Question

Which sentence has a misplaced modifier?

I am definitely going to be ordering dessert after this delicious meal.

The boys were grateful that their father had paid for dinner for all of them.

Bringing the check to the table, the boys were happy to see the waiter.

After they read the menu for a few minutes, the boys decided to order dinner.

Answer 1

The sentence with a misplaced modifier is 'Bringing the check to the table, the boys were happy to see the waiter,' because the modifier incorrectly suggests that the boys are bringing the check.

Step-by-step explanation:

The sentence with a misplaced modifier is: "Bringing the check to the table, the boys were happy to see the waiter." The phrase "Bringing the check to the table" should modify the waiter, but as the sentence is constructed, it incorrectly modifies "the boys."

A correct version of the sentence could be: "The boys were happy to see the waiter bringing the check to the table," which clearly shows that it is the waiter who is bringing the check. Misplaced modifiers can often be corrected by placing the modifying phrase immediately before or after the noun it is intended to modify, ensuring clarity and accuracy in the sentence.

Answer 2

The answer to your question would be that the sentence that has a misplaced modifier is the following one: Bringing the check to the table, the boys were happy to see the waiter.

A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase or clause that is separated from the word it modifies/describes. Consequently, the sentences sound awkward and even confusing. However, more specifically, the example in question would be a case of a dangling modifier. Dangling modifers are a phrase or clause that is not logically related to the word/words it modifies.

In the example, the sentence does not specify who is bringing the check to the table. Yet, since it is next to "the boys were happy to see the waiter" and because we know what waiters do, the sentence suggests that the waiter is the one bringing the check.