Mistakes with Modifiers

Learning Objective:

  • Clearly link modifying words, phrases, or clauses to the words they modify.

LESSON
A modifierA word or phrase that changes or specifies the meaning of another word, usually the subject or the verb. Example: The red ball quickly bounced over the fence. The adjective red modifies the subject, the ball. Also, the adverb quickly modifies the verb bounced. is a word, phraseA set of words that express an idea. A phrase may or may not form a complete sentence., or clauseA group of words in a sentence that contains a subject and a predicate. that modifies, or describes, a thing or an action. Here are some examples of modifiers:

In the sentenceA group of words, phrases, or clauses that expresses a complete thought. A complete sentence has these characteristics: a capitalized first word, a subject and a predicate, and end punctuation, such as a period (.), question mark (?), or exclamation mark (!). above, the modifier Elected by a landslide describes the mayor, while the modifier from both parties describes the voters.

In the sentence above, the modifier by a majority of the city council members describes how the mayor was endorsed.

In the sentence above, the modifier from a local news program describes the reporter.

In the sentence above, the modifier enthusiastically describes how the mayor discussed her plans, while the modifier to rebuild the community describes the mayor’s plans.

By giving descriptive details about things and actions, modifiers add interest and liven up sentences. However, when modifiers are used incorrectly, sentences may sound silly or confusing.

Look back at the examples above. You can see that the modifiers are placed immediately before or after what the modifiers describe. Modifiers must appear directly before or after the word or phrase that is described; when modifiers are located elsewhere, readers can become confused. The most common mistakes writers make with modifiers generally fall into one of three categories: misplaced, dangling, and squinting.

Misplaced Modifiers

A misplaced modifierA modifier gives extra information about a word. A misplaced modifier occurs when a sentence is written so that the modifier appears to refer to the wrong word. For example, the sentence She rode a blue girl's bicycle to school seems to say that the girl was blue instead of the bicycle. occurs when the modifier describes a word in the sentence other than the one it is intended to describe.

Incorrect: Wandering around the desert, the sun beat down on the hiker.

In the sentence above, the modifier is Wandering around the desert and is intended to describe the hiker, but because it is closer to the sun, the reader can become confused because it sounds as if the sun is wandering around the desert.

Misplaced modifiers are easy to correct. You can move the modifier so that it comes before or after the word it describes.

Correct: The sun beat down on the hiker wandering around the desert.

Sometimes, it is necessary to rearrange and/or edit the sentence to correct the misplaced modifier.

Also correct: Wandering around the desert, the hiker sweltered beneath the sun.

Here is another example of a misplaced modifier.

Incorrect: Towering over the city, the tourists stared up at the skyscrapers.

In the sentence above, Towering over the city is a modifier intended to describe the skyscrapers, but since it is closer to the tourists, readers have to figure this out on their own. It also makes it sound as if huge tourists are towering over the city, which changes the meaning of the sentence (in a funny way). Moving the modifier to the end of the sentence corrects the mistake.

Correct: The tourists stared up at the skyscrapers towering over the city.

A misplaced modifier could appear at the end of a sentence, too, as in the following example.

Incorrect: I saw a raccoon driving home from work.

In this sentence, the modifier driving home from work is placed so that it describes the raccoon, and as adorable or horrifying as a driving raccoon seems, it is unlikely that one would drive anywhere. To correct the mistake, you can move the modifier to the beginning of the sentence.

Correct: Driving home from work, I saw a raccoon.

Dangling Modifiers

A dangling modifierA modifier gives extra information about a subject. A dangling modifier occurs when that subject is missing from a sentence. For example, in the sentence Driving home, the roads were slippery, the phrase driving home is left dangling and almost seems to suggest that the roads were behind the wheel of the car instead of a person. occurs when the modifier describes a word that is missing from the sentence.

Incorrect: Feeling reasonably confident in his performance, his test was handed to the proctor.

In the sentence above, the modifier is feeling reasonably confident in his performance and is meant to describe the person handing in the test, but since that person is not named in the sentence, the reader can become confused. The phrase technically modifies the test, yet an inanimate object, such as a test, obviously cannot feel emotions.

Correcting a dangling modifier requires more than simply rearranging the sentence. To correct a sentence with a dangling modifier, you need to add an objectA noun or pronoun in a sentence that receives the action performed by the subject. Example: The man ate the hamburger. In this case, the subject is the man and the object is the hamburger. for the modifier to describe.

The following sentences show two ways to correct the dangling modifier.

Correct: Feeling reasonably confident in his performance, Henry handed his test to the proctor.

Also correct: Henry, feeling reasonably confident in his performance, handed his test to the proctor.

Remember that the modifier needs to be next to the thing or action the modifier describes.

The following sentence has a dangling modifier.

Incorrect: By following a budget, her expenses decreased and her savings increased.

In the sentence above, By following a budget is the modifier that seems to describe her expenses. But this doesn't make sense, because expenses can't follow a budget. The dangling modifier can be corrected by adding a subjectIn grammar, a part of speech that refers to the “doer” in the sentence (who or what). A subject is usually a person, place or thing..

Correct: By following a budget, Marissa decreased her expenses and increased her savings.

Squinting Modifiers

A squinting modifierA type of misplaced modifier that could refer to more than one word or phrase in a sentence. The modifier is said to be squinting because it could "look" at the words on either side of it. For example, in the sentence Paul told Mary after work he would go to the store, the phrase after work is squinting because it is not clear whether this modifier refers to when Paul told Mary or when he would go to the store. happens when the modifier could describe more than one word in the sentence.

Incorrect: The teacher told the students when the class was over there would be a study session.

The modifier in the sentence above is when the class was over. It is unclear, however, whether the modifier describes the moment at which the teacher told his students, or whether it describes the time at which the study session would occur.

To correct a squinting modifier, move the modifier closer to the word it is intended to modify. In some cases, you may need to rewrite the sentence entirely.

Correct: When the class was over, the teacher told the students there would be a study session.

This revision makes the meaning clear. The modifier describes the moment at which the teacher gave the information to his students.

Below is a revision that has a different meaning.

Also correct: The teacher told the students there would be a study session when the class was over.

In the revision above, the modifier clearly describes the moment at which the study session would be held.

Below is a sentence with a squinting modifier.

Incorrect: Students who organize their time often find they have more free time to do what they want.

In the sentence above, the reader can't tell if the modifier often describes how students organize their time or if it describes what happens as a result of them organizing their time. This mistake can be corrected by moving the modifier.

Correct: Students who organize their time find they often have more free time to do what they want.

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