Smiling ear to ear, Jillian took the adorable puppy named Knuckles into her hands and hugged him tightly.

Which noun or pronoun does the participial phrase smiling ear to ear describe?

A. Her
B. Him
C. Jillian
D. Knuckles

C. Jillian

Explanation:

Jillian is the one smiling.

C.

Explanation:

Most participle phrases used at the beginning of sentences are used to describe the noun closest to it - usually the subject. In this case, the subject is Jillian, and the phrase "smiling ear to ear" directly precedes Jillian.

today we'd use social media to quickly spread a controversial idea, but in the eighteenth century, the printed pamphlet was highly effective. and thomas paine took full advantage of it. on january 9, 1776, when paine published his pamphlet, "common sense," he wanted to push the american people toward independence from britain. it ultimately ignite the american revolution. thomas paine argued that the monarchy was evil and should be rejected as a form of government. to underscore his point, he cited the bible to argue his case -- in judges 8: 22-23: "the israelites said to gideon, 'rule over us, you and your son and your ' gideon told them, 'i will not rule over you. the lord will rule over you'" (nrsv).