Modifiers: Misplaced Words and Phrases

Modifiers: Misplaced Words and Phrases

In English, the order of words is essential to understanding. An adjective or adverb

modifies a word by appearing next to it in a sentence. If you separate the modifying
word from the word it modifies, some confusing and unintended meanings may result.
(Purdue University website)
DANGLING MODIFIERS

Consider this sentence:
Having finished her assignment, Mary turned on the TV.
“Having finished” states an action but does not name the doer of that action. In English
sentences, the doer must be the subject of the main clause that follows. In this sentence it
is Mary. She seems logically to be the one doing the action (“having finished”), and this
sentence, therefore, does not have a dangling modifier.
Now consider this sentence:
Having finished her assignment, the TV was turned on.
Having finished is a participle expressing action, but the doer is not the TV set (the
subject of the main clause): TV sets don’t finish assignments. Since the doer of the action
expressed in the participle has not clearly been stated, the participial phrase is said to be a
dangling modifier.
Example of Dangling Modifier
After reading the original study, the article remained unconvincing.

(The article – the subject of the main clause- did not read the original study.)
Revision
After reading the original study, I find the article unconvincing.
Practice
1. A woman passed by, leading a Springer spaniel in a long black dress.
2. After trying the combination several times, the lock finally opened.
3. Disappointed that vacation would soon end, September came all too quickly.
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4. He went to the library wearing a leather jacket.
5. After reading the paper, the telephone rang.
6. Working all afternoon, the foundation was completed.
7. Running from New York to Florida, people ride the Silver Star.
8. Laughing loudly, the joke pleased the audience.
9. Forgetting to buy gas, the car wouldn’t start.
10. Typing slowly, the paper seemed endless.
Characteristics of Dangling Modifiers
They most frequently appear at the beginning of sentences (often as introductory phrases
or clauses) but can also appear at the end.
The experiment was a failure, not having studied the lab manual.
Possible Revision
They failed the experiment, not having studied the lab manual.
SQUINTING MODIFIERS
Related to dangling modifiers, squinting modifiers occur when the word modified is not
clear or could be more than one word. These problems can usually be solved by
rearranging the elements already present in the sentence.
Squinting modifier
The mystery has been solved after ten years of the missing portrait.
Revision
After ten years, the mystery of the portrait has been solved.
Lesson Exercise
Correct these sentences by shifting a modifier in each, or, if necessary, by rewriting.
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1. Your salesman told me that there was no provision for replacing damaged
merchandise in the contract.
2. Jennifer sat waiting for her boyfriend to park the car, in a slinky red dress with a
plunging neckline.
3. Diane Arbus took pictures of subjects other photographers would not consider
with her camera.
4. The counter clerk at the soda fountain brought the sundae to the eager young boy
covered in chocolate sauce.
5. I jumped from bed and watched the car rip through the large picture window in
my underwear.
MISPLACED MODIFIERS
1. The officer left to fight with his troops.
2. I waited for my parents to sit down and eat my breakfast.
3. Pat is in love with Kelly along with Jamie.
4. I saw a shark snorkeling.
5. She could not explain why she wanted to get married to her mother.
6. After letting out a bang, I had to fix the ignition on my car.
7. He begged her not to speak sincerely.
Be especially careful with the words only and not.
1. She only likes me.
2. All of us are not honest.
3. I drink skim milk only because I am on a diet.
4. Defining your terms clearly strengthens your argument.
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5. I told my son when the game was over I would play with him.
To + verb
SPLIT INFINITIVES
Relocate words that come between to and the infinitive form of a verb.
1. I tried to quietly exit.
2. He vowed to never leave her.
3. Financial analysts expected the stock prices to after a period of share decline.
4. Try to, if you can get it, see her latest DVD.
5. He wanted to quietly wait it out after the results were announced..
To test your mastery of modifiers, try this final exercise.
1. While still in kindergarten, my parents moved me to Red Deer
2. After finishing high school, college seemed like a good idea.
3. Having been over fertilized, my sister thinks the cactus will not survive.
4. Being over inflated, Roderick thinks the inner tube will burst.
5. A person who blacks out while drinking nine times out of ten is an alcoholic.
6. Hiking out into the wilderness, the weather grew ominous.
7. Elmo asked Dee Dee to marry him during the evening.
8. If caged, you can bring your Wolfhound on the flight.
9. Weighing at least 80kg. Bertha couldn’t move the baggage.
10. One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, I

don’t know. Then we tried to remove the tusks but they were embedded so firmly
that we couldn’t budge them. Of course, in Alabama the Tuscaloosa. But that’s
entirely irrelephant…[Groucho Marx].
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Modifiers: Misplaced Words and Phrases

In English, the order of words is essential to understanding. An adjective or adverb

Consider this sentence:

Having finished her assignment, Mary turned on the TV.

Now consider this sentence:

Having finished her assignment, the TV was turned on.

Example of Dangling Modifier

After reading the original study, the article remained unconvincing.

After reading the original study, I find the article unconvincing.

1. A woman passed by, leading a Springer spaniel in a long black dress.

5. After reading the paper, the telephone rang.

6. Working all afternoon, the foundation was completed.

8. Laughing loudly, the joke pleased the audience.

9. Forgetting to buy gas, the car wouldn’t start.

10. Typing slowly, the paper seemed endless.

Characteristics of Dangling Modifiers

Correct these sentences by shifting a modifier in each, or, if necessary, by rewriting.

1. The officer left to fight with his troops.

2. I waited for my parents to sit down and eat my breakfast.

3. Pat is in love with Kelly along with Jamie.

4. I saw a shark snorkeling.

6. After letting out a bang, I had to fix the ignition on my car.

7. He begged her not to speak sincerely.

Be especially careful with the words only and not.

1. She only likes me.

2. All of us are not honest.

3. I drink skim milk only because I am on a diet.

4. Defining your terms clearly strengthens your argument.

1. I tried to quietly exit.

2. He vowed to never leave her.

5. He wanted to quietly wait it out after the results were announced..

To test your mastery of modifiers, try this final exercise.

1. While still in kindergarten, my parents moved me to Red Deer

2. After finishing high school, college seemed like a good idea.

6. Hiking out into the wilderness, the weather grew ominous.

7. Elmo asked Dee Dee to marry him during the evening.

8. If caged, you can bring your Wolfhound on the flight.

9. Weighing at least 80kg. Bertha couldn’t move the baggage.

10. One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, I

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