<p>I'm working on dangling modifiers and this review book says modifiers should be close as possible to the noun it modifies
*located in the southern Andes, the most recent eruption of the volcano known as Tronador occured centuries ago.
I know volcano should go righ after intro clause but can I also do...
The most recent eruption of the volcano known as Tronador, located in the southern Andes, occurred centuries ago.
- is this wrong?</p>
<p>Your question is whether or not the sentence:</p>
<p>“The most recent eruption of the volcano known as Tronador, located in the southern Andes, occurred centuries ago.”</p>
<p>The phrase “located in the southern Andes” is a participial phrase. It functions as an adjective. Which noun does it modify? While your proposed sentence places “volcano known as Tronador” close to the participial phrase, the sentence as written is awkward. That’s because the phrase “of the volcano known as Tronador” is not the subject of the sentence. This phrase is a prepositional phrase (with volcano the object of the preposition of) and prepositional phrases function as adjectives or adverbs. In this case the prepositional phrase modifies “eruption”. It doesn’t really make sense to modify the modifier, and that makes your proposed sentence awkward.</p>
<p>Sorry for such a long winded technical answer.</p>
<p>What is correct is:</p>
<p>“The volcano Tronador, located in the Southern Andes, errupted centuries ago.”</p>
<p>Also correct is the following sentence taken from a Willa Cather novel.</p>
<p>“One January day, thirty years ago, the little town of Hanover, anchored on a windy Nebraska tableland, was trying not to be blown away.”</p>
<p>And perhaps this is correct:</p>
<p>“The most recent eruption of the volcano known as Tronador, which is located in the southern Andes, occurred centuries ago.”</p>