Misplaced Modifiers
These are modifiers that are not placed closely enough to the phrase they are meant to modify.
Examples of Misplaced Modifers:
My parents brought a house from a man with no inside plumbing.
(poor man)
My dog was hit by a truck running a cross the road.
(trucks run so fast)
I heard my kid outside with the dog yelling and laughing.
(talented dog)
Dangling Modifiers
These begin with a clause in which the subject isn’t named, and the first subject named is assumed, wrongly, to be the subject of the first phrase.
Examples of Dangling Modifiers
Leaking in several places, the scouts abandoned their tents.
(poor scouts)
Dressed in a silk nightgown, he thought his wife looked sexy.
(we have no idea what she’s wearing)
After reading the article, the meaning became clear.
(the meaning read?)
Misplaced Limiting Modifiers (only almost,just, merely, simply, even, etc.)
Example of Misplaced Limiting Modifiers
People who use drugs frequently suffer health problems
vs.
People who frequently use drugs suffer health problems
(the meaning here changes)
Practice
See if you can identify the kind of modifier problem in the following sentences, and then determine how to fix them.
1. You should never serve hot baked beans to people on paper plates.
2. Suddenly blinded by the sun, the car swerved into the mass of pedestrians waiting on the corner.
3. After being gone only two days on vacation my neighbor’s car was stolen.
4. People who abuse methanmphetamine frequently have other problems as well.
5. When I got home, my mom was cleaning the house, to the rest of the afternoon I scrubbed the walls with her.
6. While shopping for a new addition to his fish tank, a Japanese blowfish caught Joe’s attention.
7. After spending three hours writing my paper for composition, the grade was still a disappointment.