Description
Misplaced Modifier questions are about descriptive phrases. If a
sentence starts with a short descriptive phrase followed by a comma,
the object of the description (person or thing being described) must
come right after the comma.
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Since these questions usually look like this,
they are relatively easy to spot.
-
The first part of the sentence is not underlined,
but the stuff after comma is underlined.
Approach
Look for sentences that start with a description followed by a comma and
make sure the first thing after the comma is the subject that has been
described by the first part of the sentence.
Ask yourself:
What is being described by the part of the sentence before the comma?
That thing (or person, or idea) being described by everything before
the comma must come right after the comma.
1) Practice:
Replace the underlined portion of the following sentence:
Although criticized by a few for her daredevil aviation escapades,
most people viewed Amelia Earhart as a skillful pilot.
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most people viewed Amelia Earhart as a skillful pilot
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most people viewed Amelia Earhart to be a skillful pilot
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a skillful pilot was what most people viewed Amelia Earhart as
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Amelia Earhart was viewed by most people as a skillful pilot
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Amelia Earhart, a skillful pilot in the view of most people
Who is being described by the description that ends with the
comma?
It's Amelia Earhardt, right? She needs to show up right after the comma...
Therefore, the answer is D.
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2) Practice: Try the next one
Like most new residents,
the town's winding streets confused the Curtis family
for a day or two.
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the town's winding streets confused the Curtis family
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the winding streets of the town confusing the Curtis family
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the Curtis family was confused by the town's winding streets
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the Curtis family, who found the town's winding streets confusing
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there were winding streets in the town which confused the Curtis family
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