MTEL Communication Literacy Skills : Writing Practice Test

In which of the following scenarios might you find a dangling modifier?

1. When the context suggests an omitted action

2. When the actor of an action is not clearly stated

3. When the subject and verb agree perfectly

4. When the sentence is elaboratively structured

The correct answer is: When the actor of an action is not clearly stated

A dangling modifier occurs when a descriptive phrase does not clearly connect to the subject it is intended to modify. This often results in confusion or ambiguity as to who or what is performing the action described by the modifier. In scenarios where the actor of an action is not clearly stated, the modifier may appear to be "dangling" because it lacks a clear noun to connect to. For example, if a sentence begins with a phrase intended to describe a person, but the subject of the main clause is different, readers are left uncertain about which noun the modifier modifies. In contrast, if the context suggests an omitted action, it may lead to a lack of clarity, but not necessarily to a dangling modifier. Similarly, subject-verb agreement pertains primarily to grammatical correctness and would not typically involve modifiers. An elaboratively structured sentence could still maintain clear connections between subjects and modifiers, avoiding dangling constructions altogether.