Did you know modifiers can be misplaced, dangle, and squint? Writing is hard.
In the book, The Curious Case of the Misplaced Modifier:How to Solve the Mysteries of Weak Writing, Bonnie Trenga provides a lesson on how to make sure our modifiers are utilized correctly. Here are my notes from that chapter.
Modifier Placement
Beginning of a Sentence: Keep the noun next to the modifier.
- The noun should come right after the comma
- Dressed in a purple gown, the elephant walked onto the stage.
- Noun: elephant
- Modifier: dressed in a purple gown
- Clues that a misplaced modifier begins a sentence:
- a past participle (past tense verb) begins the sentence
- Incorrect: Dressed in a purple gown, the stage was bright that the elephant walked onto.
- Correct: Dressed in a purple gown, the elephant walked onto the bright stage.
- as, like, or unlike begin the sentence
- Incorrect: Unlike the ring master, the elephant walked onto the bright stage, who waited in the shadows.
- Correct: The elephant walked onto the bright stage, unlike the ring master who waited in the shadows.
- if, it, or there occur after the comma
- Incorrect: The ring master raised his arms, it was quiet.
- Correct: The ring master raised his arms, the room became quiet.
- Better: The room quieted as the ring master raised his arms.
- an -ing word begins a sentence or is the 2nd or 3rd word following a word in the chart below:
- Incorrect: After snapping his whip, the elephant bowed.
- Correct: After snapping his whip, the ring master got the elephants attention and she bowed.
- Better: The elephant bowed when the ring master snapped his whip.
- a past participle (past tense verb) begins the sentence
- Dressed in a purple gown, the elephant walked onto the stage.
Middle/End of a Sentence
- Clues that a modifier has been misplaced within a sentence:
- a phrase begins with that or who
- who: describes people
- Incorrect: The ring master directed the elephant, who was wearing a top hat.
- Correct: The ring master who was wearing a top hat, directed the elephant.
- Even Better: The ring master, wearing a top hat, directed the elephant.
- that: describes things and animals
- Incorrect: The elephant followed the ring master’s directions, that was wearing a purple gown.
- Correct: The elephant that was wearing a purple gown, followed the ring master’s directions.
- Even Better: The elephant, wearing a purple gown, followed the ring master’s directions.
- who: describes people
- a phrase that could start with that or who, but doesn’t
- Incorrect: The ring master the elephant followed was tall and handsome.
- Correct: The ring master who the elephant followed was tall and handsome.
- a phrase begins with that or who
Other Resources
More Writing Resources
Grammar Girl: Misplaced Modifiers
Grammar Bytes: Rules for Finding and Fixing Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers