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Modifiers

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12 views

Modifiers

Presentation

Uploaded by

baj23-lmwangosi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Modifiers

type of modification errors examples.

1. Dangling Modifiers:

These occur when the subject being modified is missing from the sentence.

Example: "Having finished the assignment, the TV was turned on."

Problem: It sounds like the TV finished the assignment.

Correction: "Having finished the assignment, I turned on the TV."

2. Misplaced Modifiers:

These happen when a modifier is placed too far from the word it's modifying.

Example: "The teacher gave the student who was sleeping a warning."

Problem: It's unclear if the student or the teacher was sleeping.

Correction: "The teacher gave a warning to the student who was sleeping."
3. Squinting Modifiers:

These are modifiers that could apply to words on either side of them.

Example: "Speaking slowly improves comprehension significantly."

Problem: It's unclear if "slowly" modifies "speaking" or "improves."

Correction: "Speaking slowly significantly improves comprehension."

4. Ambiguous Modifiers:

Similar to squinting modifiers, these could logically modify multiple parts of a sentence.

Example: "The detective interviewed the suspect with the red hat."

Problem: It's unclear if the detective or the suspect had the red hat.

Correction: "The detective interviewed the suspect who was wearing a red hat."

5. Overuse of Modifiers:

Using too many descriptive words can make writing unclear or unnecessarily complicated.

Example: "The very old, wrinkled, wise man with the long, flowing, white beard spoke softly
and gently."

Problem: Too many adjectives make the sentence cumbersome.

Correction: "The wise old man with a white beard spoke gently."

6. Illogical Comparisons:
These occur when comparing things that aren't in the same category.

Example: "Her salary was higher than the CEO."

Problem: The salary is being compared to a person, not another salary.

Correction: "Her salary was higher than the CEO's salary."

To avoid these errors:

1. Ensure the subject being modified is clearly stated in the sentence.

2. Place modifiers close to the words they modify.

3. Rephrase sentences if there's any ambiguity about what's being modified.

4. Use modifiers judiciously; sometimes less is more.

5. Make sure comparisons are between similar things.

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