Instructions: Each of the following sentences is either correct (with no modifier error) or contains a misplaced or dangling modifier. A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that, because of its incorrect position within a sentence, modifies the wrong thing. A dangling modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that modifies an element that is missing from a sentence. After identifying the error (if there is one), fix the sentence.

Question 1:

A healthy lifestyle can help reduce stress by simply staying active and allowing time to relax.
a) misplaced modifier
b) no error
c) dangling modifier

Question 2:

Being a first-year student, my professors do not accept Wikipedia as a credible source of information.
a) no error
b) dangling modifier
c) misplaced modifier

Question 3:

Many readers objected to the newspaper’s picture of a young man posed beside a dead whale wearing running shoes and holding a gun.
a) misplaced modifier
b) no error
c) dangling modifier

Question 4:

You should be aware that textbook requirements might change for this course while processing your order.
a) no error
b) dangling modifier
c) misplaced modifier

Question 5:

Some animals, such as male frogs, only use their vocal organs to attract a mate.
a) no error
b) misplaced modifier
c) dangling modifier

Question 6:

A woman’s body needs time to heal after a traumatic event such as childbirth, which can take many weeks.
a) misplaced modifier
b) dangling modifier
c) no error

Question 7:

Looking around the aisle of my local drugstore, I was amazed by the varieties of cosmetics that are available today.
a) no error
b) dangling modifier
c) misplaced modifier

Question 8:

When examining Pablo Picasso’s art, his paintings often portray people with distorted faces.
a) misplaced modifier
b) no error
c) dangling modifier

Question 9:

My studies have been focused on the social sciences, having taken two political science courses and one sociology course.
a) misplaced modifier
b) dangling modifier
c) no error

Question 10:

Female Salvation Army officers in the nineteenth century were expected to raise funds by preaching to crowds in attractive dresses.
a) no error
b) dangling modifier
c) misplaced modifier

Question 11:

Photovoltaic cells convert light energy from the sun and store this energy in batteries for easy use.
a) dangling modifier
b) no error
c) misplaced modifier

Question 12:

Birth defects are common among addicted mothers, such as chronic lung diseases.
a) no error
b) dangling modifier
c) misplaced modifier

Question 13:

Watching Disney movies, heroines are always long-legged, ample-breasted beauties.
a) no error
b) misplaced modifier
c) dangling modifier

Question 14:

Hybrid cars use an electric motor, which can draw power from the car’s battery when accelerating.
a) dangling modifier
b) misplaced modifier
c) no error

Question 15:

Moving to Montreal has been a difficult experience because I left my father at home, who is a recent widower.
a) misplaced modifier
b) no error
c) dangling modifier

Question 16:

Hanging on a fencepost in a field, I saw a pair of boots.
a) misplaced modifier
b) no error
c) dangling modifier

Question 17:

In history essays, you have to analyze significant events that have a lot of detail in a precise paragraph.
a) misplaced modifier
b) no error
c) dangling modifier

Question 18:

Living in southern Ontario, her condominium was affected by the recent power shortages.
a) misplaced modifier
b) no error
c) dangling modifier

Question 19:

Ranging from mild to acute, UNICEF reports that 20 per cent of Iraq’s 3.5 million children suffer from malnutrition.
a) misplaced modifier
b) no error
c) dangling modifier

Question 20:

With no intelligible written dialect of this ancient civilization, the story of Easter Island remains a matter of speculation.
a) misplaced modifier
b) no error
c) dangling modifier

Higher Education

Identifying Modifier Errors Quiz