Question

Identify whether the following sentence has a misplaced modifier or a dangling modifier.

We saw three fires flying over the forest.

Answer 1

The sentence 'We saw three fires flying over the forest' contains a misplaced modifier; 'flying' should describe an agent capable of flight. Correct usage of hyphens, commas, and semicolons in modifying phrases and clauses significantly enhances sentence clarity.

Step-by-step explanation:

The sentence 'We saw three fires flying over the forest.' contains a misplaced modifier. The modifier 'flying' should be describing the agent doing the flying, which in this sentence seems to be 'fires', but logically it should be something capable of flight such as planes or birds. The correct sentence would presumably specify what was flying and causing the fires, for example, 'We saw three planes flying over the forest, starting fires.'

In Example 1, the sentence correctly uses separate modifiers without any misplaced elements. In Example 2, it is important to correctly use hyphens to link words that together modify a noun, such as 'chocolate-covered peanuts.' Commas and semicolons should be used to clearly separate clauses and improve the readability of sentences as shown in the provided examples.

Answer 2

misplaced try we saw three fires while flying over the forest