MISPLACED MODIFIERS!

WHAT IS A MISPLACED MODIFIER? a word, phrase,

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

Modifiers are words, phrases, or clauses that provide description in sentences.

MISPLACING A MODIFIER CAN CHANGE THE ORIGINAL MEANING OF THE SENTENCE. THIS CAN CREATE A HUMOROUS MEANING.

MISPLACED ADJECTIVES

Correct the error by placing the adjective next to the noun it modifies.

Riley ate a cold dish of cereal for breakfast this morning.

RILEY ATE A DISH OF COLD CEREAL FOR BREAKFAST THIS MORNING.

The adjective cold modifies cereal.

MODIFYING ADVERBS An adverb is a word that

changes or qualifies the meaning of a verb, adjective, other adverb, clause, sentence or any other word or phrase

How? In what way?, When? Where? To what extent?

MODIFYING ADVERBS

MORE MISPLACED MODIFIERS (ADVERBS)

Haley ate the lunch she made slowly.

Haley slowly ate the lunch she made.

MISPLACED PHRASES

MISPLACED CLAUSES

AMBIGUOUS MODIFIERS

Miss Geiger said on Monday she would return our essays.

DANGLING MODIFIERS

A dangling modifier is a phrase or clause that is not clearly and logically related to the word or words it modifies .

DANGLING MODIFIER EXAMPLE

Now the sentence means that I was looking toward the west.

DANGLING MODIFIERS Correction Method #2 :

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

Leave the rest of the sentence as it is.

DANGLING MODIFERS, THE SEQUEL

Some examples provided by: http://www.towson.edu/ows/moduledangling.htm