<p>A writing question that weirds me out:</p>
<p>In his old age, the painter James McNeill Whistler walked to the beach almost every day, _______ a small easel and his paints in order to paint the sky, the water, and the shore.</p>
<p>(C) where he carried
(D) carrying</p>
<p>The correct answer is (D), however, I don't quite understand how this does not cause a misplaced modifier problem, as "carrying" is awfully close to "beach". (But apparently ETS has no problem with that).</p>
<p>it does not cause a misplaced modifier problem</p>
<p>“where” he carried did strike me as a gratuitous or incorrect manner of syntax</p>
<p>carrying is correct</p>
<p>Can you please explain why the modifier isn’t misplaced? As “carrying” can be used to describe “beach” and make the meaning of the sentence utterly ridiculous.</p>
<p>But “where he carried” is just as nonsensical. The literal meaning of “where he carried” would be that Whistler walked daily to the beach. Once he got there he picked up his equipment and toted it around for a while before setting it down and walking back home.</p>
<p>I get your idea, but that doesn’t really make (D) correct, even if it sounds the beast. :S</p>
<p>Modifiers can go at the end of the sentence, separated from the independent clause with a comma. The assumption is that the participial phrase modifies the noun at the start of the sentence, and the College Board agrees that this is grammatical.</p>
<p>Examples:</p>
<p>Whistling a cheerful tune, the man walked down the street.</p>
<p>The man, whistling a cheerful tune, walked down the street.</p>
<p>The man walked down the street, whistling a cheerful tune.</p>
<p>Note what you get if you omit the comma:</p>
<p>The man walked down the street whistling a cheerful tune.</p>
<p>THAT is a misplaced modifier, as it literally reads as if the street were whistling.</p>
<p>A day is not a place.</p>
<p>I see, thanks JBIG1994. :)</p>