Chapter 19 Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers Advanced Grammar

• • Chapter 19: Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers Advanced Grammar Modifiers are words, phrases, or clauses that describe (modify) another word in a sentence. Modifier examples: – the blue boat (word) – the boat in the garage (phrase) – the boat that she brought (clause) • Modifier examples that limit another word or words: – forty-five acres (tells exactly how many acres) – the poem that I liked best (tells which poem) – He never calls his brother. (tells how often)

Chapter 19: Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers Advanced Grammar • • Modifiers can make your writing more specific and more concrete. Used effectively and correctly, modifiers give the reader a clear, exact picture of what you want to say. Modifiers need to be next to the word, phrase, or clause it that modifies. Incorrect use of modifiers causes confusion in the sentence.

Chapter 19: Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers Advanced Grammar Misplaced Modifiers – A modifier should be placed as close as possible to the word it modifies. – Wrong: Hopping through the forest, the hikers saw two rabbits. 1. Find the modifier: hopping through the forest 2. What does it modify: the hikers 3. It sounds like the hikers are hopping through the forest. 4. Correct: Hopping through the forest, two rabbits were seen by hikers.

Chapter 19: Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers Advanced Grammar Single-Word Modifiers • Single-word modifiers like almost, even, exactly, hardly, just, merely, nearly, only, scarcely, and simply should be as close as possible to what they modify. – Wrong: Felisha only wants to grow pumpkins. (The modifier only is placed by wants, so it sounds as if Felisha wants only one goal in life: to grow pumpkins. ) – Correct: Felisha wants to grow only pumpkins.

Chapter 19: Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers Advanced Grammar Dangling Modifiers • A dangling modifier is a modifier that does not modify anything in the subject. – Wrong: Strolling through the pet store, many fluffy hamsters could be seen. – Find the modifiers: Strolling through the pet store and many fluffy – Do the modifiers have something to modify? The answer is yes and no. The words many and fluffy modify hamsters. But who or what is strolling through the pet store? There is no person mentioned in this sentence, and the hamsters aren’t doing the strolling. – Correct: Strolling through the pet store, we saw many fluffy hamsters.

Chapter 19: Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers Advanced Grammar Exercises • Correct the problems with the modifiers. Q. Eating bananas and scratching their hairy backs, the politicians looked at the monkeys. Eating bananas and scratching their hairy backs, the monkeys were watched by the politicians. A. Q. A. Having matured, Bugs Bunny is still fun to watch. Having matured, I think Bugs Bunny is still fun to watch.

Chapter 19: Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers Advanced Grammar Exercises • Correct the problems with the modifiers. Q. A. Bent and twisted from the heat, I found my candles in the attic. Bent and twisted from the heat, my candles were in the attic. Q. A. Mr. Norman only wants to eat Twinkies for breakfast. Mr. Norman wants to eat only Twinkies for breakfast.

Chapter 19: Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers Advanced Grammar Exercises • Correct the problems with the modifiers. Q. Completing the Scottish race in less than 2 hours, Craig’s latest marathon was a success. Completing the Scottish race in less than 2 hours, Craig thought his latest marathon was a success. A. Q. A. Made from silk, you cannot distinguish between the real tulips and the artificial ones. Made from silk, the artificial tulips are hard to distinguish from the real ones.

Chapter 19: Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers Advanced Grammar Exercises • Correct the problems with the modifiers. Q. A. For lunch, always Becky eats an apple. For lunch, Becky always eats an apple. Q. A. Fred almost lost control of the car and crashed into a tree. Fred lost control of the car and almost crashed into a tree.

Chapter 19: Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers Advanced Grammar Exercises • Correct the problems with the modifiers. Q. A. A. A. Strewn around the floor, I saw that my clothes covered almost all of the carpet. Strewn around the floor, my clothes covered almost all of the carpet. I saw that my clothes, strewn around the floor, covered almost all of the carpet. My clothes, strewn around the floor, covered almost all of the carpet.

Chapter 19: Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers Advanced Grammar Exercises • Correct the problems with the modifiers. Q. In bright shades of red just over the horizon, Jason witnessed the brilliant sun as he jogged down Bessemer Lane. In bright shades of red just over the horizon, the brilliant sun was witnessed by Jason as he jogged down Bessemer Lane. Jason witnessed the brilliant sun in bright shades of red just over the horizon as he jogged down Bessemer Lane. A. A.