Misplaced, Interrupting, and Dangling Modifiers

Misplaced Modifiers

A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that is incorrectly positioned in relation to the word or words it modifies. Misplaced modifiers include limiting modifiers, misplaced phrases and clauses, and squinting modifiers.

Modifiers—adjectives, adverbs, and various phrases and clauses—enhance writing by making it more vivid and concrete. However, modifiers must be placed clearly next to the word they describe. When a modifier is misplaced, it can cause confusion, misunderstanding, or unintended humor.

Example:

The hostess served cake to the ladies on paper plates.

The phrase on paper plates appears to modify ladies, but it should modify cake.

Revised:

The hostess served cake on paper plates to the ladies.
The hostess served the ladies cake on paper plates.

Limiting Modifiers

Limiting modifiers such as almost, even, exactly, hardly, just, merely, nearly, only, scarcely, and simply restrict or limit meaning. These modifiers must be placed directly before the word they modify.

Unclear:
He wore only cowboy boots to the rodeo.

Revised:
He wore cowboy boots only to the rodeo.

Misplaced Phrases and Clauses

Misplaced Phrases

Unclear:
The clerk handed a vanilla ice-cream cone to the boy covered with chocolate.

Revised:
The clerk handed a vanilla ice-cream cone covered with chocolate to the boy.

Misplaced Clauses

Unclear:
Professor Jones taught a class on modern films that the students enjoyed.

Revised:
The students enjoyed Professor Jones’s class on modern films.

Squinting Modifiers

Squinting modifiers appear to modify both the words before and after them, creating ambiguity.

Unclear:
The man who spoke quickly ran out of breath.

Revised:

The man who quickly spoke ran out of breath.
The man who spoke ran quickly out of breath.

Unclear:
Snipers who fired on the soldiers often escaped capture.

Revised:
Often, snipers who fired on the soldiers escaped capture.

Interrupting Modifiers

Interrupting modifiers disrupt the flow of a sentence by separating key elements such as subjects and verbs or verbs and their objects.

Separating Subject and Verb

Awkward:
Classes, because of heavy rain and flooding, were canceled.

Revised:
Because of heavy rain and flooding, classes were canceled.

Separating Verb and Object

Awkward:
The student wrote, during her semester in an English 1301 class at Blinn College, six essays.

Revised:
During her semester in an English 1301 class at Blinn College, the student wrote six essays.

Separating Parts of a Verb Phrase

A verb phrase includes a main verb and one or more helping verbs. Single adverbs may appear within a verb phrase, but longer interruptions should be avoided.

Acceptable:
He had only rarely gone to the beach.

Awkward:
Many people will, when a commercial comes on the television, change channels.

Revised:
When a commercial comes on the television, many people will change channels.

Split Infinitives

An infinitive consists of to plus a verb. While rules regarding split infinitives have become more flexible, it is generally best to avoid splitting infinitives in formal academic writing.

Acceptable:
Orson Welles wanted to realistically portray a Martian invasion.

Alternative:
Orson Welles wanted his “Martian invasion” to sound realistic.

Problematic:
Its mission is to boldly, loyally, hopefully, and nobly go where no man has gone before.

Modifiers for Emphasis

Skilled writers may use interrupting modifiers intentionally to create emphasis or suspense.

The convenience store robber looked into the security camera and, realizing he was being filmed, fired his gun.

Dangling Modifiers

Dangling modifiers introduce a sentence but fail to connect logically to the subject that follows. Because they imply an unnamed subject, they often create confusion or unintended humor.

Dangling:
Skiing down the slope, a large tree came into view.

Revised:
As Sheila skied down the slope, she noticed a large tree.

Revising Dangling Modifiers

Dangling Words

Dangling:
Courageously, the criminal was arrested.

Revised:
Courageously, the police officer arrested the criminal.

Dangling Phrases

Dangling:
Upon entering the doctor’s office, a skeleton caught my attention.

Revised:
As I entered the doctor’s office, a skeleton caught my attention.

Dangling Elliptical Clauses

Dangling:
While galloping, Mary could feel how smooth the horse’s gait was.

Revised:
While the horse was galloping, Mary could feel how smooth its gait was.

Sources

DiYanni, Robert, and Pat C. Hoy II. The Scribner Handbook for Writers. 3rd ed., Allyn & Bacon, 2001.
Fowler, H. Ramsey, Jane E. Aaron, and Janice Okoomian. The Little, Brown Handbook. 10th ed., Pearson Longman, 2007.
Hult, Christine A., and Thomas N. Huckin. The New Century Handbook. Allyn & Bacon, 1999.
Lunsford, Andrea, and Robert Connors. The New St. Martin’s Handbook. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1999.
Troyka, Lynn Quitman. Handbook for Writers: Custom Edition for Blinn College. Pearson Custom, 2002.