Modifiers

The Good, the Misplaced,

and the Dangling
NEC FACET Center

What is a modifier?

A word or group of words that describes,

limits, or qualifies the meaning of another
word or phrase.
Example: Sitting under the beach
umbrella, Ted saw two large sharks.

Sentence without Modifiers

Ted

saw
sharks.

Notice that the

reader now has

far less
information.

Purpose of Modifiers
To

add detail to sentences

To make sentences more
interesting.
To create clearer communication
when correctly used

How can modifiers cause

problems?
by appearing in the wrong
position
therefore, by creating
an unintentionally funny
or misleading sentence

Misplaced Modifier

A misplaced modifier is:

a phrase or clause placed awkwardly
in a sentence so that it appears to
modify or refer to an unintended
word.

A Misplaced Modifier

The

park ranger spotted a beaver

peering through his binoculars.

The Problem Corrected

Peering

through his binoculars,

the park ranger spotted a beaver.

How about this one?

Hidden

inside an
ice cube, Gerald
found the coin.

The Problem Corrected

Gerald

found the
coin hidden inside
an ice cube.

Definitely misplaced!

The man told

the police that
the thief had
escaped on the
telephone.

The Problem Corrected

The man on the
telephone told the
police that the thief
had escaped.
or . . .
On the telephone,
the man told the
police that the thief
had escaped.

What other types of

modifiers cause
problems?
groups of words do not
cause the only modifier problems.
Misplaced individual words can
create just as much trouble for
the writer or reader.
Misplaced

Take a look at this

sentence.

The only coat on sale

at the new mens
clothing store was
marked down 50%.

Now look at a
small change.
The only coat on sale at
the new mens clothing
store was marked down
50%.
The coat on sale at the
new mens clothing store
was marked down only
50%.

One more time . . .

The only coat on sale at the
new mens clothing store
was marked down 50%.
The coat on sale at the new
mens clothing store was
marked down only 50%.
The coat on sale only at the
new mens clothing store
was marked down 50%.

Look closely . . .
Ben

needs someone to help with

the yard work badly.

What does this sentence really say?

Look closely . . .
Ben needs someone to help with the yard
work badly.
Badly appears to modify help--to
describe the quality of that help.

The Sentence Rewritten

The Sentence Rewritten

Ben badly needs
someone to help
with the yard
work.
Badly now clearly
modifies needs.

Section Summary
Carelessly

placed modifiers
create problems.
Be sure to place all modifiers
near the word they describe.

How else can modifiers

cause problems?
Look

closely at the following

sentence.

Reading Faulkners A Rose

for Emily, the ending
surprised me.
What word in the sentence
does Reading . . . modify?
The sentence contains no
such word.

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

The Problem Examined

Reading Faulkners A
Rose for Emily, the
ending surprised me.
The sentence appears to
say that the ending was
reading the story.
The sentence does not
contain a subject to do
the reading.

The Sentence Revised

When I read
Faulkners A Rose
for Emily, the
ending surprised
me.

Dangling Again
While

waiting
for the bus, the
sky turned
threatening.
Who is waiting?

Dangling Again
While

waiting
for the bus, the
sky turned
threatening.
Is the sky really
waiting for the
bus?

The Dangling Modifier

Revised
While we waited
for the bus,
the sky turned
threatening.

A Final Dangling Modifier

When measured, a
scientist recorded
three milliliters of
chloroform.
According to the
sentence, the
scientist was
measured.

The Dangling Modifier

Revised
When she measured
the chloroform, a
scientist recorded
three milliliters.

Caution to
Writers

Spotting dangling modifiers in your own

writing may prove difficult.
Your brain automatically supplies the
missing information.

Think of Your Readers

While

you know
what you mean,
your readers may
feel confused.

Therefore . . .
as you edit your
work, always ask
the following two
questions:

 Have

I used modifiers when

needed?
Have I positioned them near
the correct word?

If you choose your

modifiers carefully and
cast them in the right
roles . . .
the sequel to The
Good, the
Misplaced, and
the Dangling will
be A Few Good
Sentences.