Purpose of Modifiers

When modifiers are misplaced or put in the wrong place, things can get quite confusing!
Just imagine if the sentence read:
"Hoping to win friends and influence people, porsches red and shiny handed out a
celebrity new."
This second sentence seems farfetched but, misplaced modifiers do commonly occur.
A modifier adds detail or limits or changes the meaning of another word or phrase. For
example:
 Happy
 Pretty
 Silly
 Crazy
 Hopeful
 Fast
 Slow
 Very
 Much
 Many
You can identify a modifier by its function in the sentence- is it providing information, adding
detail or describing something else? If so, it is probably a modifier.

Placing Modifiers Correctly

Once you have identified a modifier, you need to identify the person, place or thing that it is
modifying. Modifiers usually have to accompany the thing they are modifying or go as close
to it as possible.

Adjective Modifiers
Adjectives typically go before the words they are modifying, or after with helping verbs. For
example:
 The pretty girl
 The girl was pretty.
In the first example, pretty is an adjective modifying the noun girl. In the second
example, was is a helping verb and pretty is again an adjective modifying girl.

Adverb Modifiers
Adverbs can go before or after the thing they are modifying, depending on what exactly is it
they are modifying. For example:
 The very pretty girl
 He ran quickly
In the first example, the adverb very is modifying the adjective pretty which is modifying the
noun girl. In the second example, the adverb quicklyis modifying the verb ran.
 When you have a single adjective or adverb, misplaced modifiers rarely occur since they
would immediately sound incorrect. However, when a modifying phrase is used, misplaced
modifiers become more common.

Confusion of Misplaced Modifiers

Like adjectives or adverbs, modifying phrases must accompany or go as close as possible
to the thing they are modifying. If they don't, a misplaced modifier occurs.
Here are some examples of misplaced modifiers and corrections:
Example #1
Misplaced modifier:
 Eagerly awaiting her birthday, Mary's presents were all picked up and admired by Mary
many times throughout the course of the day.
Here, this sentence makes it seem as though Mary's presents were eagerly awaiting Mary's
birthday. Since presents can't exhibit the emotion of feeling eager, it is unlikely that this
modifier is written correctly. The most logical explanation is that Mary was eagerly awaiting
her own birthday.
Correction: The modifier should be modifying Mary and the sentence should be rewritten:
 Eagerly awaiting her birthday, Mary picked up and admired her presents many times
throughout the day.
Example #2
Misplaced modifier:
 Tired of all of the nights in hotels, Mitch's delight was felt by Mitch when his boss finally said
he didn't have to travel anymore.
Here, Mitch's delight is being modified by the phrase tired of all of the nights in
hotels. Unfortunately, Mitch's delight can't be tired of this because Mitch's delight isn't a
person. Instead, it is more likely that Mitch himself is tired.
Correction: We can correct this sentence by moving the proper subject next to the modifier:
 Tired of all of the nights in hotels, Mitch was delighted when his boss finally said he didn't
have to travel anymore.
Example #3
Misplaced modifier:
 She served sandwiches to the children on paper plates.
Correction:
 She served the children sandwiches on paper plates.
Example #4
Misplaced modifier:
 He nearly drove the car for six hours a day.
Correction:
 He drove the car for nearly six hours a day.
Example #5
Misplaced modifier:
 She saw a puppy and a kitten on the way to the store.
Correction:
 On the way to the store, she saw a puppy and a kitten.
Example #6
Misplaced modifier:
 Only Pastor Johnson gave me $5 to clean all his sidewalks.
Correction:
 Pastor Johnson gave me only $5 to clean all his sidewalks.
Example #7
Misplaced modifier:
 She almost failed every exam she took.
Correction:
 She failed almost every exam she took.
Example #8
Misplaced modifier:
 People who laugh rarely are sad.
Correction:
 People who rarely laugh are sad.
Example #9
Misplaced modifier:
 He bought a horse for his sister they call Prince.
Correction:
 He bought a horse they call Prince for his sister.
Example #10
Misplaced modifier:
 Three offices were reported robbed by the Atlanta police last week.
Correction:
 Last week, the Atlanta police reported that three offices were robbed.

Confusion of a Dangling Modifier

Note that in both of the examples for misplaced modifiers, the subject being modified was in
the wrong place; but, it was still included in the sentence. If the subject wasn't included at
all, the modifier would not be misplaced but would instead be dangling.
 A dangling modifier is a related but slightly different error.
Take for example the sentence:
 Tired of all the nights in hotels, Mitch's delight was palpable when the boss said no more
traveling.
Here, there is not even a single mention of the person - Mitch - who is tired. The only
mention is of Mitch's delight, which is a separate subject from Mitch entirely. Thus, this
modifier error is dangling and not merely misplaced.
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Proverbs and Sayings

1. Comment on the use of the gerund in the following proverbs and
sayings. Memorize them.

1. Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing him.

2. He who likes borrowing dislikes paying.
3. By doing nothing we learn to do ill.
4. In doing we learn.
5. Learn to swim by swimming.
6. Think twice before speaking.
7. Saying and doing are two things (Saying is one thing
and doing another.)
8. Doing is better than saying.
9. The word spoken is past recalling.
10. Seeing is believing.
11. No flying from fate.
12. It is ill jesting with edged tools.
13. Appetite comes with eating.
14. You can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs.
15. Pouring water on the fire is not the way to quench it.
16. Know your own faults before blaming others for theirs.
17. A watched pot is long in boiling.
18. Clean hands want no washing.
19. Between promising and performing a man may marry his
daughter.
20. A thief passes for a gentleman when stealing has made him rich.
21. Fools grow without watering.

2. Note the use of the gerund as subject in the following proverbs and sayings.
a.

1. It is ill striving against the stream.

2. It is good fishing in troubled waters.
3. It is ill jesting with edged tools.
4. It’s no use crying over spilt milk.
5. It’s no safe wading in an unknown water.

b.

1. 1. There is no accounting for tastes.

2. 2. There is nothing doing.
3. 3. There is no saying.

Quotations
1. Comment on the tense and voice forms of the gerund in the following
quotations.

1. Journalists say a thing that they know isn’t true, in the hope that if
they keep on saying it long enough it will be true. (A. Bennett)
2. One does not love a place the less for having suffered in it unless it
has all been suffering, nothing but suffering. (J. Austen)
3. One does not blame an epoch; one congratulates oneself on not
having belonged to it. (J. Cocteau)
4. The mirror reflects all objects without being sullied. (Confucius)
5. No one abhors violence more than I do. Still there’s no use crying
over spilt milk. (S. Lewis)
6. He who begins by loving Christianity better than Truth will proceed
by loving his own sect or church better than Christianity, and end by
loving himself better than all. (S. T. Coleridge)
7. Greatness consists in bringing all manner of mischief on mankind,
and goodness in removing it from them. (H. Fielding)
8. If a book is worth reading, it is worth buying. (J. Ruskin)
9. Riches are for spending. (F. Bacon)
10. The art of pleasing consists in being pleased. (W. Hazlitt)
11. He seemed to indulge in all the usual pleasures without being
enslaved by any of them. (A. Camus)
12. In baiting a mouse-trap with cheese, always leave room for the
mouse. (Saki)
 2. Point out the quotations in which the gerund is used in the syntactic
function of an attribute, object, predicate and subject.

1. Lord, how ashamed I should be of not being married before three

and twenty! (J. Austen)
2. An annuity is a very serious business; it comes over and over every
year, and there is no getting rid of it. (J. Austen)
3. Life is one long process of getting tired. (S. Butler)
4. The world is a fine place and worth fighting for. (E. Hemingway)
5. It is happy for you that you possess the talent of flattering with
delicacy. (J. Austen)
6. There’s only one corner of the universe you can be certain of
improving, and that’s your own self. (A. Huxley)
7. It’s no use crying over spilt milk, because all the forces of the
universe were bent on spilling it. (W. S. Maugham)
8. Well, I’ll tell you, Miss Grange, you can’t make an omelet without
breaking eggs. I don’t ever believe anything till I see it in the papers.
(W.S. Maugham)
9. This is adding insult to injuries. (E. Moore)
10. There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy.
(R. L. Stevenson)
11. Borrowing is not much better than begging. (G. Lessing)
12. We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others
judge us by what we have already done. (H. W. Longfellow)
13. No man was ever a great poet, without being at the same time a
profound philosopher. (S. T. Coleridge)
14. It’s wiser being good than bad;
It’s safer being meek than fierce;
It’s fitter being sane then mad. (R. Browning)

Text
Read the extract, memorize the sentences with gerunds, and retell the text
using those sentences.

"Now", said Wardle, after finishing lunch, "What do you say to an hour on
the ice? You skate, of course, Winkle?"
"Ye-yes, oh, yes," replied Mr. Winkle. "I-I—am rather out of practice but I
shall enjoy skating."
Old Wardle led the way to a pretty large sheet of ice. After adjusting their
skates all the guests began describing circles with their legs, and cutting figures
 of eight.
All that time Mr. Winkle stood watching the others, with his face and hands
blue with cold.
How he wished that something prevented him from showing his skill!
"Now, Winkle," cried Mr. Pickwick, very much surprised at his
friend’s being so slow, "Come, the ladies are all anxiety."
The unfortunate gentleman started moving to the centre of the reel and in
so doing he struck against Mr. Sawyer and with a loud crash they both fell
heavily down.
(After 'The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club' by Ch. Dickens)

TIPS AND TRICKS

DANGLING AND MISPLACED MODIFIERS

DANGLING MODIFIERS
Dangling modifiers seem to continually crop up, sometimes even in the writing of experienced and educated
language professionals. A dangling modifier has no concrete or logical referent in the sentence to which it
can attach itself and therefore is said to dangle (it has nothing to modify). The majority of dangling modifiers are
verb phrases that are not attached to the intended subject, if any. The issue with these is that the reader could
misinterpret the sentence. Writers should be wary of these and rewrite sentences to avoid them.

Dangling modifiers appear at the beginning of a sentence in an opening clause. In this case, the subject should be
the first thing that comes after the comma of the opening clause. This “subject,” however, is illogical even though the
sentence is usually understood anyhow.

Writers should be particularly wary of dangling modifiers in passive constructions; they tend to slip by unnoticed
since the agent of the main clause is not the subject (if even mentioned at all).

DANGLING PRESENT PARTICIPLE

 Walking down the street, the sky was a brilliant blue.

Grammatically, this sentence implies that the sky was walking down the street, and this is clearly not the writer's
intention.

 Rewrite: Walking down the street, I noticed the sky was a brilliant blue.
 Rewrite: While I was walking down the street, the sky was a brilliant blue.
 DANGLING PAST PARTICIPLE
 Shocked by the gravity of the situation, something had to be done.

Here, one could interpret that something is shocked by the gravity of the situation.

 Rewrite: Shocked by the gravity of the situation, they knew they had to do something.

DANGLING INFINITIVE
 To complete the survey properly, the form must be signed and sealed in the provided envelope.

The form is obviously not the one completing the survey.

 Rewrite: To complete the survey properly, participants must sign and seal the form in the provided envelope.

DANGLING GERUND PHRASE

 After having danced all night, it was late and no restaurants were open.

TRICK: When the independent clause begins with there is, there are or an ambiguous it, dangling is
inevitable. Rewrite the sentence to avoid these constructions.

 After having danced all night, they realized it was late and no restaurants were open.

DANGLING ELIPTICAL CLAUSES

 When golden brown, remove the cookies from the oven and set them on the counter to cool.

While we understand the subject of when golden brown to be the cookies, grammatically the imperative and
unmentioned you is the subject.

 Rewrite: When the cookies are golden brown, remove them from the oven and set them on the counter to cool.

DANGLING PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES

 Like a kid in a candy store, his eyes were bulging at the sight of all they had to offer.

His eyes were clearly not like a kid in a candy store, though that is how the sentence is grammatically understood.

 Rewrite: Like a kid in a candy store, he was so thrilled that his eyes were bulging at the sight of all they had to offer.

DANGLING APPOSITIVES
 An expert in the field, the professor's work was the focus of the conference.

The professor and not his work is an expert in the field.

 Rewrite: An expert in the field, the professor was the keynotes speaker and his work the focus of the conference.

MISPLACED MODIFIERS
 Dangling modifiers fall under the larger category of misplaced modifiers. They are like dangling modifiers in that
they attach themselves to an illogical subject (technically speaking) but are different in that they are not always
found in opening clauses; misplaced modifiers can be found anywhere in a sentence.

Most style guides and experts agree that misplaced modifiers are grammatically incorrect and should be rectified,
especially in formal writing. Nevertheless, they are viewed as less of a grammatical “ cardinal sin” and tend to slip by
unnoticed even for the experienced language professional.

MISPLACED ONLY
 I have only eaten one sandwich this week.

This sentence suggests that all I have eaten this week is one sandwich. The sentence below suggests that I have
eaten no more than one sandwich this week.

 Rewrite: I have eaten only one sandwich this week.

MISPLACED RESTRICTIVE CLAUSE

 She put the sparkly red stilettos on her feet that she bought in Oz.

This first sentence suggests that she bought her feet in Oz.

 Rewrite: She put the sparkly red stilettos, which she bought in Oz, on her feet.

This also extends and applies to all the “danglers.” For example,

MISPLACED PRESENT PARTICIPLE

 The teacher was strict on students using detention as a means of discipline.

This sentence implies that it was in fact the students who were using detention as a means of discipline.

 Rewrite: The teacher, using detention as a means of discipline, was strict on students.

MISPLACED PAST PARTICIPLE

 They did their homework aided by their parents.

This sentence implies that the homework was aided by their parents, instead of the children being aided by their
parents for their homework.

 Rewrite: Aided by their parents, they did their homework.

MISPLACED GERUND PHRASE

 Barbie and Kelly went to see the doctor having had the day off work.

The structure of the sentence indicates that the doctor had the day off work.

 Rewrite: Barbie and Kelly, having had the day off work, went to see the doctor.
 MISPLACED ELIPTICAL CLAUSE
 Remove, when golden brown, the cookies from the oven and set them on the counter to cool.

This implies that the understood imperative subject, you, should remove the cookies from the oven when he or she is
golden brown.

 Rewrite: Remove the cookies, when golden brown, from the oven and set them on the counter to cool.

MISPLACED PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES

 The child raced up the magical maroon tree with his eyes full of adventure.

The word order suggests that the tree has eyes that are full of adventure.

 Rewrite: The child, with his eyes full of adventure, raced up the magical maroon tree.

MISPLACED APPOSITIVES
 The car’s engine, a high-class automobile, has a great deal of horse power.

This implies that the engine is a high-class automobile.

 Rewrite: The car, a high-class automobile, has a great deal of horse power.

UH-OH! If you are a very perceptive reader, you probably noticed that there was no mention of misplaced
infinitives (if you did not notice, however, do not worry. It was obviously just one of those very rare my-brilliant-mind-
must-have-had-a-split-second-break kinds of oversights). Infinitival phrases are often given more latitude than
the other misplaced modifiers, if considered wrong at all. The reason behind this is that infinitives are
adverbial and therefore modify only the verb (and not the subject). This is further demonstrated in passive
constructions: the subject will never be the agent performing the action of the verb. The infinitival phrase therefore
modifies only the verb. That being said, those with stricter views on grammar may insist that the infinitive agree with
both the verb (that it modifies) and the subject (that is performing the action of the verb). In short, you can sleep
easy; do not fret over infinitives that are not in an opening clause in the sentence unless told to do
otherwise.

Correcting Dangling Modifiers

 Hoping to garner favor, my parents were sadly unimpressed with the gift.
Problem: This is a dangling modifier because we do not know who or what was hoping
to garner favor. It is unlikely that the parents were hoping to garner favor, since they
wouldn't have given an unimpressive gift to themselves.
Correction: This sentence could be corrected by adding a proper subject, or identifying
the person who was hoping to win over the parents. For example,
Hoping to garner favor, my new boyfriend brought my parents a gift that sadly
unimpressed them.
Now, the modifier is no longer dangling, since the subject- or the person- who is hoping
to garner favor is identified.
 Hoping to excuse my lateness, the note was written and given to my teacher.
Problem: Here, it seems as though we have a subject- my. However, my is part of the
modifier and not the subject itself.Correction: We need a subject that is modified
by hoping to excuse my lateness, since obviously the note didn't have those hopes.
Hoping to excuse my lateness, I wrote a note and gave it to my teacher.
Now, the problem is resolved. I am the person who is hoping to excuse my lateness, so
I wrote a note and gave it to my teacher. My note may not get me out of trouble, but at
least I won't also have bad grammar!
 After reading the great new book, the movie based on it is sure to be exciting
Problem: Again, we are left wondering exactly who read the great new book. The
phrase can't possibly be modifying the movie, since the movie can't read.Correction: A
subject must be added so the modifier has something to describe, change or limit.
After reading the great new book, Anna thought the movie based on it was sure to be
exciting.
Now that you've seen some examples of dangling modifiers, it should be pretty easy to
see how often this problem can crop up unnoticed. The best way to avoid this
grammatical error is to ask yourself exactly what is being described or modified by the
phrase or word. If you don't have an answer, you may be facing a modifier that is
dangling.

Modifiers 101
A modifier modifies or provides more information. In grammar, adverbs and adjectives are
both modifiers. Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives and other adverbs. For example:
 The very happy boy ran fast.
Happy is an adjective modifying the noun boy. Very is an adverb modifying the adjective
happy
 The boy ran very quickly.
Very is an adverb modifying quickly. Quickly is an adverb modifying the verb ran
Modifiers must be as close as possible to the thing they are modifying. Otherwise, confusion
can result. For example, it wouldn't make a lot of sense to say "The very quickly boy ran",
since very quickly are not modifying or describing boy.


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modifiers.html#KReAAqLRvGrkL2ji.99

Gerunds, participles and forms in -ing

 Using gerunds and participles in English
►► See also: Consecutive verbs: gerund or infinitive?

1. The different types of word ending in -ing :

The English language does not use many grammatical "endings", but some of those it does use
have several different functions. The ending -ing is one of them. Words ending in -ing can be
gerunds, verbal nouns, or present participles. Distinguishing (= gerund) between these, and using
them correctly is not always easy – until you understand these three simple rules.

1. The gerund is a verb which is used as if it were a noun (Examples 1 & 2 below). Since it is a verb, it
can not be qualified by an adjective, nor preceded by an article, but it can be modified by
an adverb and take a complement .
2. A verbal noun (Examples 3 & 4) is a noun formed formed from a verb; some of these end in -ing.
It can take a determiner, and be qualified by adjectives.
3. A participle is an adjective or part of a participial phrase qualifying a noun or a pronoun.
(Examples 5 et 6).
4. The present participle is also used in the progressive aspect of verb tenses (Examples 7 & 8).

Words in -ing: Gerund, noun or present participle

1. Seeing is believing.
2. Living cheaply in New York is quite possible.
3. The book was easy reading !
4. He managed to make a good living.
5. Smiling, the lady told them they'd won the big prize.
6. I heard them arguing last night.
7. I'm taking my brother to the station tonight
8. The man was phoning his friend, when the lights went out.

2. The gerund in English : the verb used as a noun

The gerund in English has the form of the present participle in -ing.
It is the most common form of the verb used as a noun, and can be the subject (examples 1 to 7), or
the object of a sentence (8 & 9) , or follow prepositions (10 to 13)

Examples:
1. Seeing is believing.
2. Reading that book was very interesting.
3. Drinking is essential
4. Drinking too much pop can make you fat.
5. Taking the bus was rather a good idea.
6. Swimming is very good exercise.
7. Taking too many aspirins is dangerous.
8. I really like sailing .
9. This article really needs rewriting.
10. He drove two hundred miles without ever stopping.
11. I look forward to seeing you again next week.
12. I'm thinking of painting my house.
13. I started by carefully turning off the electricity
14. Do you mind shutting the window, please ?
15. Will you consider taking the job?
16. I've really enjoyed meeting you.
As the examples above show, the gerund is used as if it were a noun, but not in the same way
as a noun. In other words, it keeps its verbal qualities. Since it is not used like a noun, it cannot be
qualified by an adjective; on the contrary, it keeps some of the essential features that distinguish a
verb, notably that it can take a direct object (examples 2, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14 above) , and/or be qualified
by an adverb (examples 4 ,5 , 12 & 13).
When gerunds are used as verbal complements (second verbs following a first verb), as in
examples 8 and 9 above, they can often be rephrased using an infinitive instead of the gerund.
However a few verbs require a gerund, not an infinitive (Examples 14 - 16 above). The most
common of these are admit, consider, dislike, deny, enjoy, finish, involve, miss, mind, suggest,
► Compare : uses of the infinitive

3. Verbal nouns: nouns that are derived from verbs

There are a large number of ways of creating a noun from a verb: among the most common of these
are words that use the root form of the verb and a noun ending such as -ment (as in achievement), -
ance (as in disappearance), -ion (as in confirmation) , or -ing (as in The changing of the guard.)
You can see that these -ing forms really are nouns, not verbs, as they can be qualified by
adjectives.

Examples:

1. That is a very nice painting

2. We're going to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.
3. After a slow beginning, the show got a bit more lively.
4. This story has a rather unexpected ending..
5. The commission demanded the breaking up of the company into two separate units.
6. The last meeting was not very productive.

4. Areas of possible confusion

Sometimes it is difficult to decide if a word is a gerund or a verbal noun; and in fact, the quality of the
-ing word can change according to context. Look at these examples:

Examples:

1. For musicians, practising is essential.

2. For musicians, practising an instrument is essential
3. For musicians, regular practising is essential.
4. For musicians, regular practising an instrument is essential.
5. For musicians, regularly practising an instrument is essential.
6. For musicians, the regular practising of an instrument is essential.
In examples 1 and 2 above, practising is clearly a gerund; in example 2 it is followed by a
complement, an instrument. But in example 3 it is preceeded by an adjective regular; so this time it
is being used differently, as a verbal noun. We can verify this if we try to add a complement, as in
example 4. It is not possible. We cannot say "For musicians, regular practising an instrument is
essential.". An -ing word cannot simultaneously be preceeded by an adjective and followed by a
direct complement. Other solutions are needed; the ing word must either be used as a gerund, or as
a verbal noun, but not both at once. So while example 4 does not work, there are two solutions.
Example 5 uses the word practising as a gerund, as in examples 1 and 2; and as it is a gerund, it is
modified by an adverb, regularly.
Finally, example 6 rephrases example 5, but using practising as a verbal noun, not a gerund. We
can see that it is a noun, as it is now part of a noun phrase introduced by an article and including an
adjective.

5. Present participles
Participles are adjectives; they can either stand alone, before or after their noun, as the situation
requires, or else they can be part of an adjectival phrase.
Participles are often used to make a shortened form of a subordinate clause, as in examples 1 and 3
below,
 Looking out of... is an ellipsis or contraction of As I was looking out of...,
 ... I saw the tornado coming is a contraction of ...I saw the tornado that was coming.
Elliptical phrases may come before the noun or pronoun (e.g. Looking out of the window, I saw ....)
or after it (e.g. I saw the tornado coming).
However, when the participle phrase is a shortened form of a relative clause, it MUST come after
the noun (examples 4 & 7).
Present particples are also used to form the progressive forms of present and past tenses
(Examples 8 - 10)

Examples:

1. Looking out of the window, I saw the tornado coming.

2. In the course of the coming week, I have three interviews to go to.
3. I saw the child standing in the middle of the road.
4. The people living next door are very friendly.
4b The living next door people are very friendly is impossible
5. This is a seriously interesting book.
6. The winning team will go through to the finals.
7. The team winning in the first round will go through to the finals.
8. I was looking out of the window when I saw the tornado
9. At the moment, he's living in Bristol.
10. The company has been doing very well for the past two years.
Active and passive

Gerunds and participles are most commonly used in the active voice; they can however be easily
used in the passive too. Examples 1 - 3 : gerunds, examples 4 & 5 participles.

Examples:

1. Being seen is more important than being heard.

2. He drove two hundred miles without ever being stopped.
3. They began their holiday by getting hopelessly lost.
4. Everyone watched the building getting demolished.
5. At the moment they're being sold at half price.
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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

The example above suggests that a gold man owns a watch.

Misplaced modifiers can usually be corrected by moving the modifier to a more sensible place in
the sentence, generally next to the word it modifies.

Example

Now it is the watch that is gold.

There are several kinds of misplaced modifiers:

1. Misplaced adjectives are incorrectly separated from the nouns they modify and almost always
distort the intended meaning.

Example 1

Correct the error by placing the adjective next to the noun it modifies.

Corrected
 Example 2

Corrected

Sentences like these are common in everyday speech and ordinarily cause their listeners no
trouble. However, they are quite imprecise and, therefore, should have NO place in your
writing.

2. Placement of adverbs can also change meaning in sentences.

For example, the sentences below illustrate how the placement of just can change the
sentence's meaning.

Just means only John was picked, no one else:

Just means that John was picked now:

 Just means that John hosted only the program, nothing else:

Each of these sentences says something logical but quite different, and its correctness depends
upon what the writer has in mind.

Often, misplacing an adverb not only alters the intended meaning, but also creates a sentence
whose meaning is highly unlikely or completely ridiculous.

This sentence, for example, suggests that we brought a lunch slowly:

To repair the meaning, move the adverb slowly so that it is near ate.

Watch out for adverbs such as only, just, nearly, merely, and almost. They are often misplaced
and cause an unintended meaning.

This sentence, for example, means that I only contributed the money:

Repaired, however, the sentence means that I contributed only $10.00.

Like adjectives, adverbs are commonly misplaced in everyday speech, and may not cause
listeners difficulty. However, such sentences are quite imprecise and, therefore, should have NO
place in your writing.

Now click on the link below to complete Exercise 1.

Link to Exercise 1

3. Misplaced phrases may cause a sentence to sound awkward and may create a meaning that
does not make sense.

The problem sentences below contain misplaced phrases that modify the wrong nouns.

To fix the errors and clarify the meaning, put the phrases next to the noun they are supposed to
modify.

Example 1 (a buyer with leather seats?)

Corrected

Example 2 (a corner smoking pipes?)

 Corrected

Example 3 (a house made of barbed wire?)

Corrected

Click on the link below to complete Exercise 2.

Link to Exercise 2

4. Misplaced clauses may cause a sentence to sound awkward and may create a meaning that
does not make sense.

The problem sentences below contain misplaced clauses that modify the wrong nouns.

To fix the errors and clarify the meaning, put the clauses next to the noun they are supposed to
modify.

Example 1 ( a buttered woman?)

 Corrected

Example 2 (a hamper that Ralph wore?)

Corrected

Be careful! In correcting a misplaced modifier, don't create a sentence with two possible
meanings.

Example

Problem: Did the teacher say this on Monday or will she return the essays on Monday?)
 Correction #1 (meaning the essays will be returned on Monday)

Correction #2 (meaning that the teacher spoke on Monday)

Click on the link below to complete Exercise 3.

Link to Exercise 3

DANGLING MODIFIERS

A dangling modifier is a phrase or clause that is not clearly and logically related to the word or
words it modifies (i.e. is placed next to).

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.

Sometimes the dangling modifier error occurs because the sentence fails to
specify anything to which the modifier can refer.

Example 1

This sentence does not specify who is looking toward the west. In fact, there is nothing at all in
the sentence to which the modifying phraselooking toward the west can logically refer. Since the
modifier, looking toward the west, is sitting next to the funnel shaped cloud, the sentence
suggests that the cloud is doing the looking.

Example 2

This sentence means that my mother enrolled in medical when she was nine years old!

At other times the dangling modifier is placed next to the wrong noun or noun
substitute.

Example 1

Because of the placement of walking to the movies, this sentence suggests

that the cloudburst is walking to the movies even though a possible walker
- Jim - is mentioned later.

Example 2

Since having been fixed the night before is placed next to Priscilla, the sentence means
that Priscilla was fixed the night before.

As the above examples show, dangling modifiers result in inaccurate and

sometimes ludicrous statements.
How to correct dangling modifiers

Dangling modifiers may be corrected in two general ways.

Correction Method #1

1. Leave the modifier as it is.

2. Change the main part of the sentence so that it begins with the term actually modified.
3. This change will put the modifier next to the term it modifies.

Thus, this dangling modifier

may be corrected to

Now the sentence means that I was looking toward the west.

Using the same method, this dangling modifier

may be corrected to
 Now the sentence means that Jim was drenched by the cloudburst.

Click on the link below to complete Exercise 4.

Link to Exercise 4

Correction Method #2

1. Change the dangling modifier phrase to a subordinate clause, creating a subject and verb.
2. Leave the rest of the sentence as it is.

Thus, the dangling modifier

may be corrected to

Now the sentence means that I (not my mother!) was nine years old when my mother enrolled in
medical school.

Using the same method, the dangling modifier

may be corrected to

Now the sentence means that the car (not Priscilla!) was fixed.

https://webapps.towson.edu/ows/moduleDangling.htm

Participle Examples in Proverbs and

Quotations
1. Point out participle I and participle II in the following proverbs.

1. United we stand, divided we fall.

2. Better untaught than ill taught.
3. One volunteer is worth two pressed men.
4. Fear the Greeks bearing gifts.
5. Stolen sweets are sweetest.
6. Forbidden fruit is sweetest.
7. A forced kindness deserves no thanks.
8. The rotten apple injures its neighbours.
9. The beaten road is the safest.
10. A watched pot never boils.
11. Rats desert a sinking ship.
12. A rolling stone gathers no moss.
13. A growing youth has a wolf in his belly.
14. The tongue ever turns to the aching tooth.
15. No living man all things can.
16. A burnt child dreads the fire.
17. Let sleeping dogs lie.
18. Coming events cast their shadows before.
 19. A man without a smiling face must not open a shop.
20. Inside every fat man there is a thin man trying to get out.
21. Forewarned is forearmed.
22. A drawing man will clutch at a straw.
23. Barking dogs seldom bite.
24. Advice most needed is least heeded.

2. Comment on the use of participle I and participle II in the following

quotations.

1. Science is organized knowledge. (H. Spencer)

2. Welcome ever smiles,
And Farewell goes out sighing.
(W. Shakespeare)
3. Be not afraid of greatness: some born great, some achieve
greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. (W. Shakespeare)
4. Concealed talent brings no reputation. (D. Erasmus)
5. Learning without thought is labour lost, thought without learning is
perilous. (Confucius)
6. A thing well said will be wit in all languages. (J. Dryden)
7. The human heart has hidden treasures,
In secret kept, in silence sealed; -
The thoughts, the hopes, the dreams, the pleasures
Whose charms were broken if revealed.
(Ch. Brontë)
8. One cannot shut one’s eyes to things not seen with eyes. (Ch.
Morgan)
9. What is the friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies. (Aristotle)
10. Something attempted, something done. (H. Longfellow)
11. Dialogues
12. At the Station
13. 1
A.: I say, what about our bags?
B.: We must get them packed as quickly as possible.
A.: No need to make haste, I think. Let me finish this letter first.
B.: You can do that at the station waiting for the train. I like to go in good
time.

2
A.: Have you long way to go?
B.: Yes, two nights.
A.: I saw many people waving to you from the platform.
 B.: Oh, they are all my friends. They gave me such a send off. I almost
missed the train. I was quite out of breath having jumped in.

3
Lady: Porter, I want to have my bags taken out to the platform.
Porter: I’ll surely Take care of them. But we’d better wait till your train
pulls in.
Lady: Oh, look at all those passengers getting excited, isn’t it time we
moved on?
Porter: Don’t worry, madam. It’s not your train. You have another 15
minutes to wait.

14. Text
15. Having examined the tickets the conductor of a slow train said pointing to
a tall boy? “Madam, your boy can’t pass as a half fare, he’s too
large.” Being very angry at the slowness of their progress the lady
replied: “He may be too large now, but he was small enough when we
started.”