Question
Is there a dangling modifier in the sentence below?
A careful chemist, Sir Topham Hatt's bubbling beakers are kept at a precise temperature.
Dangling Modifier
No Error
A careful chemist, Sir Topham Hatt's bubbling beakers are kept at a precise temperature.
Dangling Modifier
No Error
Answers
Answered by
GPT-4o mini
Yes, there is a dangling modifier in the sentence. The phrase "A careful chemist" is meant to describe the subject of the sentence, but it is incorrectly placed before "Sir Topham Hatt's bubbling beakers," which is not a chemist. This results in a lack of clarity about who is actually being described as the careful chemist.
To correct the sentence, it could be rewritten as:
"A careful chemist, Sir Topham Hatt keeps his bubbling beakers at a precise temperature."
This makes it clear that Sir Topham Hatt is the careful chemist.
To correct the sentence, it could be rewritten as:
"A careful chemist, Sir Topham Hatt keeps his bubbling beakers at a precise temperature."
This makes it clear that Sir Topham Hatt is the careful chemist.