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A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, clause that does not clearly relate to what it is intended to modify.
In other words, a misplaced modifier makes the meaning of a sentence ambiguous or wrong.
Examples of Misplaced Modifiers
Here are some examples of misplaced modifiers (shaded):
Andrew told us after the holiday that he intends to stop drinking.
(In this example, it is not clear whether Andrew made this statement after the holiday or whether
he intends to stop drinking after the holiday.)
Running quickly improves your health.
(In this example, it is not clear if running modifies running or improves.)
We will not sell paraffin to anyone in glass bottles.
(Often, like in this example, common sense tells us what the writer meant. Clearly, this is about
paraffin in glass bottles not people in glass bottles. However, placing your modifier too far away
from the thing being modified will do little to showcase your writing skills.)
Misplaced Modifiers Can Change the Meaning
Sometimes, a misplaced modifier is not a mistake. It just leads to an unintended meaning. Look at these
sentences:
He lost nearly $5,000 in Las Vegas.
(This means he lost just under $5,000.)
He nearly lost $5,000 in Las Vegas.
(Here, we don't know how much he lost. He might have lost nothing at all.)
These examples demonstrate that a modifier needs to be near whatever it's modifying.
How to Avoid a Misplaced Modifier
You can avoid a misplaced modifier by placing your modifier alongside whatever it's modifying. For
example:
Jack can hear Jill when she whispers clearly.
(As the intended meaning is that Jack can clearly hear Jill's whispers, this is a misplaced modifier. It
can be corrected by moving the modifier next to the word it is meant to modify.)
Here is a correct version for the intended meaning:
Jack can clearly hear Jill when she whispers.
If the meaning were Jack can hear Jill's clear whispers, then the first version would be correct:
Jack can hear Jill when she whispers clearly.
Probably the most famous example of a misplaced modifier is not a misplaced modifier at all. Look at this
well-known joke by Groucho Marx:
One morning I shot an elephant in my pyjamas. How he got into my pajamas I'll never know.
(Groucho Marx)
This is not a misplaced modifier because the elephant was actually in his pyjamas.
Types of Misplaced Modifiers
There are three types of misplaced modifiers:
(1) Those that modify the wrong thing.
He only eats ice-cream.
He eats only ice-cream.
These are the classic misplaced modifiers. This error occurs quite often with the word only.
Read more about misplacing limiting modifiers (e.g., only).
(2) Those that could feasibly modify either of two things in the sentence.
Talking quickly annoys people.
These are more commonly called squinting modifiers.
(3) Those that modify nothing.
Having read your letter, my dog will be taken to the vet for a test.
Having read your letter, I will take my dog to the vet for a test.
These are more commonly called dangling modifiers.
Squinting Modifier
A squinting modifier is one that could modify either the word(s) before it or after it (i.e., it is ambiguously
positioned in the sentence.) It is a "misplaced modifier."
Examples:
Cycling up hills quickly strengthens your quadriceps.
(In this example, the word "quickly" is a squinting modifier. It is not clear whether "quickly" pertains to
"Cycling up hills" or "strengthens".)
"He was a hero at his last police station. He once shot a robber with a Kalashnikov." "Great, where did he
get that?" "No, the robber had the Kalashnikov."
(In this example, the phrase"with a Kalashnikov" (a type of assault rifle) is a squinting modifier. It is not
clear whether it pertains to "he " or "the robber.") (This is taken from the film "Hot Fuzz.")
Taking a moment to think clearly improves your chances
Vicious smelly creatures with huge tusks, the ship's crew found it difficult to drive the male
walruses from the beach.
This is still a dangling modifier, but it's not dangling fully because the thing being modified (the male
walruses) is present. This is better known as a misplaced modifier.
This is a correct version:
Vicious smelly creatures with huge tusks, the male walruses were difficult for the ship's crew to
drive from the beach.
A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause which functions as an adjective or an adverb to describe a word or
make its meaning more specific.
Examples of Modifiers
Modifiers can play the roles of adjectives or adverbs.
Modifiers As Adjectives
When a modifier is an adjective, it modifies a noun or a pronoun. (In these examples, the modifiers are
shaded, and the words being modified are bold).
Lee caught a small mackerel.
(Here, the adjective small modifies the noun mackerel.)
Lee caught a small mackerel.
(Don't forget that articles (i.e., the, an, and a) are adjectives too. Here, a modifies the noun
mackerel as does small.)
Lee caught another one.
(Here, the adjective another modifies the pronoun one.)
Modifiers As Adverbs
When a modifier is an adverb, it modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. For example:
Lee accidentally caught a small whelk.
(Here, the adverb accidentally modifies the verb caught.)
Lee caught an incredibly small mackerel.
(Here, the adverb incredibly modifies the adjective small.)
Lee supposedly accidentally caught a small whelk.
(Here, the adverb supposedly modifies the adverb accidentally.)
A Modifier Can Be a Phrase or a Clause
Don't forget that phrases and clauses can play the roles of adjectives and adverbs too. For example:
Lee caught a mackerel smaller than a Mars bar.
(This is an adjective phrase modifying the noun mackerel.)
Lee caught a mackerel of tiny proportions.
(This is a prepositional phrase functioning as an adjective. It modifies the noun mackerel.)
Lee caught a mackerel which was smaller than a Mars bar.
(This is an adjective clause modifying mackerel.)
When alone, Lee tried to catch mackerel.
(This is an adverbial phrase (of time) modifying the verb tried.)
When we left him alone, Lee set up his rod to catch mackerel.
(This is an adverbial clause (of time) modifying the verb set up.)
As shown by these examples, a modifier can come before whatever it modifies (called a premodifier) or
afterwards (called a postmodifier).