Professional Editor's Corner: Squinting Modifiers

1
Professional Editor's Corner Squinting Modifiers
polishedpaper.com
2

• Clear writing is essential, especially nowadays.
  According to a recent study Microsoft conducted
  (May 2015), the average attention span for an
  adult fell from 12 seconds in 2000 to 8 seconds
  in 2015. Readers grow frustrated when they do not
  quickly grasp the meaning of a sentence. That
  coupled with our falling attention spans (since
  the mobile technology revolution) means that any
  confusion in your writing can cause readers to
  click away. To offer some help, were going to
  talk more about modifiers. They are much more
  important than you think. Weve already discussed
  misplaced and dangling modifiers, so you may
  remember that a modifier is a word, phrase, or
  clause that provides additional detail about some
  other element in a sentence. Readers expect
  modifiers to lie immediately before or after what
  they describe. A misplaced modifier modifies the
  wrong word or words (the mistake is obvious). A
  dangling modifier does not seem to logically go
  with any word or words in the sentence.

3

• In addition to dangling and misplaced,
  incorrectly situated modifiers come in one other
  form squinting. A squinting modifier is one that
  could logically go with one of two words or
  phrases and usually (but not always) sits between
  those two words or phrases. In this case, readers
  do not know which word or words the modifier is
  offering additional detail about.
• Lets look at some examples to understand the
  difference. The modifier is in bold.
• Misplaced Modifier
• Original The rabbit tried to escape the hunter
  diving into a bush and hiding beneath the
  branches.
• Clearly the hunter isnt diving into a bush and
  hiding. The rabbit must be. So we can revise by
  moving that part to the beginning.

4

• Revision Diving into a bush and hiding beneath
  the branches, the rabbit tried to escape the
  hunter.
• Dangling Modifier
• Original To win the race, practice is necessary.
• Clearly practice is not trying to win the race.
• Revision To win the race, I must practice.
• Squinting Modifier
• John said during class Tom acted nervous.
• This modifier is squinting because readers dont
  know whether John made this comment during class
  or Tom acted nervous during class. Either makes
  sense. So we need to move the modifier to the
  beginning or the end of the sentence depending on
  which is true.

5

• Case 1 During class, John said Tom acted
  nervous.
• Case 2 John said Tom acted nervous during class.
• Lets look at some more examples of squinting
  modifiers.
• 1. Inform Mr. Smith before the meeting that the
  CEO wants to see him.
• Is the informing supposed to occur before the
  meeting? Or is Mr. Smith supposed to see the CEO
  before the meeting? This sentence does not make
  that clear. Again, we need to move the modifier
  to the beginning or the end of the sentence
  depending on what we mean.
• Case 1 Before the meeting, inform Mr. Smith that
  the CEO wants to see him.
• Case 2 Inform Mr. Smith that the CEO wants to
  see him before the meeting.

6

• 2. The causeway has a drawbridge to allow the
  passage of large boats from which fishing is
  prohibited.
• Is fishing prohibited from the drawbridge? Or the
  large boats? Here we need to set the modifier off
  with commas and make sure it sits next to what it
  modifies.
• Case 1 The causeway has a drawbridge, from which
  fishing is prohibited, to allow the passage of
  large boats.
• Case 2 The causeway has a drawbridge to allow
  the passing of large boats, from which fishing is
  prohibited.
• There you go! Youre now one step closer to
  keeping your audience engaged.

7
Contact us

• Polished Paper LLC, 1923 Bragg St. 140-2376
• USA (United State of America)
• Sanford
• North Carolina
• 27330
• Phone number 1-855-974-4102
• Email-info_at_polishedpaper.com
• https//www.facebook.com/PolishedPaper
• https//twitter.com/PolishedPaper
• https//plus.google.com/PolishedpaperLLC
• https//www.linkedin.com/company/polished-paper-ll
  c