Which sentence contains a poorly placed modifier?

• A. Published in 1776, Thomas Paine's Common Sense made the case for independence.
• B. Writing in 1776, Thomas Paine made the case for independence in a pamphlet titled Common Sense.
• C. Writing in 1776, Thomas Paine's Common Sense made the case for independence.
• D. Common Sense, published in 1776, made the case for independence by Thomas Paine.

Answer: (C)

A fronted participial phrase must clearly describe the noun that follows it. In the sentence that begins with “Writing in 1776,” the introductory phrase is intended to tell when something happened, but the main clause centers on “Thomas Paine’s Common Sense,” a pamphlet. That makes the modifier seem to describe the pamphlet itself as if it were doing the writing, which is illogical. The result is a misplacement: the action is attached to the wrong noun.

A clearer version would tie the time to the person or to the pamphlet itself, such as “Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense in 1776, and it made the case for independence,” or place the modifier next to the pamphlet, as in “Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, written in 1776, made the case for independence.” The other sentences handle the timing with the pamphlet more directly—“Published in 1776, Thomas Paine's Common Sense…” clearly refers to the pamphlet’s publication, and “Common Sense, published in 1776, made the case for independence by Thomas Paine” also keeps the modifier with the pamphlet.