Modifier Review Game Demos 2010

Modifiers Adjectives modify nouns or pronouns. They stopped running and stood in the great jungle. Yelling, she wanted out of the closet. Adverbs modify verbs, adverbs, or adjectives. The children quickly ran in the jungle. Phrases can act as modifiers.

Misplaced Modifiers A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that is improperly separated from the word it modifies / describes. Because of the separation, sentences with this error often sound awkward, ridiculous, or confusing. Furthermore, they can be downright illogical. Example: Walking home Jan found the gold man’s watch.

Dangling Modifiers A dangling modifier is a phrase or clause that is not clearly and logically related to the word or words it modifies Two notes about dangling modifiers: Unlike a misplaced modifier, a dangling modifier cannot be corrected by simply moving it to a different place in a sentence. In most cases, the dangling modifier appears at the beginning of the sentence, although it can also come at the end.

Dangling Modifier Example

The rules Work in pairs. Rewrite the sentence placing the modifier in the correct location as close to the word it modifies as possible. Extra points will be awarded for knowing the kind of phrase or modifier used.

Round 1 Throw your father down the stairs his hat. Hint: Throw your father down the stairs his hat. Answer: Throw your father’s hat down the stairs. Extra point: adjective

Round 2 Throw your mother from the train a kiss. Hint: Throw your mother from the train a kiss. Answer: Throw your mother a kiss from the train. Extra Point: noun

Round 3 My sister which is out of tune loves to play the piano. Hint: My sister which is out of tune loves to play the piano. Answer: My sister loves to play the piano which is out of tune. Extra point: Adjective clause

Round 4 The children ate spinach that were at home. Hint: The children ate spinach that were at home. Answer: The children that were at home ate spinach. Extra point: Clause

Round 5 Jack showers on school nights rarely. Hint: Jack showers on school nights rarely. Answer: Jack rarely showers on school nights. Extra point: adverb

Round 6 The cat ran up the yellow and orange tree. Hint: The cat ran up the yellow and orange tree. Answer: The yellow and orange cat ran up the tree. Extra Point Adjective

Round 7 The king ruled the world with greasy brown hair. Hint: The king ruled the world with greasy brown hair. Answer: The king with greasy brown hair ruled the world. Extra point: Prepositional phrase

Round 8 I gave the kindly gift to my friend. Hint: I gave the kindly gift to my friend. Answer: I kindly gave the gift to my friend. Extra point: adverb

Round 9 The flamingo stood next to the man with pink feathers. Hint: The flamingo stood next to the man with pink feathers. Answer: The flamingo with pink feathers stood next to the man. Extra point: Prepositional phrase

Round 10 We read that Janet was married in her last letter. Hint: We read that Janet was married in her last letter. Answer: We read in her last letter that Janet was married. Extra Point: Prepositional phrase--adverb

Round 11 The child ate a cold dish of cereal this morning. Hint: The child ate a cold dish of cereal this morning. Answer: The child ate a dish of cold cereal this morning. Extra Point: Adjective

Round 12 We ate the lunch that we brought slowly. Hint: We ate the lunch that we brought slowly. Answer: We slowly ate the lunch we brought. Extra Point: Adverb

Round 13 The dealer sold the Cadillac to the buyer with leather seats. Hint: The dealer sold the Cadillac to the buyer with leather seats. Answer: The dealer sold the Cadillac with leather seats to the buyer. Extra Point: Prepositional phrase: adjective

Round 14 The three bankers talked quietly in the corner smoking pipes. Hint: The three bankers talked quietly in the corner smoking pipes. Answer: The three bankers, smoking pipes, talked quietly in the corner. Extra Point: Participial phrase

Round 15 The waiter served a dinner roll to the woman that was well buttered. Hint: The waiter served a dinner roll to the woman that was well buttered. Answer: The waiter served a dinner roll that was well buttered to the woman. Extra Point Dependent clause: adjective

Round 16 We ate Mexican food after the movie that was very spicy. Hint: We ate Mexican food after the movie that was very spicy. Answer: We ate Mexican food that was very spicy after the movie. Extra point: Dependent clause: adjective

Round 17 Rolling down the hill, Squiggly was frightened that the rocks would land on the campsite. Hint: Rolling down the hill, Squiggly was frightened that the rocks would land on the campsite. Answer: Squiggly was frightened that the rocks rolling down the hill would land on the campsite. Extra point: Participial phrase

Round 18 The waiter carries the toast to the buttered woman. Hint: Is the woman buttered? Answer: The waiter carries the buttered toast to the woman.

Round 19 Piled up next to the washer, I started doing laundry. Hint: Who is piled up near the washer? Answer: I began doing the laundry piled up near the washer.

Round 20 While talking on the phone, the doorbell rang. Hint: Who is talking on the phone? Answer: While Mrs. Demos was talking on the phone, the doorbell rang.