2. Misplaced Modifiers
• A modifier gives more detail about the
subject.
Example:
The girl with pigtails rode the pony.
“with pigtails” gives
us more detail
about the girl
3. Misplaced Modifiers
• WATCH OUT! If we put the modifier in the
wrong place, then we add detail about the
wrong thing.
Example:
The girl rode the pony with pigtails.
Oops! Placing the modifier here
adds detail to the “pony”
instead of the girl.
4. Misplaced Modifiers…. Fix them!
I showed my dog to the veterinarian with fleas.
He kept a black book of all the girls he had
dated in his desk.
The man was stopped for speeding in a blue
sweater.
I hardly ate any breakfast.
I watched my dad fix the car with admiration.
5. Frequently Misplaced Modifiers
• Almost, only, just, even, hardly, not, nearly
For example:
She only has two children.
I hardly ate breakfast this morning.
6. Dangling Modifiers
You get a dangling modifier when you use an
introductory clause that doesn’t logically refer
to the rest of the sentence.
Example:
After eating dinner, we put the leftovers away.
“after eating dinner” gives us more
detail about when we put the
leftovers away.
“we” is the subject
***The subject is always first after
the introductory clause***
7. Dangling Modifiers
WATCH OUT! Make sure the subject of the
sentence is what you mean to modify.
Example:
After eating dinner, the leftovers were put away.
OOPS!! The leftovers didn’t eat
dinner!
8. Dangling Modifiers… Fix Them!
Driving West, the scenery was beautiful.
After watching the game, the snacks were put
away.
To lose weight, fats should not be eaten every
day.
Walking outside, the coat was grabbed by Jake.
Slipping on the ice, his watch broke.
