Correcting Misplaced Modifiers What is a misplaced modifier

Correcting Misplaced Modifiers What is a misplaced modifier? How to fix misplaced modifiers One-word modifiers Phrase modifiers Clause modifiers Review A Review B

What is a misplaced modifier? The placement of one little word does matter. Notice how the meaning of the sentence changes when nearly is moved from one place to another. All of theallskaters of the skaters Nearly nearly fell. Everyofone Most theofskaters the skaters fell, but not came close quite toall falling. of them. In each place nearly modifies a different word.

What is a misplaced modifier? A word, phrase, or clause that seems to modify the wrong word or word group in a sentence is called a misplaced modifier. Misplaced modifiers are confusing. Adverb phrase Anna said after dinner she would do the dishes. Verb Did Anna say this after dinner? Is she going to do the dishes after dinner? Verb

What is a misplaced modifier? A misplaced modifier can be funny too. Adjective clause Van gives the sculptures to his friends that he carves. Noun Does Van carve his friends? Common sense tells us that he carves sculptures, not his friends. But the noun friends is right before the adjective clause, so it sounds as though he carves his friends.

What is a misplaced modifier? A misplaced modifier can be a one-word adjective or adverb, a phrase, or a clause. OR Adverb Loudly, Kendra jumped when the door slammed. OR Adjective phrase We are used to the noise living by the airport. OR Adjective clause The picnic in the park that we had was fun.

What is a misplaced modifier? On Your Own Determine whether the underlined word or phrase is a misplaced modifier. Write M for a misplaced modifier, or C if the modifier is not misplaced. ___ 1. The jogger twisted her ankle with the orange water bottle. ___ 2. Those note cards that I gave you are handmade. ___ 3. Running in the wheel, I watched the hamster. ___ 4. My cousin gave me a cat who goes to college in Arizona. [End of Section]

How to fix misplaced modifiers Place modifying words, phrases, and clauses as near as possible to the words they modify. Devon watched the fish in the tank sitting quietly. Where should these two phrases be placed in this sentence? Sitting quietly, Devon watched the fish in the tank. Who was sitting quietly? Devon was. What was in the tank? The fish were.

How to fix misplaced modifiers One-word modifiers Be especially careful to place these modifiers right before the word they modify, so that your meaning is clear. almost even hardly just merely nearly not only Jackie borrowed some books only for the weekend. = Only Jackie borrowed some books for the weekend. = She borrowed them for the weekend, not for any other time. Jackie—and no one else— borrowed some books.

How to fix misplaced modifiers Phrase modifiers When a sentence contains more than one modifying phrase, follow these steps to make sure none of them are misplaced. Sara studied the statue with a serious look made of metal. Step 1: Find the basic sentence. Sara studied the statue.

How to fix misplaced modifiers Phrase modifiers Step 2: One at a time, insert the phrases near the word or words they modify. Phrase 1: with a serious look This phrase should modify Sara. With a serious look, Sara studied the statue.

How to fix misplaced modifiers Phrase modifiers Step 2: One at a time, insert the phrases near the word or words they modify. Phrase 2: made of metal This phrase should modify sculpture. With a serious look, Sara studied the statue made of metal.

How to fix misplaced modifiers Clause modifiers When a modifying clause seems to be misplaced, follow these steps to fix the sentence. Adjective clause There is a dog on our porch that has a red collar. Step 1: Decide which word or word group the clause should be modifying. OR Adjective clause There is a dog on our porch that has a red collar. Does the porch or the dog have a red collar? The dog does.

How to fix misplaced modifiers Clause modifiers Step 2: Decide if a phrase or another clause is coming between the clause and the word it should be modifying. Adjective clause There is a dog on on our porch that has a red collar. Prep. phrase The prepositional phrase separates the adjective clause from the noun it modifies, dog.

How to fix misplaced modifiers Clause modifiers Step 3: Decide where to move the phrase or clause that is causing the confusion. Adjective clause There is a dog on on our porch that has a red collar. Prep. phrase Adjective clause On our porch there is a dog that has a red collar. Moving the phrase to the beginning of the sentence eliminates the confusion. Now, the clause is next to word it modifies.

How to fix misplaced modifiers On Your Own Revise each sentence to correct the misplaced modifier. 1. The parrot spoke to the little boy in the brass cage. 2. Paved with fresh asphalt, I noticed the new bike paths. 3. I saw a dog chasing a ball through the dining room window. 4. She noticed a spider near the bush that had a red spot on its back. [End of Section]

Review A Identify and correct the misplaced modifier in each sentence. 1. Made of silver, I gave a bracelet to my friend. 2. Arthur borrowed a mountain bike from his uncle with eighteen speeds. 3. Those tapes came from the library that you heard. 4. Jumping, I saw the gazelles. 5. The fruit was marked for quick sale bruised by the storm. [End of Section]

Review B Revise each sentence to correct the misplaced modifier. 1. Tired, the route home seemed long to the boy. 2. We could see the wheat growing from our back windows. 3. My oldest brother just graduated from college, who lives in Maine. 4. The girl is from my class who won the award. 5. Jan has only finished one of her papers. [End of Section]

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