Which sentence contains a misplaced modifier?
A. The train whistle that sounded at the crossing made me jump.
B. It was the frog that caught my eye on the lily pad in the pond.
C. The chicken soup that Mom made last night was the best.
D. It was a tree branch hitting against the window that made my sister scream.
Answers
Answer:
B. It was the frog that caught my eye on the lily pad in the pond.
Explanation:
Modifiers are those words or groups of words or phrases that modifies the word associated to it. Misplaced modifiers are those phrases that are placed in the wrong place, thus making the sentence absurd and with no real understandable meaning.
Among the four sentences provided, the one with the misplaced modifier is option B. In this sentence, the frog and the lily- pad should be put together, thus making the sentence more understandable.
Thus, the correct way of writing this sentence will be
It was the frog on the lily-pad in the pond that caught my eye.
Answer:
The sentence that contains a ‘misplaced modifier’ is:
Option B - It was the frog that caught my eye on the lily pad in the pond.
Explanation:
A ‘modifier’ is a word or phrase that modifies the meaning of a subject. It is usually an adjective or adjective phrase, or an adverb or adverb phrase. The modifier is placed closest to the word or subject it modifies.
In the given sentence ‘on the lily pad in the pond’ is the modifier. It modifies the subject ‘frog’. Hence it should have been placed near the frog. Since it isn’t it is a misfit modifier. It in fact modifies the noun ‘eye’ in the sentence. Thus due to its misfit position the sentence conveys the meaning that ‘my eye’ is on the lily pad in the pond and not the frog.