PLACEMENT OF PHRASES

The phrase in parenthesis is misplaced. Write the word that the phrase was intended to modify.

1. The forest ranger spotted a distant bear (using high-powered binoculars).

2. Mrs. Diaz left the house (covered in fur).

3. The actor rehearsed his part in the theater (with great emotion).

4. Tom swatted the mosquito (muttering quietly).

5. (With bright feathers,) Betsy watched the birds in the huge cage.

Identify the misplaced or dangling phrase in the following sentences.

1. Opening the front door, snow was falling at a great rate.
ANSWER= Opening the front door

2. The boy stopped at the stop sign on a bike.
ANSWER= on a bike

3. To avoid hearing loss, the neighborhood should not hear your car radio.
ANSWER= To avoid hearing loss

4. All the players complained about the heat in the gym on Raisa’s team.
ANSWER= on Raisa’s team

5. Eating half a grapefruit, toast, and cereal for breakfast, Fred’s day was off to a good start.
ANSWER= Fred’s day was off to a good start

All are correct except the last one.

Also -- in the first part, what words are the phrases INTENDED to modify?

Example:

1. The forest ranger spotted a distant bear (using high-powered binoculars).

Is the bear or the ranger using the binoculars?

To find the word that the misplaced phrase was intended to modify, you need to identify the phrase and determine which noun or pronoun it is describing. Here's how you can do that for each sentence:

1. The forest ranger spotted a distant bear (using high-powered binoculars).
- The phrase "using high-powered binoculars" is modifying the verb "spotted."
- The word the phrase was intended to modify is "ranger." So, the correct answer is "ranger."

2. Mrs. Diaz left the house (covered in fur).
- The phrase "covered in fur" is modifying the noun "house."
- The word the phrase was intended to modify is "Mrs. Diaz." So, the correct answer is "Mrs. Diaz."

3. The actor rehearsed his part in the theater (with great emotion).
- The phrase "with great emotion" is modifying the verb "rehearsed."
- The word the phrase was intended to modify is "actor." So, the correct answer is "actor."

4. Tom swatted the mosquito (muttering quietly).
- The phrase "muttering quietly" is modifying the verb "swatted."
- The word the phrase was intended to modify is "Tom." So, the correct answer is "Tom."

5. (With bright feathers,) Betsy watched the birds in the huge cage.
- The phrase "With bright feathers" is modifying the subject "Betsy."
- The word the phrase was intended to modify is "Betsy." So, the correct answer is "Betsy."

Regarding the identification of the misplaced or dangling phrases:

1. Opening the front door, snow was falling at a great rate.
- The phrase "Opening the front door" is a dangling modifier because it does not have a clear noun or pronoun to modify. In this sentence, it seems to suggest that the snow was opening the front door, which doesn't make sense. To fix it, you could rephrase the sentence: "As I opened the front door, I saw snow falling at a great rate."

2. The boy stopped at the stop sign on a bike.
- The phrase "on a bike" is not properly connected to the verb "stopped." It should be connected to the noun it modifies, which is "boy." To fix it, you could rephrase the sentence: "The boy on a bike stopped at the stop sign."

3. To avoid hearing loss, the neighborhood should not hear your car radio.
- The phrase "To avoid hearing loss" is a dangling modifier because it does not have a clear noun or pronoun to modify. In this sentence, it seems to suggest that the neighborhood is trying to avoid hearing loss. To fix it, you could rephrase the sentence: "To avoid hearing loss, you should not play your car radio loudly in the neighborhood."

4. All the players complained about the heat in the gym on Raisa’s team.
- The phrase "on Raisa’s team" is not properly connected to the noun it modifies, which is "players." It should come immediately after "players" to clarify that it is about the players on Raisa's team. To fix it, you could rephrase the sentence: "All the players on Raisa's team complained about the heat in the gym."

5. Eating half a grapefruit, toast, and cereal for breakfast, Fred’s day was off to a good start.
- The phrase "Eating half a grapefruit, toast, and cereal for breakfast" is a misplaced modifier because it is placed in a way that suggests Fred's day was eating the breakfast, which doesn't make sense. To fix it, you could rephrase the sentence: "Fred's day was off to a good start after eating half a grapefruit, toast, and cereal for breakfast."