MODIFIERS

Class X
 MODIFIER
• A modifier changes the meaning of another word or word group in a
sentence.
• Example: The dog slept.
• Example: The brown dog slept peacefully.
• In the above example, the adjective brown modifies the
noun dog, and the adverb peacefully modifies the verb slept.
 MISPLACED MODIFIER
• When a modifier is placed incorrectly or awkwardly in a sentence, it may cause
the sentence to have an unclear meaning. This sort of error is called a misplaced
modifier.
• Incorrect: Jen saw a police officer on her way to work.
• In the above example, it is unclear if Jen was on her way to work or if the police
officer was on her way to work. From a grammatical standpoint, the sentence
could have either meaning.
• Correct: On her way to work, Jen saw a police officer.
• Correct: Jen saw a police officer who was on her way to work.
 CONT. ADVERB PLACEMENT
• In many situations, adverb placement does not affect the meaning of a sentence.
• Example: I ran quickly.
• Example: I quickly ran.
• However, there are situations where adverb placement can significantly affect the meaning
of a sentence. This is especially true for adverbs that place limits on the words they
modify, such as only, solely, or just.
• Example: The nanny just fed the toddler.
• The above example implies that the nanny recently fed the toddler.
• Example: The nanny fed just the toddler.
• The above example implies that the toddler was the only person the nanny fed.
 DANGLING MODIFIER
• A dangling modifier modifies a word or phrase that does not actually appear in the
sentence.
• Incorrect: After a dip in the ocean, the burgers and watermelon tasted delicious.
• In the above example, the prepositional phrase After a dip in the ocean does not clearly
have anything it is modifying. Because of this, the sentence seems to take on a bizarre
meaning: the burgers and watermelon tasted delicious after they were dipped in the ocean.
• Correct: After James took a dip in the ocean, the burgers and watermelon tasted delicious.
• In the above example, James is clearly the one who took a dip in the ocean.