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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
When I passed the shop window, I saw a silver woman’s locket that would be perfect for my aunt’s birthday. No error
Here, the word “silver” is a misplaced modifier. It’s the locket that’s silver, not the woman, so the correct wording would be a “woman’s silver locket.”
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
I’m looking for the torn biology teacher’s manual so I can replace it with a new one. No error
It’s not the biology teacher who’s torn; it’s the manual. Therefore, “torn” is a misplaced modifier and should be moved directly next to the phrase it modifies.
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
We can’t give juice to any of the children in glass bottles; someone might drop one and break it. No error
The "children" aren’t in glass bottles; the "juice" is. Therefore, “in glass bottles” is a misplaced modifier and should be moved next to the noun it modifies.
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
My niece Tara wore her favorite blue dress to the homecoming dance, which unfortunately didn’t match her green shoes. No error
“Which unfortunately didn’t match her green shoes” is a misplaced modifier, since it describes not the dance but the dress. It is incorrectly placed in the sentence.
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Ryan was elated to find the diamond men's chain on the street, but decided it would be more prudent to find out whom it belonged to than to keep it himself. No error
The word "diamond" in the phrase "diamond men's chain" is a misplaced modifier. In its current placement in the sentence, "diamond" looks to be modifying "men's" instead of properly modifying chain. To fix it, we would move the modifier so that the phrase becomes "men's diamond chain."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Hansel and Gretel were lured into going into the candy witch's house, which was made of gingerbread and various kinds of sweets; because of their hunger, they were not aware of the trap the witch had set until it was nearly too late. No error
The phrase "candy witch's house" is incorrect because it is the house that is made of candy, not the witch. Therefore, we must move the modifier "candy" in the phrase to correctly refer to "house" - "witch's candy house."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
We couldn't believe how many ingredients Kelly was able to fit into that chicken giant burrito, and we immediately knew we couldn't finish it in one meal. No error
In the phrase "chicken giant burrito," it appears that "chicken" is improperly modifying "giant." The phrase "giant chicken burrito" corrects this misplaced modifier error.
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Marilyn brought her old red sneakers to the thrift store, which were faded on the sides but otherwise still had strong soles. No error
The phrase "which were faded on the sides but otherwise still had strong soles" is a misplaced modifier—it is currently modifying "the thrift store," but should instead be modifying "sneakers."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
The state is rightfully very hesitant to give teenagers drivers' licenses who have not had training, as there is a higher chance of those teenagers getting into accidents. No error
In the current form of the sentence, the phrase "who have not had training" is incorrectly modifying "drivers' licenses." Instead, the phrase should modify "teenagers" ("teenagers who have not had training").
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
We didn't have to look too hard for the owner of the green striped men's socks; only Jeremy would ever wear socks that tacky. No error
In the sentence above, the adjectives "green" and "striped" are intended to modify "socks" but have been misplaced to modify "men's" instead.
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
The budding poet finished, during the first year of college, twenty poems and a novella, but she was too afraid to show any of them to her parents. No error
The error in this sentence is "during the first year of college" because it is an interrupting modifier. An interrupting modifier seperates the verb ("wrote") from its direct object ("twenty poems and a novella"), making the sentence less clear. A corrected sentence would be: "During the first year of college, the budding poet wrote twenty poems and a novella, but she was too afraid to show any of them to her parents."
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Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
It is possible that James will have been able to afford the vacation if he had saved more of his money. No error
The phrases “been able” and “had saved” are both referring to something that did or could have happened in the past. In keeping with the same tense, “will have” should be in the conditional form that would correctly describe a possibility in the past—“would have.”
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