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Sentence that may or may not need correction:

Referred to by some as the "fifth Beatle," Iain Softley wrote and directed a movie about Stuart Sutcliffe-the original bassist of the group-Backbeat in 1994.

I'm not sure for this question. Can I please get an explanation for why every choice but the correct one is wrong? Can I have an explanation for the "dash" usage also?

A. Iain Softley wrote and directed a movie about Stuart Sutcliffe-the original bassist of the group-Backbeat in 1994

B. in 1994 Iain Softley wrote and directed the movie Backbeat about Stuart Sutcliffe-the original bassist of the group

C. Stuart Sutcliffe-the original bassist of the group-was the subject of the 1994 movie, Backbeat written and directed by Iain Softley

D. Iain softley, who wrote and directed the movie Backbeat about Stuart Sutcliffe the original bassist of the group in 1994

I chose A but the correct answer is C.

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  • Were the A-D options given to complete the sentence beginning with Referred to by some as the "fifth Beatle, .." ? – CowperKettle Sep 21 '14 at 15:30
  • yes. they replace the grayish text. – user8959 Sep 21 '14 at 15:35
  • This doesn't answer your question, but the dashes look odd to me. I'd think those would be commas instead. Just a side note. – Andy Oct 13 '15 at 0:30
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It was Sutcliffe, not Softley, who was referred to as the "fifth Beatle".

A participle clause at the head of a sentence is taken to refer to the immediately following nominal—which will almost always be the subject of the main clause.

So if the clause Referred to by some as the "fifth Beatle," remains at the head of the sentence, it must be followed by "Stuart Sutcliffe", to identify its subject—who was referred to in that way.

Only one answer, C. has "Stuart Sutcliffe" in that position. Consequently, C. is the only answer which satisfies this requirement.

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