Can you identify the MISPLACED MODIFIER Modifiers Describes

Can you identify the MISPLACED MODIFIER?

• Modifiers • Describes, clarifies, or gives more detail about other words in a sentence • Adjectives The blue car • Adverbs She did well. • Can be a word or group of words (phrase) • Prepositional phrases: • She went to the store • She likes pizza without cheese. • If it’s a phrase, it should go NEXT TO the thing it’s modifying.

2 TYPES OF BAD MODIFIERS • Misplaced • Dangling

Can you see why these are no good?

Misplaced modifier • A modifier in the wrong place in a sentence • Makes sentences awkward, confusing, or unintentionally humorous • You can fix it by moving it within the sentence.

• Patti rushed to the store loaded with cash to buy Sam’s birthday present. Misplaced Process: 1. First, find the subject and verb. The rest is probably modifying something. 2. Ask: Is the modifier in the correct spot? **DO YOU REMEMBER WHERE MODIFIERS (phrases) ARE SUPPOSED TO GO?

**DO YOU REMEMBER WHERE MODIFIERS ARE SUPPOSED TO GO? Modifiers go next to the word or phrase they modify. **

The man walked toward the carrying a briefcase. Misplaced Process: 1. What is the modifier? 2. What word does it describe, clarify, or give more detail about? 3. Where should the modifier be placed? **Modifiers go next to the word or phrase they modify. **

Dangling modifier • The word being modified is missing entirely * UNLIKE misplaced, you can’t fix it by just moving things around.

Having arrived late for class, a written excuse was needed. • Dangling Process: 1. Is the person/thing doing the action identified 2. Does the phrase modify the closest noun? 3. Is there missing info?

Misplaced: On her way home, Jan found a gold man’s watch. The example above suggests that a gold man owns a watch. Good: On her way home, Jan found a man’s gold watch. Now it is the watch that is gold. Misplaced: We ate the lunch that we had brought slowly. The sentence above suggests that we brought a lunch slowly. Good: We slowly ate the lunch that we had brought. Misplaced: The child ate a cold bowl of cereal for breakfast this morning. Good: The child ate a bowl of cold cereal for breakfast this morning.

Misplaced: The dealer sold the Cadillac to the buyer with leather seats. The sentence above suggests that the person had leather seats, not the car. Good: The dealer sold the Cadillac with leather seats to the buyer. Misplaced: Good: The three bankers talked quietly in the corner smoking pipes. The three bankers smoking pipes talked quietly in the corner. Misplaced: Good: The waiter served a dinner roll to the woman that was well buttered. The waiter served a dinner roll that was well buttered to the woman. Misplaced: Good: Ralph piled all of his clothes in the hamper that he had worn. Ralph piled all of his clothes that he had worn in the hamper.

Misplaced Modifiers Activity Directions: 1. Write the INCORRECT EXAMPLE at the top of the page. INCORRECT: They were delighted to see a field of daffodils climbing up the hill. 2. Draw a picture to represent the ridiculousness of the sentence. 3. At the bottom of the page, write the sentence correctly. CORRECT: Climbing up the hill, they were delighted to see a field of daffodils.