Question

Which sentence contains a misplaced modifier?

Answer 1

The correct answer is D. Yesterday, my dad walked the dog in his suit and tie

Explanation:

In grammar, a modifier is a word or set of words that describe the way some object, person, animal or idea is, that is usually placed before the noun or shortly after it. A misplaced modifier occurs when an adjective or phrase that modifies or describes a noun (modifier) is separated from the noun it modifies, which creates a confuse and strange meaning in the sentence as the modifier can be incorrectly associate to a different noun to the one that it actually modifies. This is a common grammar mistake that consists of the modifier being misplaced or in the wrong place in the sentence.

Considering the previous ideas, the sentence that contains a misplaced modifier is "Yesterday, my dad walked the dog in his suit and tie" as the modifier "in his suit and tie" that describes "my dad" has been separated from the noun it describes and placed at the end of the sentence which creates a confusing meaning as it seems the dog is the one wearing a suit and a tie. Thus, as in this sentence, the modifier is not in the correct place there is a misplaced modifier.

Answer 2

So this is not an easy question, but here is a good way to go about it.  Try and read each sentence alone and see if the sentence lends itself to the adjectives(descriptive words) be attached to the wrong noun(object).  I believe that the answer to this question is D, because the prepositional phrase "in his suit and tie" is closer to dog which makes it sound like the dog is the one in a suit and tie, not dad.  The sentence would be better written "Yesterday, my dad, in his suit and tie, walked the dog.