Question

Rewrite each sentence so that the modifier is used clearly and correctly.

1.) Blooming abundantly, their fence was covered with morning glories.
2.) Derek received high marks from the judges, playing a creative guitar solo.
3.) I stared up at the clouds waiting in the doorway.
4.) Brightly wrapped boxes lined the hall that had yet to be opened.
5.) Helicopters flew over the houses that were used on training missions for pilots.
6.) Angela leaned down and picked up the baby, who had just returned from aerobics class.
7.) Dust swirled around the house that had blown in from the plains.
8.) The students hiked all day on the mountain wearing rain gear.
9.) Mr. Jones lectured about bridge construction in the auditorium.
10.) Carrie by her enthusiasm for skating is often carried away.

Answer 1

The exercise of rewriting sentences for clear modifier usage entails modifying each sentence to eliminate ambiguity, by ensuring descriptive words directly modify the intended nouns or verbs. Correctly placed modifiers contribute to coherent and precise sentence structure.

Step-by-step explanation:

The task of rewriting sentences to use modifiers clearly and correctly is essential in creating sentences that are understandable and convey the intended meaning. This exercise involves rephrasing sentences in a way that removes ambiguity and ensures that the descriptive words apply directly to the words they are meant to modify.

• Blooming abundantly, the morning glories covered their fence.
• Playing a creative guitar solo, Derek received high marks from the judges.
• Waiting in the doorway, I stared up at the clouds.
• Brightly wrapped, the boxes that lined the hall had yet to be opened.
• Used on training missions for pilots, helicopters flew over the houses.
• Picking up the baby who had just returned from aerobics class, Angela leaned down.
• Swirled around by the dust that had blown in from the plains, the house was enveloped.
• Wearing rain gear, the students hiked all day on the mountain.
• In the auditorium, Mr. Jones lectured about bridge construction.
• Carrie, by her enthusiasm for skating, is often carried away.

Answer 2

1. Their fence was covered with morning glories, which were blooming abundantly.

2. Derek, who played a creative guitar solo, received high marks from the judges.

3. While I waited in the doorway, I stared up at the clouds.

4. Brightly wrapped boxes, which had yet to be opened, lined the hall.

5. Helicopters that were used on training missions for pilots flew over the houses.

6. Angela, who had just returned from aerobics class, leaned down and picked up the baby.

7. Dust that had blown in from the plains swirled around the house.

8. The students, who were wearing rain gear, hiked all day on the mountain.

9. In the auditorium, Mr. Jones lectured about bridge construction.

10. Carrie is often carried away by her enthusiasm.

Step-by-step explanation:

The sentences above either present a misplaced or a dangling modifier.

A misplaced modifier is a word or phrase that is placed incorrectly in a sentence, causing ambiguity. It makes it a bit difficult to understand to which word the modifier refers. An example would be sentence 4 in the question. The modifier, "that had yet to be opened" is placed far from the word it should be modifying, which is "boxes". By changing the modifier's position, we correct the sentence.

A dangling modifier also causes ambiguity, but not simply because of where it is placed. There is something missing, something that would clarify which word it modifies. That is what happens in sentence 1, with the modifier "blooming abundantly". To make it right, we had to change its position in the sentence besides adding "which were" to make it clear that it modifies "morning glories".