Difficulty: Medium

Average Score: 52%

Designed in 1792 by James Hoban, an Irish architect, John Adams became the first United States president to reside in the White House.

The sentence contains which of the following grammatical errors?

Rationale

Dangling modifier is present in the sentence.

The sentence begins with "Designed in 1792 by James Hoban," which creates a dangling modifier because it is not clear which noun the phrase is modifying. This structure suggests that "John Adams" was designed, leading to confusion in understanding the intended meaning.

A (Comma splice) YOUR ANSWER

A comma splice occurs when two independent clauses are joined by just a comma without a coordinating conjunction. In this case, the sentence is a complex structure rather than two independent clauses joined improperly. Therefore, this choice does not apply to the identified error.

B (Dangling modifier) CORRECT

The phrase "Designed in 1792 by James Hoban" does not clearly modify the right noun, creating a dangling modifier. The sentence implies that John Adams is the one designed, which is incorrect. The intended subject of the design should be the White House, not the president. Thus, this is the correct identification of the grammatical error.

C (Subject-verb disagreement) YOUR ANSWER

Subject-verb disagreement occurs when the subject and verb do not agree in number. In this sentence, "John Adams" (singular) correctly matches with "became" (singular), reflecting proper subject-verb agreement. Therefore, this option does not represent an error.

D (Faulty parallelism) YOUR ANSWER

Faulty parallelism refers to a lack of symmetry in sentence structure when listing ideas or items. The sentence does not have a list or series that requires parallel structure, so this choice is not relevant to the grammatical error present in the sentence.

Conclusion

The sentence contains a dangling modifier, as the introductory phrase incorrectly implies that John Adams was the subject of the design rather than the White House. Recognizing this error is crucial for clarity in writing, allowing readers to understand the intended meaning without confusion. Properly constructed sentences enhance the reader's comprehension and improve overall communication.

The sentence contains which of the following grammatical errors?

Dangling modifier is present in the sentence.

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