Misplaced Modifier - Present participle at the beginning.

[xavierakx]

Hi

This is an example from Manhattan GMAT SC:

Wrong: Using the latest technology, the problem was identified.
Right: Using the latest technology, the engineer identified the problem.

I would like to know if the below, though in passive, is still correct:

Using the latest technology, the problem was identified by the engineer.

As this is a verb modifier (present participle with comma), I believe there is no need for the subject 'engineer' to touch the modifier 'using technology' and thus the above should be correct though it's weaker than the version in active voice.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

[jlucero]

The same issue shows up in your example as the original wrong example:

Using the latest technology, the problem was identified.

You could argue that "using the latest technology" is modifying HOW the problem was identified. The number one rule with modifiers is that we would like them to clearly express the right idea. When a modifier could be a noun modifier, as is the case in both wrong usages, we prefer putting the modifier next to the verb to more clearly express the proper idea.

The problem was identified using the latest technology.
The problem was identified, using the latest technology, by the engineer.