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University of El Salvador

Western Multidisciplinary Campus

Foreign Language Department

English Composition I

Responsible: Professor Darlene Mata

Misplaced and dangling modifiers

Modifier Placement

Basic Principle: Modifiers are like teenagers: they fall in love with whatever they're next

to. Make sure they're next to something they ought to modify!

MISPLACED MODIFIER: Some modifiers, especially simple modifiers — only, just,

nearly, barely — have a bad habit of slipping into the wrong place in a sentence. (In the

sentence below, what does it mean to "barely kick" something?)

Confusion

He barely kicked that ball twenty yards.

Repair Work

He kicked that ball barely twenty yards.

The issue of the proper placement of "only" has long been argued among

grammarians. Many careful writers will insist that "only" be placed immediately before

the word or phrase it modifies. Thus "I only gave him three dollars" would be rewritten

as "I gave him only three dollars." Some grammarians, however, have argued that such

precision is not really necessary, that there is no danger of misreading "I only gave him

three dollars" and that "only" can safely and naturally be placed between the subject

and the verb. The argument has been going on for two hundred years.

DANGLING MODIFIER: When we begin a sentence with a modifying word, phrase, or

clause, we must make sure the next thing that comes along can, in fact, be modified by

that modifier. When a modifier improperly modifies something, it is called a "dangling

modifier." This often happens with beginning participial phrases, making "dangling

participles" an all too common phenomenon. In the sentence below, we can't have a

car changing its own oil.

Confusion

Changing the oil every 3,000 miles, the car seemed to run better.

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Repair Work

Changing the oil every 3,000 miles, Fred found he could get much better gas mileage.

A participial phrase followed by an Expletive Construction will often be a dangling

participle — but the expletive construction is probably not a good idea anyway. This

faulty sentence can be remedied by changing the participial phrase into a full-fledged

clause with a subject and verb.

Confusion

Changing the oil every 3,000 miles, there is an easy way to keep your car

running smoothly.

Repair Work

If we change the oil every 3,000 miles, we can keep our car running smoothly.

A participial phrase followed by a Passive Verb is also apt to be a dangler because the

real actor of the sentence will be disguised.

Confusion

Changing the oil every 3,000 miles, the car was kept in excellent condition.

Repair Work Changing the oil every 3,000 miles, we kept the car in excellent condition.

An infinitive phrase can also "dangle." The infinitive phrase below should probably

modify the person(s) who set up the exercise program.

Confusion

To keep the young recruits interested in getting in shape, an exercise

program was set up for the summer months.

Repair Work

To keep the young recruits interested in getting in shape, the coaching

staff set up an exercise program for the summer months.

SQUINTING MODIFIER: A third problem in modifier placement is described as a

"squinting modifier." This is an unfortunate result of an adverb's ability to pop up

almost anywhere in a sentence; structurally, the adverb may function fine, but its

meaning can be obscure or ambiguous. For instance, in the sentence below, do the

students seek advice frequently or can they frequently improve their grades by seeking

advice? You can't tell from that sentence because the adverb often is "squinting" (you

can't tell which way it's looking). Let's try placing the adverb elsewhere.

Confusion

Students who seek their instructors' advice often can improve their grades.

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Repair Work

Student who often seek their instructors' advice can improve their grades.

Repair Work

Students who seek their instructors' advice can often improve their grades.

Misplaced Modifiers

A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that is improperly separated from the

word it modifies / describes.

Because of the separation, sentences with this error often sound awkward, ridiculous, or

confusing. Furthermore, they can be downright illogical.

Example

The example above suggests that a gold man owns a watch.

Misplaced modifiers can usually be corrected by moving the modifier to a more sensible

place in the sentence, generally next to the word it modifies.

Example

Now it is the watch that is gold.

There are several kinds of misplaced modifiers:

1. Misplaced adjectives are incorrectly separated from the nouns they modify and almost

always distort the intended meaning.

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Example 1

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

Corrected

Example 2

Corrected

Sentences like these are common in everyday speech and ordinarily cause their listeners

no trouble. However, they are quite imprecise and, therefore, should have NO place in

your writing.

2. Placement of adverbs can also change meaning in sentences.

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For example, the sentences below illustrate how the placement of just can change the

sentence's meaning.

Just means only John was picked, no one else:

Just means that John was picked now:

Just means that John hosted only the program, nothing else:

Each of these sentences says something logical but quite different, and its

correctness depends upon what the writer has in mind.

Often, misplacing an adverb not only alters the intended meaning, but also creates a

sentence whose meaning is highly unlikely or completely ridiculous.

This sentence, for example, suggests that we brought a lunch slowly:

To repair the meaning, move the adverb slowly so that it is near ate.

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

misplaced and cause an unintended meaning.

This sentence, for example, means that I only contributed the money:

Repaired, however, the sentence means that I contributed only $10.00.

Like adjectives, adverbs are commonly misplaced in everyday speech, and may not cause

listeners difficulty. However, such sentences are quite imprecise and, therefore, should

have NO place in your writing.

3. Misplaced phrases may cause a sentence to sound awkward and may create a meaning

that does not make sense.

The problem sentences below contain misplaced phrases that modify the wrong

nouns.

To fix the errors and clarify the meaning, put the phrases next to the noun they are

supposed to modify.

Example 1 (a buyer with leather seats?)

Corrected

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Example 2 (a corner smoking pipes?)

Corrected

Example 3 (a house made of barbed wire?)

Corrected

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4. Misplaced clauses may cause a sentence to sound awkward and may create a meaning

that does not make sense.

The problem sentences below contain misplaced clauses that modify the wrong nouns.

To fix the errors and clarify the meaning, put the clauses next to the noun they are

supposed to modify.

Example 1 ( a buttered woman?)

Corrected

Example 2 (a hamper that Ralph wore?)

Corrected

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

meanings.

Example

Problem: Did the teacher say this on Monday or will she return the essays on Monday?)

Correction #1 (meaning the essays will be returned on Monday)

Correction #2 (meaning that the teacher spoke on Monday)

DANGLING MODIFIERS

A dangling modifier is a phrase or clause that is not clearly and logically related to the

word or words it modifies (i.e. is placed next to).

Two notes about dangling modifiers:

Unlike a misplaced modifier, 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,

although it can also come at the end.

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Sometimes the dangling modifier error occurs because the sentence fails to specify

anything to which the modifier can refer.

Example 1

This sentence does not specify who is looking toward the west. In fact, there is nothing at

all in the sentence to which the modifying phrase looking toward the west can logically

refer. Since the modifier, looking toward the west, is sitting next to the funnel shaped

cloud, the sentence suggests that the cloud is doing the looking.

Example 2

This sentence means that my mother enrolled in medical when she was nine years old!

At other times the dangling modifier is placed next to the wrong noun or noun substitute.

Example 1

Because of the placement of walking to the movies, this sentence suggests that the

cloudburst is walking to the movies even though a possible walker - Jim - is mentioned

later.

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Example 2

Since having been fixed the night before is placed next to Priscilla, the sentence means

that Priscilla was fixed the night before.

As the above examples show, dangling modifiers result in inaccurate and sometimes

ludicrous statements.

How to correct dangling modifiers

Dangling modifiers may be corrected in two general ways.

Correction Method #1

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.

Thus, this dangling modifier

may be corrected to

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

Using the same method, this dangling modifier

may be corrected to

Now the sentence means that Jim was drenched by the cloudburst.

Correction Method #2

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

and verb.

2. Leave the rest of the sentence as it is.

Thus, the dangling modifier

may be corrected to

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Now the sentence means that I (not my mother!) was nine years old when my mother

enrolled in medical school.

Using the same method, the dangling modifier

may be

corrected to

The Misplaced Modifier

Recognize a misplaced modifier when you see one.

Modifiers are words, phrases, or clauses that add description to sentences. Typically,

you will find a modifier snuggled right next to—either in front of or behind—the word

it logically describes. Take the simple, one-word adjective blue. If we add it to the

sentence that follows, where should it go?

At a downtown dealership, Kara bought a truck from a salesman with a comb over.

Should we locate blue next to dealership? A blue downtown dealership? A blue Kara? A

blue salesman? Of course not! Logic dictates that blue can describe only one word,

truck, so we must place the modifier next to that word:

At a downtown dealership, Kara bought a blue truck from a salesman with a comb

over.

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In a similar manner, multi-word phrases and clauses often go right next to the word

they describe. Here are some examples:

Gazing out the window, Paul missed the homework assignment that Prof. Zuromski

wrote on the board.

Gazing out the window is a participle phrase describing Paul, the noun that follows.

Sam gobbled the sandwich, which was soggy with tomato juice, as he rushed to class.

Which was soggy with tomato juice is an adjective clause describing sandwich, the

noun before it.

As the hurricane approached, we watched the tree branches waving in the strong

breeze.

Waving in the strong breeze is a participle phrase describing branches, the noun in

front.

Sometimes a writer places the modifier too far away from the word it should describe.

Born in the confusion is a misplaced modifier, an error. Read these examples:

Churning in the Atlantic Ocean, we anxiously watched the weather report for

information about the hurricane.

Churning in the Atlantic Ocean is a participle phrase. In the current sentence, it is

describing the pronoun we. How illogical! We cannot churn in an ocean!

Raymond wore his one collared shirt to the job interview, which was unfortunately

stained with yellow mustard.

Which was unfortunately stained with yellow mustard is an adjective clause. In the

sentence above, it is describing interview, the noun in front. But an interview can't get

stained with mustard!

Professor Jones, who was late with another essay, waited for the slacker student.

Who was late with another essay is an adjective clause. In this sentence, it is describing

Professor Jones, the noun before it. But he's not the identified slacker! The student is!

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Know how to fix a misplaced modifier.

To fix the error, locate the modifier next to the appropriate word:

We anxiously watched the weather report for information about the hurricane

churning in the Atlantic Ocean.

Raymond wore his one collared shirt, which was unfortunately stained with yellow

mustard, to the job interview.

Professor Jones waited for the slacker student who was late with another essay.

Misplaced modifiers

I almost listened to the whole album.

I listened to almost the whole album.

He was staring at the girl wearing dark glasses by the vending machine.

He was staring at the girl by the vending machine wearing dark glasses.

We read that Janet was married in her last letter.

In her last letter, we read that Janet was married.

The faulty alarm nearly sounded five times yesterday.

The faulty alarm system sounded nearly five times yesterday.

On the evening news, I heard that there was a revolution.

I heard that there was a revolution on the evening news.

Misplaced modifiers

I almost listened to the whole album.

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I listened to almost the whole album.

He was staring at the girl wearing dark glasses by the vending machine.

He was staring at the girl by the vending machine wearing dark glasses.

We read that Janet was married in her last letter.

In her last letter, we read that Janet was married.

On the evening news, I heard that there was a revolution.

I heard that there was a revolution on the evening news.

Misplaced Modifiers - Exercise 1

Directions: Correct any misplaced words in the sentences below, rewriting the

sentence so that the misplaced word is next to the word it modifies.

1. I nearly made fifty dollars today.

2. When we opened the leather woman's purse, we found the missing keys.

3. The job scarcely took an hour to complete.

4. I only have five minutes to talk with you.

5. The striking Honda's paint job made everyone gasp.

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

7. The fans stood in line to buy tickets to the show for twenty minutes.

8. Marian read a chilling article in The New York Times about the effects of

mercury poisoning.

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

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

11. My friend uses a pen to write his essays with a gold cap.

12. The governor made some remarks about inflation during her news conference.

13. Farmers in Ohio were spraying their crops wearing protective masks.

14. Joe searched for someone to teach him how to play the guitar without success.

15. Ted could see the airplane using binoculars.

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Practice Exercise

Rewrite each of these sentences so that the modifier is correctly placed. Check your

answers below.

1. While riding my bike to the library, the dog began to bark.

2. She observed the monstrous skyscraper with binoculars.

3. Donna served hot dogs, fries, and potato salad to her guests on paper plates..

4. Did you see a guy cross the bridge with a beard?

5. The red sports car was reported stolen by the police officer.

6. While fixing my bicycle chain, the ice cream man drove by.

7. Buddy sat in the chair with a broken leg.

8. Sam played the "Star-Spangled Banner" to the audience on his saxophone.

9. Covered with dirt, I saw the farmer plowing his field on my bike.

10. While lacing my shoelaces, the cat yawned and settled into the chair.

11. The tall boy led the parade with red hair.

12. My brother just listens to one radio station.

13. After dancing solo on stage, the audience applauded Anna’s performance.

14. While taking a nap, the volcano erupted.

15. The new student will take the corner seat wearing the muscle shirt.

16. Hoping the weather would improve, the corn was planted during the heat wave.

17. Unfortunately, I can only take three students to the concert.

18. Totally destroyed by the tornado, he had to rebuild his barn.

19. While standing in line, the thunder could be heard.

20. Kathy donated a television to the Youth Center that she no longer used.

All these sentences have at least one dangling modifier. Identify them and fix them.

1. To please the neighbors, some fireworks were set off a day early.

2. Though only sixteen years old, the college accepted Martha's application.

3. Climbing up the ladder carefully, the frightened cat was brought down from the tree.

4. After a quick change into my hospital gown, the nurse told me to relax.

5. Before replacing any wall outlet, the electricity should be turned off.

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6. Vegetables are an important part of your culinary repertoire. To be cooked well, you

must steam vegetables.

7. As a long sturdy rod, I know the Bass master 2000 is the best fishing pole available

for fly-fishing.

8. I have many fond memories of my Aunt Judy. While still a boy, my Aunt Judy and I

went to the Dallas Cup Rodeo. For something so rustic, the event was quite exciting.

9. Dentists provide many useful tips for your health. For instance, flossing your teeth

daily, gum disease can be prevented.

10. Before engaging in strenuous aerobic exercise, warm-up activities are necessary.

More Misplaced Modifier Madness!

Be careful! Some of the following sentences may have nothing wrong with them!

11. Having laid an egg weighing two pounds, the farmer proudly displayed his favorite

ostrich before the photographers.

12. Stung by wasps, bees, or other such insects, powerful toxins can bring on allergic

reactions so severe that people might die. Being aware of the danger is the first step to

preventing such a death.

13. The veterinarian never returned our frantic phone calls. Having given birth to six

kittens, my girlfriend anxiously watched her exhausted cat, Whiskers. I was uncertain if

this behavior was normal.

14. Giving into my desires during the honeymoon, I ran out and purchased eight bags of

barbeque pork rinds. My wife was not amused.

15. Ugly, warty creatures with protruding noses and bat-like wings, architecture

students find gargoyles endlessly fascinating as expressions of the grotesque.

16. There are many pictures of comedians hanging on the walls at Gavin's Restaurant.

These images are of people who have performed there. He is an unusual host noted for

his decorations.

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17. When following a strict diet--one high in protein and low in carbohydrates-- weight

loss programs can make a difference in the quality of life. Given that doctors

acknowledge this fact, it is surprising more people do not try Dr. Atkins' diet plan.

18. The robber was described as a six foot-tall man with brown hair and blue eyes and a

mustache weighing 150 pounds.

19. Disgusted with his own dangling modifiers, the teacher reviewed his handouts and

felt ill.

20. The time had come to leave at last. Deciding to pack up for college, my dog stared

sadly at me as I bustled about the room.

21. Inhaling the fumes from paint thinner, statistics show that significant brain damage

can occur.

22. After several years of inhaling fumes from paint thinner, brain damage is often one

of the results.

23. After being bitten by seven dogs, the mailman decided to carry industrial strength

tasers with him during his early morning deliveries.

24. Having applied a tourniquet, the bleeding finally stopped.

25.The policemen finally stopped the criminal using pepper spray and handcuffs.

26. David struck down Goliath fighting against a giant.

27. Treated with penicillin, a severe allergic reaction occurred. The patient died at 10:34

p.m.

28. With a cold, clear penetrating look, the poker game stopped cold as Slim Pickens lay

down his cards.

29. Medical research offers the modern world many miracles. Using a small amount of

infected nutrient, serums can be prepared to inoculate people against polio. Before

making this discovery, scientists had no way to treat the disease.

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30. Famous throughout the world for his shocking makeup, wailing lyrics, and

androgynous wardrobe, the editor of our church newspaper chose to interview Marilyn

Manson.

31. In awe, circling the coldest regions of outer space in an endless dance, the

astronomers watched the planet Pluto.

32. Clutching a flensing knife and dreaming of a pâté made of human liver, the movie

critic saw the familiar cannibal known as Hannibal Lector appear once more in the

sequel. This madman first appeared in books by Thomas Harrison. Surprising to many

fans, Anthony Hopkins was not the first actor to portray the psychotic villain.

33. Observing safe-sex practices or abstinence, the risk of contracting a disease like

AIDS rapidly diminishes.

34. Because John knew only English, he could not read a menu offered to him by his

waitress that was written in Spanish.

35. Thundering loudly over the lagoon and spraying millions of liters of water, I saw a

huge tidal wave approaching the shore.

36. Having turned to the Dark Side, Yoda sadly watched his pupil Darth Vader become

obsessed with power.