Position of Modifiers (errors in the placement of a modifier in a sentence)
Answer
Actually, the pineapple was a symbol of hospitality.
Everything that King Midas touched turned to gold, including his food and water.
The farmer butchered the pig he had raised on a table behind the barn.
Now remembered as the architect who designed St. Paul's Cathedral, Christopher Wren was also a professor of astronomy and a mathematician.
The second and fourth sentences are fine, but the first and third need work.
The first is not bad, but would be better if "actually" were after "was."
The third is phrased so that it reads in a very silly way. Had the farmer raised the pig on a table behind the barn? =)
http://wwwnew.towson.edu/ows/dangmod.htm
Position of modifiers refers to the placement of descriptive words or phrases within a sentence. When modifiers are not properly placed, they can create ambiguity, confusion, or alter the intended meaning of a sentence. Here are the sentences you provided with explanations of the correct placement of modifiers:
1. Actually, the pineapple was a symbol of hospitality.
- The modifier "actually" is correctly placed at the beginning of the sentence to modify the entire sentence, indicating that the information being provided contradicts or clarifies something previously mentioned.
2. Everything that King Midas touched turned to gold, including his food and water.
- The placement of the modifier "including his food and water" is correct. It is used to specify which items were affected by King Midas' touch, clarifying the extent of the transformation.
3. The farmer butchered the pig he had raised on a table behind the barn.
- The placement of the modifier "he had raised" is incorrect. Placing it immediately after "the pig" implies that the pig was raised on a table behind the barn. To indicate that the farmer raised the pig, the modifier should be placed before "the pig," like this: "The farmer, who had raised the pig, butchered it on a table behind the barn."
4. Now remembered as the architect who designed St. Paul's Cathedral, Christopher Wren was also a professor of astronomy and a mathematician.
- The placement of the modifier "now remembered as the architect who designed St. Paul's Cathedral" is correct. It provides additional information about Christopher Wren, and placing it at the beginning of the sentence helps avoid confusion.