MODIFIERS

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MODIFIERS

• MISPLACED / DANGLING / SQUINTING
• MODIFIERS
• Complied by Ms. Terri Yueh

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Modifiers

• A modifier is a word or group of words that
  describe or modify. To prevent confusion, you
  need to place your modifiers as closely as
  possible to the words which they describe.
• ONLY Mary saw John kissed the girl.
• Mary saw John ONLY kissed the girl.
• ? He nearly brushed his teeth for twenty minutes
  every night.
• ? Jane I know a man with a wooden leg named
  Smith
• Michael Oh yeah? What's his other leg named?

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Misplaced Modifiers

• A modifier that is placed too far away from the
  word it modifies is called a misplaced modifier.
• Examples
• I am taking my suit to the tailor with the bad
  fly.
• Revision I am taking my suit with the bad
  fly to the tailor.
• The plane ascended into the night sky loaded with
  passengers and fuel.
• Revision The plane, loaded with passengers
  and fuel, ascended into the night sky.
• I bought a car from the salesman with low mileage
  and cruise control.
• Revision I bought a car with low mileage
  and cruise control from the salesman.
• ALWAYS PLACE MODIFIERS AS CLOSELY AS POSSIBLE TO
  THE WORDS WHICH THEY MODIFY!!

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Dangling Modifiers

• A modifier dangles when there is nothing to
  logically modify in the sentence.
• ? While reading the newspaper, my dog sat with me
  on the front steps.
• ? Boring and silly, I turn the TV show off.
• ? To take good pictures, a good camera must be
  used.
• ? When five years old, my grandfather brought me
  to Ali Mountain.
• ? After seeing the movie Sleepless in Seattle,
  a trip to the Seattle was planned.
• ? After seeing the movie Sleepless in
  Seattle, Amy planned a trip to the city.
• ? By shopping early in the morning, it is not
  difficult to buy fresh vegetables.
• ? By shopping early in the morning, we wont
  have difficulty to buy fresh vegetables.

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Dangling Modifiers

• Examples
• To finish the marathon, much endurance will be
  required.
• Revision To finish the marathon, I will
  need much endurance.
• Driving down the Kenting Bay, hundreds of birds
  were seen.
• Revision 1 While driving down the Kenting
  Bay, we saw hundreds of birds.
• Revision 2 As we were driving down the
  Kenting Bay, we saw hundreds of birds.
• If the modifiers have nothing to modify in the
  sentence, then they are dangling and the sentence
  needs revision!

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Squinting Modifiers

• A modifier that modify either a preceding word or
  a following word. It squints at the words on its
  right and left and make the meaning ambiguous.
• ? He promised on his way home to visit us.
• ? The girl had been dancing gracefully entered
  the room.
• ? In summer my neighbors ask me often to go apple
  picking with them.
• If the modifiers can modify different things
  in the sentence, then they are squinting and your
  sentence needs revision!

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Split Infinitives

• Avoid split infinitives that result in awkward
  sentences.
• ? John always tries to efficiently and promptly
  do his work.
• John always tries to do his work do efficiently
  and promptly.
• ? Mr. White wanted to, if he could find time,
  recheck his figures.
• ? If he could find time, Mr. White wanted to
  recheck his figures.
• ? We have to, when the real estate market returns
  to normal, consider purchasing an house.
• ? We have to consider, when the real estate
  market returns to normal, purchasing an house.