Which sentence is grammatically correct?
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A
We saw a car parked behind the building with silver tires.
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B
Behind the building, we saw a car parked with silver tires.
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C
Parked behind the building, we saw a car with silver tires.
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D
We saw a car with silver tires parked behind the building.
Sentence “We saw a car with silver tires parked behind the building.” is grammatically correct because it places modifiers immediately next to the nouns they describe, eliminating ambiguity about which elements possess silver tires.
A) We saw a car parked behind the building with silver tires.
Creates ambiguity—"with silver tires" could modify "building" (illogical) or "car" (intended). Misplaced modifier risks misinterpretation.
B) Behind the building, we saw a car parked with silver tires.
Still creates ambiguity—"with silver tires" could modify "we" (absurd) or "car" (intended). Comma placement doesn't fully resolve modifier attachment uncertainty.
C) Parked behind the building, we saw a car with silver tires.
Creates a dangling modifier—suggests "we" (not the car) were parked behind the building. Participial phrase incorrectly attaches to subject "we."
D) We saw a car with silver tires parked behind the building.
Eliminates all ambiguity by placing "with silver tires" directly after "car" (its logical noun) and "parked behind the building" as a participial phrase also modifying "car." Both modifiers clearly attach to the intended noun without misinterpretation risk.
Conclusion
Clear modifier placement requires positioning descriptive phrases immediately adjacent to their nouns. Sentence D achieves this precision by nesting both modifiers ("with silver tires" and "parked behind") directly next to "car," creating unambiguous description without dangling or misplaced elements.