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Misplaced
Modifiers
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| The
placement of modifiers is crucial to the meaning of sentences.
Notice how the placement of the modifier only impacts the meaning
of the sentences in the following examples. |
The woman only serves dinner on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
(She does no other activities.)
Only the woman serves dinner on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
(The woman is the only server)
The woman serves dinner only on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
(These are the only days.)
The woman serves only dinner on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
(Breakfast or lunch is not served.)
The only woman serves dinner on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
(There is just one woman server.) |
| Misplaced
modifiers are words, phrases, and clauses that are ambiguous
or confusing because they are not placed appropriately in relation
to the words they modify. |
| Ambiguity
can often be resolved by placing the modifiers near (usually
directly before) the words they modify. |
The woman
carrying a baby who was scared and sick drew much attention.
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The reader
cannot know if it is the woman or the baby who is scared
and sick.
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The scared
and sick woman who was carrying a baby drew much attention.
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It is clear
that the woman is scared and sick.
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The woman
who was carrying a scared and sick baby drew much attention.
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It is clear
that the baby is scared and sick.
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| Elliptical
Clauses appear as dangling modifiers because they could contain
a subject and a verb but do not. Such sentences can be clarified
by providing a subject and a verb. |
As a
child, my mother taught me to play the piano
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(It is unclear
who the child is in this sentence.)
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When
I was a child, my mother taught me to play the piano.
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| Intrusive
Modifiers interrupt sentences by dividing parts of verb phrases,
parts of infinitives, subjects and their verbs, or objects and
their object complements. |
She had,
without considering the consequences, left without permission.
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| Intrusive
modifiers can be corrected by rearranging the phrases so that
none are split (interrupted). |
| Without
considering the consequences, she left without permission. |
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Modifier
Practice
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| Correct
the modification errors in the following sentences. |
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- Mother gave candy to my friend which was sweet.
- The professor explained to the students that the course would
be hard work before the semester began.
- She forgot half of the items on the list distracted by the
special sales in the store.
- The dean, after not having taught any classes for many semesters,
wanted to return to the classroom.
- We served juice to the children in the play room in plastic
cups.
- We saw Jane at the new mall walking with her boyfriend.
- The issues and the committee members for discussion have
been determined.
- The authors include a complete explanation of the system
of government checks and balances in their last article.
- The fire safety experts advise people to check all smoke
detectors in their pamphlet.
- We saw the papers in the recycling container that had been
written by the students.
- The woman put the child to bed with a fever.
- Many members of the audience watched the performance with
binoculars.
- The paper was torn that I was throwing away.
- I knew that the course would require hard work before I
registered.
- The professor said at the end of class she would answer
questions.
- The class, because it is required of all students, always
has a large enrollment.
- The boy bought with his birthday money the toy he always
wanted.
- I pointed out the painting to my friend on the wall.
- After she broke her hip, she was not normally able to walk.
- The children were, because of the approaching holiday, extremely
excited.
(click here to see answer key)
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