Correct: While he was taking the test, his copy of Up Your Score was in his
pocket.
Whenever you see a sentence with an “-ing” word in a phrase at the
beginning, be on the lookout for a dangling modifier.
Example 2:
Let’s do this one SAT-style:
Conscientious about proper grammar, dangling modifiers were
always on Bertha’s mind.Which of the following would best replace the underlined portion
above:
A) NO CHANGE
B) dangling modifiers was always on Bertha’s mind.
C) Bertha’s dangling modifiers were always on her mind.
D) Bertha always had dangling modifiers on her mind.Were the dangling modifiers conscientious about proper grammar? No,
Bertha was. So she should come right after the comma.
The correct answer is D: Conscientious about proper grammar, Bertha always
had dangling modifiers on her mind.
(This example is an exception to the rule about dangling modifiers having an
“-ing” word at the beginning.)
Example 3:
Parachuting over the Emerald City, the ant gasped in awe.
Was the ant parachuting? Hell, yes—so the sentence is correct.