Identify a common misplaced modifier and explain how to correct it.

• A. A noun that describes a verb.
• B. A framing error where a modifier describes the wrong word; correction places the modifier next to the word it describes.
• C. A modifier that is always placed at the end of a sentence.
• D. A misplaced modifier changes the tense.

Answer: (B)

A misplaced modifier happens when a describing word or phrase is placed next to the wrong word, making it seem like it’s describing something it shouldn’t. The fix is to move the modifier so it sits right next to the word it’s meant to describe, which makes the sentence clear and unambiguous.

For example, think of a sentence like, “I saw a man on a bicycle with a telescope.” It’s unclear who has the telescope—the man or the observer. If you mean to describe how you saw him, you could rewrite it as, “With a telescope, I saw a man on a bicycle.” Here the modifier is clearly attached to the intended action (how you saw him), not to the man or the bicycle.

That matches the idea in the option: a framing error where a modifier describes the wrong word, and the correction places the modifier next to the word it describes. This is the best explanation of a common misplaced modifier.

Why the other ideas don’t fit the same issue: one describes adjectives describing verbs in a different sense, not the placement problem; another incorrectly claims modifiers must always be at the end; and another suggests the modifier changes tense, which isn’t what misplaced modifiers do.