Question

Which sentence contains a dangling modifier?

Born in Germany, America became John Augustus Roebling’s home in 1831.

Designed by John Augustus Roebling, the Brooklyn Bridge spans 1,595 feet across the East River.

A pioneer in the building of suspension bridges, John Augustus Roebling was the first to use steel cables.

Built by John Augustus Roebling, America’s oldest existing suspension aqueduct is in Laxawaxen, Pennsylvania.

Answer 1

let's review the definition of a dangling modifier: a modifier (a word/phrase) that is meant to refer to a word/phrase/etc. not explicitly stated in the sentence. to find the dangling modifier, identify the modifier(s) in each sentence, and check to see if it could logically modify something in the sentence.

as an example, I will use choice C (which is not the correct answer, I'm just using it as an example).

A pioneer in the building of suspension bridges, John Augustus Roebling was the first to use steel cables.

the modifier is "a pioneer in the building of suspension bridges" and it correctly modifiers John Augustus Roebling, as he could logically be a pioneer this field. therefore, I eliminate choice C as this is not a dangling modifier.

go through the other choices and see which one contains the dangling modifier.