicycle pedals spun like tornadoes.
- Sam zipped through the campus traffic, his bicycle pedals spinning like tornadoes.
- Sam's bicycle pedals spun like tornadoes as he zipped through the campus traffic.
Typing furiously,
- the keyboard clattered as Brandon hurried to finish his draft.
- the draft was completed in time since Brandon has such good keyboarding skills.
- Brandon made the keyboard clatter as he hurried to finish his draft.
Unwrapping the stick of spearmint gum,
- saliva filled Lorna's mouth as she anticipated the fresh flavor.
- Lorna salivated in anticipation of the fresh flavor.
- Lorna's mouth watered in anticipation of the fresh flavor.
Watering the lawn,
- Leroy gave the grass a refreshing break from the dry weather.
- the grass enjoyed a refreshing break from the dry weather.
- a refreshing break from the dry weather was given to the grass.
Blistering her feet in the hot sand,
- a pair of flip-flops would have saved Madison's soles.
- Madison's soles could have used the flip-flops left in the car.
- Madison wished that she had brought her flip-flops from the car.
- the car was where Madison left the flip-flops that she desperately needed.
Engrossed in the video game,
- Andrew ignored his mother, even though she had a plate of macaroni and cheese in hand.
- Andrew's mother could not get her son's attention even though she had a plate of macaroni and cheese in hand.
- Andrew's attention was on blasting space aliens, not eating the macaroni and cheese that Mom offered.
- the macaroni and cheese that Andrew's mother offered could not get Andrew's attention.
Wiggling out of the clingy fabric,
- the tight dress got rejected.
- Anthony was disappointed that Raquel rejected the tight dress.
- the salesclerk brought Raquel a different size to try.
- Raquel rejected the tight dress.
Sprinting up the steep hill,
- the wet leaves made traction difficult for Shantel.
- traction was difficult, as the wet leaves slid under Shantel's feet.
- Shantel slid in the wet leaves that made traction difficult.
- Shantel's feet had difficulty finding traction in the wet leaves.
Working up a sudsy lather,
- Joey found the hot shower especially refreshing after a long day of yard work in the hot sun.
- the hot shower was especially refreshing after a long day of yard work in the hot sun.
- the long day of yard work in the hot sun was washed away by the hot shower.
- sweat and dirt washed away while Joey took a hot shower after the long day of yard work.