Standard English ConventionsMediumDangling modifier
Standard English Conventions practice question
Walking along the shore at dusk, ____.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- A. we saw the lighthouse begin to flashCorrect
- B. the lighthouse came into view ahead of us
- C. the lighthouse was seen by us as it began to flash
- D. it was the lighthouse that we saw first
Answer: A. we saw the lighthouse begin to flash
An opening phrase like 'Walking along the shore at dusk' describes whoever comes right after the comma. The only choice that puts the walkers there is 'we saw the lighthouse'.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. the lighthouse came into view ahead of us
- This makes 'the lighthouse' the thing walking along the shore. The phrase has to attach to the people who were walking.
- C. the lighthouse was seen by us as it began to flash
- Again the lighthouse ends up doing the walking. Rearranging into the passive doesn't fix which noun follows the phrase.
- D. it was the lighthouse that we saw first
- 'it' is what follows the comma, so 'it' was walking along the shore — which makes no sense.
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