Week 11 Tutorial Modifiers

Sentence Skills Misplaced & Dangling Modifiers English Skills for Academic Studies John Langan

(pp 331-339)

Modifiers • What is a modifier? A modifier is a word or a group of words that give additional information about another word, often by describing or classifying it, or by restricting its meaning.

Misplaced Modifiers • When building a sentence, avoid needless separation of related parts of the sentence. A misplaced modifier is positioned in a sentence so that it is unclear which word, phrase, or clause is being modified.

Misplaced Modifiers

• Modifiers such as almost almost,, only only,, just just,, even even,, hardly nearly and merely, merely should be placed hardly,, nearly, immediately before the words they modify. – Example: My My mother mother only only works works on on Saturdays Saturdays and and Sundays. Sundays. • This sentence says that, on Saturdays and Sundays, the mother only works -- she does not eat, sleep, or talk.

Misplaced Modifiers We must place the modifier in the right position, so that the sentence can be clearly understood.

Ex.: My mother only works on Saturdays and Sundays. Revised: My mother works only on Saturdays and Sundays.

Misplaced Modifiers A modifying phrase should clearly indicate what the phrase modifies.

Example….. Her job is to file newspaper articles about handgun use in the library.

Revised….. Her job in the library is to file newspaper articles about handgun use.

Modifying Clauses Modifying Modifyingclauses clausesshould shouldbe be placed placednear nearthe thewords wordsthey theymodify. modify.

Example….. Example….. Thelibrarian librarianexplains explains The howthey theyuse usethe the how computerto todo doresearch research computer beforethe theclass class before begins. begins.

Revised….. Revised….. Beforethe theclass class Before begins,the thelibrarian librarian begins, explains explains howthey theyuse usethe the how computerto to computer doresearch. research. do

Dangling Modifiers A dangling modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that does not modify any element in a sentence. • What is the subject of the sentence? Researching on the Internet, many • If “many facts” is the subject, then who is facts are easily “researching on the obtained for the Internet”? • Example:

report.

Dangling Modifiers • Revised:

Researching on the internet, we easily found many facts for the report.

• “We” is the subject, so we are researching on the internet.

Dangling Modifiers Example:

Because of going to many parties, my term paper was late.

• What is the subject of the sentence? • If “term paper” is the subject, then who is “going to many parties”?

Dangling Modifiers • Revised: Because of going to many parties, I handed in my term paper late.

Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers Homework and Revision 1. Study the diagrammatic presentation on “How to Identify and Correct Misplaced Modifiers and Dangling Modifiers”. 2. Complete Worksheet 11 & 12 of the Study Guide.