•Created by José J. González, Jr.

•Spring 2002

Misplaced and Dangling

Modifiers

•5/28/2015 •1

“Life is a promise; fulfill it.”

Mother Theresa

•Created by José J. González, Jr.

•Spring 2002

To begin with,

can anyone define modifier?

A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause

that describes or changes the meaning of

another word, phrase or clause in some

way.

A misplaced modifier means that there

is a separation of space between the

word, phrase, or clause and the modifier.

When a modifier is misplaced, your

meaning gets really fuzzy.

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•Created by José J. González, Jr.

•Spring 2002

Some examples of modifiers in action.

The tall man with the suntan sat under the palm tree.

In this sentence we have two modifiers: tall and with the suntan.

The sentence as it is written makes perfect sense; however, consider the sentence on the next slide.

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•Created by José J. González, Jr.

•Spring 2002

Example of misplaced modifier

The tall man sat under the palm tree with the suntan.

If you read this sentence quickly, it seems to make sense; but when you read it slowly, you might ask yourself, can a palm tree have a suntan? The answer is no, of course.

This is an example of a misplaced modifier. The modifier is in the wrong place and makes the sentence confusing. Remember the modifier should always come close to what it modifies.

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•Created by José J. González, Jr.

•Spring 2002

Basic Rule:

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!

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•Created by José J. González, Jr.

•Spring 2002

Consider this example:

The lady with three legs bought a piano.

To correct follow these steps.

One, find the modifier.

Two, check if it makes sense where it is

Three, if it seems to be misplaced, find it’s true place.

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•Created by José J. González, Jr.

•Spring 2002

Could you correct it?

Correction:

The lady bought a piano with three legs.

(The incorrect sentence made it seem as

if the lady had three legs.)

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•Created by José J. González, Jr.

•Spring 2002

I think you now have a better idea of what is a misplaced

modifier. Let’s practice. Remember the three steps.

I saw a mouse going to our class meeting.

Flying around the room, I saw two mockingbirds.

Climbing a tree the other day, I saw a monkey at the zoo.

I bought a puppy for my brother with a cute little tail.

A cow is wanted by a farmer weighing about 1500 pounds.

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•Created by José J. González, Jr.

•Spring 2002

Corrections:

Going to our class meeting, I saw a mouse.

I saw two mockingbirds flying around the room.

The other day I saw a monkey climbing a tree at the

zoo.

I bought a puppy with a cute little tail for my brother.

A cow weighing about 1500 pounds is wanted by a

farmer.

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•Created by José J. González, Jr.

•Spring 2002

More practice

I returned the kitty to my Mom which had been missing for a couple of days.

I relaxed on the mat wearing my Hawaiian shirt and shorts.

I replaced a tile on the floor that was loose.

I was bathing my dog while singing a beautiful melody.

Jerry stepped on the snake without any shoes on.

I bought the used television from a friend with a broken antennae.

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•Created by José J. González, Jr.

•Spring 2002

Corrections:

I returned the kitty which had been missing for a couple of days to my Mom.

Wearing my Hawaiian shirt and shorts,I relaxed on the mat.

I replaced a tile that was loose on the floor.

While singing a beautiful melody, I was bathing my.

Without any shoes on, Jerry stepped on the snake.

I bought the used television with a broken antennae from a friend.

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•Created by José J. González, Jr.

•Spring 2002

Assignment (Choose ONE): Carlos returned the hot dog to the Circle K

that was rotten.

I love the donuts from 7-11 with the vanilla frosting.

My cousin told me how to get to her business in a telegram.

Alex visited the hospital, still worn out from work.

The woman by the pool with the bright T-shirt always drank water.

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