Avoiding Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers

What is a misplaced modifier?

A word, phrase, or clause that is improperly separated from the word it modifies/describes

Sentences often sound awkward, ridiculous, or confusing

On her way home, Jan found a gold man’s watch.

Is it a gold man’s watch?

Or is it a man’s gold watch?

How do we correct this?

Correct by moving the modifier to a more sensible place in the sentence.

Usually next to the word it modifies.

On her way home, Jan found a man’s gold watch

Correctly place modifier

Now it is the watch that isgold.

Several kinds of misplaced modifiers

Misplaced adjectives

Placement of adverbs

Misplaced phrases

Misplaced clauses

Misplaced Adjectives

Adjective is incorrectly separated from the nouns

The child ate a cold dish of cereal for breakfast this morning.

The child at a dish of cold cereal for breakfast this morning.

Misplaced adjective(modifies dish)

Correctly placed adjective(modifies cereal)

Let’s try one

The torn student’s book lay on the desk.

The student’s torn book lay on the desk.

Misplaced adjective (modifies student)

Correctly placed adjective (modifies book)

Placement of Adverbs

If they are misplaced – can change meaning.

Just John was picked to host the program.

John was just picked to host the program.

John was picked to host just the program.

Placement of Adverbs If they are misplaced – can change

meaning. Just John was picked to host the

program. (Only John was picked, no one else)

John was just picked to host the program. (John was picked now)

John was picked to host just the program. (John hosted only the program, nothing else.)

Misplaced Adverbs

Misplacing an adverb alters the intended meaning also creates a sentence whose meaning

is highly unlikely or completely ridiculous

We ate the lunch that we had brought slowly.

We slowly ate the lunch that we had brought.

Did we bring the lunch slowly or did we eat the lunch slowly?

Often misplaced adverbs

Watch out for adverbs such as only, just, nearly, merely, and almost.

I only contributed $10.00 to the fund for orphaned children.

I contributed only $10.00 to the fund for orphaned children.

Let’s give it a try I nearly made $50.00 this week. When we opened the leather woman's

purse, we found the missing keys. The job scarcely took an hour to

complete. I only have five minutes to talk with

you. The striking Honda's paint job made

everyone gasp.

Misplaced Phrases May cause a sentence to sound

awkward May create a meaning that does not

make sense.

The dealer sold the Cadillac to the buyer with leather seats.

The dealer sold the Cadillac with leather seats to the buyer.

Misplaced Phrases

The dealer sold the Cadillac to the buyer with leather seats.

The dealer sold the Cadillac with leather seats to the buyer.

Does the buyer have leather seats?

Oh, the Cadillac has leather seats!

Misplaced Phrases

The three bankers talked quietly in the corner smoking pipes

The three bankers smoking pipes talked quietly in the corner

Who was smoking the pipes, the corner or the bankers?

Misplaced Phrases

They saw a fence behind the house made of barbed wire.

They saw a fence made of barbed wire behind the house.

I’ve never seen a house made out of barbed wire!

Can you do this?

We hiked through the forest wearing only light shirts and shorts.

The salesman sold the picture to the short woman in the silver frame.

Michelle whistled to the dog on the way to the movies.

Misplaced clauses May cause a sentence to sound awkward May create a meaning that does not make sense.

The waiter served a dinner roll to the woman that was well buttered.

The waiter served a dinner roll that was well buttered to the woman.

To fix this move the clause next to the noun that is supposed to be modified.

Misplaced clauses

Be careful! In correcting a misplaced modifier, don’t create a sentence with two possible meanings.

The teacher said on Monday she would return our essays.

Will the essays be returned on Monday or that the teacher spoke on Monday?

Dangling Modifiers A phrase or clause that is not clearly and

logically related to the word or words it modifies

A dangling modifier cannot be corrected by simply moving it to a different place in a sentence.

In most cases, the dangling modifier appears at the beginning of the sentence.

Dangling Modifiers

Looking toward the west, a funnel shaped cloud stirred up dust.

Who is looking toward the west? Since the modifier is close to the funnel shaped cloud, you would assume the cloud is doing the looking.

Dangling modifier

Dangling Modifier

What is this sentence saying?

When nine years old, my mother enrolled in medical school. This means that the mother was nine years

old when she enrolled. Walking to the movies, the cloudburst

drenched Jim. (Is the cloudburst walking to the movies?)

Dangling modifier

Dangling modifier

How to correct a dangling modifier

1. Leave the modifier as it is.2. Change the main part of the sentence so

that it begins with the term actually modified.

3. This change will put the modifier next to the term it modifies.

Looking toward the west, a funnel shaped cloud stirred up dust.

Would be fixed to:Looking toward the west, I saw a funnel shaped

cloud stir up dust.

Let’s fix this

Walking to the movies, the cloudburst drenched Jim.

Walking to the movies, Jim was drenched by the cloudburst.

Let’s fix this When nine years old, my mother enrolled

in medical school.

1. Change the dangling modifier to a subordinate clause, creating a subject and verb.

2. Leave the rest of the sentence as is.

When I was nine years old, my mother enrolled in medical school.

Activity Choose a strip with a dangling

modifier Create a picture that reflects the

dangling modifier. Write the dangling modifier at the top

of the page, and the corrected sentence at the bottom.

Write your name, and class on the back.

Rubric

Colorful/Neat/No Pencil 10 points

Illustration represents dangling/misplaced modifier 15 points

Corrected sentence 15 points

Punctuation/Spelling 10 points

Thanks to:

http://www.towson.edu/ows/moduledangling.htm