I have been really trying hard to understand modifiers and dangling modifiers do you think you could help?

Question

This is one of the question im really stuck on.

1. Identify the misplaced modifier, and revise each sentence. Add to the sentences to make each as clear as possible.

( I was informed that I had been hired for the job by my best friend.)

2. She described the beach resort as relaxing with a large pool in Santa Fe.

Answer 1

You need to show clearly what each phrase is modifying.

1. Were you informed by your best friend or were you hired by your best friend? Since it could be either one of these two options, the modifier is unclear. Simply move the modifier so that it's closer what to it modifies.

2. Does the beach resort have the large pool, or is it in Santa Fe?

In regards to dangling modifiers, they happen when the modifier has nothing in the sentence to modify.

Example: "Walking in the park, my backpack was lost."

The only word that the phrase "Walking in the park can modify is backpack. There is obviously something wrong with this picture.

Correction: "When I was walking in the park, my backpack was lost." ("When I was walking in the park" is now a dependent clause, not a modifier) or

"Walking in the park, I lost my backpack." ("Walking in the park" is now modifying I)

These modifier problem are hard to identify, because we usually know what we mean and don't realize the problem.

Answer 2

Modifiers add more information to sentences.  You can tell if you have a modifier right, when you can move it to the front and back of the sentence and it still makes sense.

"She described the beach resort as relaxing with a large pool in Santa Fe."

The main sentence is "She described the beach resort."  we modify that with her description: "relaxing with a large pool" and with the location "in Santa Fe."  "In Sante Fe" is a modifier.  

If you move that to the front of the sentence:

"In Santa Fe, she described the beach resort as relaxing with a large pool."

It sounds like she's in Sante Fe instead of the resort.

Two easy fixes would be:

1. "She described the beach resort in Santa Fe as relaxing with a large pool."

or

2. "She described the Santa Fe beach resort as relaxing with a large pool."