Misplaced Modifier
Question
Walking down the street, the storefront window caught my attention with its bright display.
Answer choices
- my attention was caught by the storefront window
- I noticed the storefront window
- the bright display in the storefront window caught my attention
- NO CHANGE
B Correct answer: B) I noticed the storefront window
A participial phrase at the start of a sentence modifies whatever noun comes next. "Walking down the street" must be followed by a person — the only one actually walking. Only the option whose main clause begins with "I" fixes the dangling modifier.
The other options either introduce a grammatical error or change the intended meaning. The ACT consistently rewards the most concise, grammatically correct option.
Read the sentence with each option substituted in. The version that preserves meaning while obeying the underlying rule is the correct answer; on the ACT, that is almost always the shortest option that still works.
The underlying rule
An introductory participial phrase ("Walking down the street") must modify the subject of the main clause. The subject must be the person doing the walking — not a window or an attention.
Why each wrong answer is wrong
- A) my attention was caught by the storefront window: This subject was not the one doing the walking. Storefront windows and bright displays cannot walk down streets.
- C) the bright display in the storefront window caught my attention: This subject was not the one doing the walking. Storefront windows and bright displays cannot walk down streets.
- D) NO CHANGE: This subject was not the one doing the walking. Storefront windows and bright displays cannot walk down streets.
Study tip
Whenever a sentence begins with an "-ing" or "-ed" phrase set off by a comma, check the very next word after the comma. It must name whoever or whatever is doing that action.
More Hard Grammar & Usage
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