Question

Which sentence contains a misplaced modifier?

By the age of thirteen, Jennifer Snyder had released several original songs.

I worked hard all morning in the garden, and the dog trampled all the flowers I planted.

We watched the ocean carefully for several hours, but we never saw the dolphins.

Enclosed within the metal fence, Jaden watched the elephant spraying water with his trunk.

Answer 1

D. Enclosed within the metal fence

Step-by-step explanation:

There is no ambiguity in answer choices A, B, and C because all the modifiers in these sentences are put in the right places. Sentence D, contrarily, sounds awkward and illogical because it contains a misplaced modifier.

Answer 2

Enclosed within the metal fence, Jaden watched the elephant spraying water with his trunk.

Step-by-step explanation:

A misplaced modifier is a modifier that seems to modify the wrong word in a sentence. The way this sentence is written suggests that it is Jaden who is "enclosed within the metal fence", which is obviously wrong. The misplaced modifier "enclosed within the metal fence" makes the sentence confusing.