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Difficulty: MediumAdjectives, Adverbs, and Modifiers

Which of the following sentences demonstrates the grammatically correct order of adjectives and modifier placement?

  1. A
    During the expedition, the team discovered a Swiss ancient rectangular wooden music box.
  2. During the expedition, the team discovered an ancient rectangular Swiss wooden music box.Answer
  3. C
    During the expedition, the team discovered a wooden rectangular ancient Swiss music box.
  4. D
    Exploring the ancient ruins, an ancient rectangular Swiss wooden music box was discovered by the team.

Answer

During the expedition, the team discovered an ancient rectangular Swiss wooden music box.
The sentence stating 'During the expedition, the team discovered an ancient rectangular Swiss wooden music box' strictly observes the conventional order of cumulative adjectives (Age -> Shape -> Origin -> Material -> Purpose) without introducing any dangling modifier errors.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the modifier structure and cumulative adjective sequence in each option.
Identified multiple adjectives modifying the noun head 'music box': age ('ancient'), shape ('rectangular'), origin ('Swiss'), material ('wooden'), and purpose ('music').
English syntax dictates a specific cumulative order of adjectives: Opinion, Size, Age, Shape, Color, Origin, Material, Purpose (OSASCOMP).
2
Evaluate the order of adjectives against the OSASCOMP rule.
The correct sequence must place Age ('ancient') before Shape ('rectangular'), followed by Origin ('Swiss'), Material ('wooden'), and Purpose ('music').
Adjectives closer to intrinsic properties (material, purpose) sit closest to the noun head, while general qualifiers come earlier.
3
Inspect introductory participial phrases for modifier alignment.
The phrase 'Exploring the ancient ruins' must be directly followed by the agent performing the action ('the team'), not the object ('the music box').
Participial phrases modify the subject immediately following the comma; failure to align them creates a dangling modifier.

Key Concept

Order of Adjectives (OSASCOMP) and Modifier Agreement
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Adjectives, Adverbs, and Modifiers

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