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Difficulty: HardMisplaced and Dangling Modifiers

Having finally deciphered the glyphs on the stone tablet, the ancient Mayan calendar's complex structure was revealed to the epigraphists.

Which of the following is the best revision of the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. the epigraphists revealed the ancient Mayan calendar's complex structure.Answer
  3. C
    the epigraphists who revealed the ancient Mayan calendar's complex structure.
  4. D
    the epigraphists revealed the ancient Mayan calendar's complex structure, it was a major breakthrough.

Answer

The correct option is the one stating 'the epigraphists revealed the ancient Mayan calendar's complex structure.'
The correct choice resolves the dangling modifier by ensuring the subject 'the epigraphists' immediately follows the introductory phrase. Since the epigraphists are the ones performing the action of deciphering, this arrangement makes the sentence logical and grammatically complete.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the action and logical subject of the introductory modifying phrase.
The phrase 'Having finally deciphered the glyphs on the stone tablet' describes an action that requires a logical human agent. The only logical agent in the sentence is 'the epigraphists.'
An introductory participial phrase must logically modify the subject that immediately follows the comma.
2
Evaluate the choices to ensure the subject immediately following the comma is the epigraphists.
The original phrasing (NO CHANGE) places 'the ancient Mayan calendar's complex structure' as the subject, which is incorrect since a structure cannot decipher glyphs. The other options correctly start the main clause with 'the epigraphists.'
Placing the correct logical subject immediately after the comma resolves the dangling modifier.
3
Check the remaining options for other grammatical errors.
The option containing 'who' creates a sentence fragment because it lacks an independent main clause. The option containing 'it was a major breakthrough' creates a comma splice by running two independent clauses together with only a comma. The option starting with 'the epigraphists revealed' is grammatically correct and complete.
The correct answer must resolve the modifier issue without introducing new grammatical errors.

Key Concept

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

Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers

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