Dangling and Misplaced Modifiers or – what’s that elephant doing in my pajamas!?!

You know so much already! Q: What is a Modifier? A: A word or phrase that defines or gives more information about another word.

What kinds of modifiers do you know? Adjectives: Describe nouns and pronouns. Answer the questions: which one, what kind how many or how much. Adverbs: answer the questions: how, when, where, to what extent.

Pass me the purple purse. “Pass me the purple purse.” Purple tells which purse. What is the modifier in this sentence? “Pass me the purse that matches my shoes.”

But…. Phrases can be modifiers too! What is the modifier in this sentence? “Pass me the purse that matches my shoes.”

This whole phrase tells you which one. There are different kinds of phrases that do this, but for today, we will call them all modifying phrases.

When used correctly… Modifying phrases clearly tell you what they are modifying. When used incorrectly… Play marx brother’s clip. What makes this clip funny?

Why does it matter?  Correctly placed modifiers ensure clarity in your writing.  Using modifiers can make your writing more complex, more sophisticated, and more interesting.  Correcting misplaced modifiers is a frequently tested skill on the ACT!

Try correcting the following sentence. Jeff bought an old jeep from a crooked dealer with a faulty transmission. Q: What’s the modifier? A: with a faulty transmission.

Jeff bought an old jeep from a crooked dealer with a faulty transmission. Q: What does it modify? A: The jeep. The way the sentence is written, it seems like the dealer has the faulty transmission. Rewrite it to make the sentence clear. Jeff bought an old jeep with a faulty transmission from a crooked dealer.

Try another… Sam screamed at the barking dog in his underwear. Q. What is the modifying phrase? A. In his underwear. Q. What does it modify? A. Sam. Dogs don’t wear underwear!

Overhead practice