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Difficulty: MediumMisplaced and Dangling Modifiers

After marinating in a mixture of soy sauce and ginger for several hours, the chef grilled the salmon fillet to perfection.

Which of the following versions of the underlined portion represents the most grammatically correct and logical sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. B
    the chef grilling the salmon fillet to perfection
  3. the salmon fillet was grilled to perfection by the chefAnswer
  4. D
    the chef grilled the salmon fillet to perfection, it was ready for dinner

Answer

The correct option is the one stating 'the salmon fillet was grilled to perfection by the chef'.
The correct option is the one stating 'the salmon fillet was grilled to perfection by the chef'. The introductory phrase 'After marinating in a mixture of soy sauce and ginger for several hours' describes the salmon fillet. Placing the salmon fillet immediately after the comma resolves the dangling modifier and creates a logically clear sentence.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the introductory modifying phrase to determine what it describes.
The phrase 'After marinating in a mixture of soy sauce and ginger for several hours' must logically describe the salmon fillet rather than the chef.
Modifiers must be placed as close as possible to the noun they modify to ensure logical clarity.
2
Check the subject of the main clause directly following the comma.
The original sentence has 'the chef' as the subject, which creates a dangling modifier. The subject needs to be 'the salmon fillet'.
An introductory modifier describes the subject that immediately follows the comma.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the one that correctly places the modified noun first without introducing other grammatical errors.
The option that changes the main clause to start with 'the salmon fillet' is correct, whereas other options create fragments or comma splices.
This revision produces a grammatically sound and logically coherent passive construction.

Key Concept

Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers

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