Misplaced Modifiers
Misplaced Words
In general, you should place single-word modifiers near the word or words they modify, especially when a reader might think that they modify something different in the sentence. Consider the following sentence:
[WRONG] After our conversation lessons, we could understand the Spanish spoken by our visitors from Madrid easily.
Do we understand the Spanish easily, or do the visitors speak it easily?
[RIGHT] We could easily understand the Spanish spoken by our visitors from Madrid.
It is particularly important to be careful about where you put limiting modifiers. These are words like "almost," "hardly," "nearly," "just," "only," "merely," and so on.
Misplaced Phrases and Clauses
It is important that you place the modifying phrase or clause as close as possible to the word or words it modifies:
[WRONG] By accident, he poked the little girl with his finger in the eye.
[RIGHT] By accident, he poked the little girl in the eye with his finger.
[WRONG] I heard that my roommate intended to throw a surprise party for me while I was outside her bedroom window.
[RIGHT] While I was outside her bedroom window, I heard that my roommate intended to throw a surprise party for me.
[WRONG] After the wedding, Ian told us at his stag party that he would start behaving like a responsible adult.
[RIGHT] Ian told us at his stag party that he would start behaving like a responsible adult after the wedding.
The sentences below have misplaced modifiers.Correct the following sentences. Be careful with the modifiers.
1. Making only minimum wage, I nearly earned $2,000 last summer.
2. The bus station was located by a river which was made of red brick.
3. A fish was found in the Pacific Ocean that had been considered extinct.
4. The cowboy was thrown by the bull in a leather vest.
5. Sam asked me to go for a ride on the telephone.
6. She was making a sweater for her lover that was warm.
7. The results will only be known after all the votes have been counted.
8. The contractors needed all kinds of artists to paint the mural badly.
9. The opera singer was upstaged by the mime with the robust voice.
10. Left alone in the house, the thunderstorm terrified the two small children.
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Teacher Alvi