MODIFIER USAGE

Modifiers are adjectives and adverbs – including single words, phrases, or clauses – that
describe another word or group of words. Modifier placement can affect the meaning of
a sentence.

Place limiting modifiers – words like just, almost, even, hardly, only, merely,
nearly, simply, scarcely, and exactly next to the words they limit.
Jack said that he believed me.

Now add the modifier only. Notice how its placement affects the meaning.
Only Jack said that he believed me.
(Miguel didn’t say it. Mary didn’t say it. Only Jack said it.)
Jack only said that he believed me.
(Jack didn’t mean it. He only said it.)
Jack said that only he believed me.
(Jack said that Miguel and Mary didn’t believe me. Only he believed me.)
Jack said that he believed only me.
(Jack didn’t believe Miguel or Mary. He believed only me.)
Careless writers frequently misplace single-word modifiers that modify amounts:

Improper placement: This car just costs $ 5,000.

What word just modify? This car costs $ 5,000, not $10,000.
Revision: This car costs just $5,000.
Improper placement: I only ran three miles today.
What word does only modify? I ran three miles, not five miles.
Revision: I ran only three miles today.
Place single-modifiers, modifying phrases, and modifying clauses in positions
that clearly indicate what they modify.
Modifying phrases and clauses go next to or very near the words they modify. Improper
placement can cause some funny misreadings.
Improper placement: She destroyed the photographs of men that she had dated
at her new husband’s request.
Did she date the men at her new husband’s request? No, she destroyed the
photographs at her new husband’s request. Revise the sentence by putting the adverb
phrase next to what it modifies.
Revision: At her new husband’s request, she destroyed the photographs of men
she dated.
Improper placement: The Christmas lights were lovely to Janna, hanging from
the tree.
Was Janna hanging from the tree? No, the Christmas lights were. Revise the sentence by
putting the adjective phrase next to what it modifies.
Revision: To Janna, the Christmas tree hanging from the tree were lovely.
Improper placement: We all admired the room for the baby that he had painted.
Did he paint the baby? No, he painted the room.
Revision: We all admired the room that he had painted for the baby.

Do not place a modifier in an unclear or confusing position.

These types of modifiers are called squinting modifiers. Squinting modifiers appear
between two words and can modify either one.
Squinting modifier: Dining out frequently is expensive.
Does the sentence mean that it is frequently expensive to dine out? Or does it mean
that it is expensive to dine out frequently? Since either meaning applies, the modifier is
not well placed.
Revision: Dining out is frequently expensive.
Or
It is expensive to dine out frequently.
If possible, avoid putting modifiers in positions that awkwardly separate
important sentence parts.
Place subjects as close as possible to the verbs.

Avoid unnecessarily separating subjects from the verbs.

Awkward separation: Trey, before he met his wife, was in the navy.
Revision: Before he met his wife, Trey was in the navy.
Or
Trey was in the navy before he met his wife.
Place verbs as close as possible to direct objects.
Avoid unnecessarily separating verbs from direct objects.
S V DO
Awkward separation: He asked, before I could stop him, an embarrassing question.

Revision: Before I could stop him, he asked an embarrassing question.

Or
He asked an embarrassing question before I could stop him.
Keep the verbs in verbs phrases together.
Avoid unnecessarily splitting auxiliary verbs from the main verbs.
Aux. verb modifier aux. verb main verb
Awkward split: Lacey has for an hour been proofreading her paper.
Revision: Lacey has been proofreading her paper an hour.
Keep the words in infinitives together.
Try to avoid splitting the to from the verb form of an infinitive.
infinitive modifier infinitive
Awkward split: He wanted to carefully address her concerns.
Revision: He wanted to address her concerns carefully.
Avoid Dangling Modifiers
Dangling modifiers are phrases or clauses that have nothing to modify in a sentence.

Dangling modifier: Hearing no further business, the meeting ended.

Obviously, the meeting could not hear anything, and there is no word in the sentence
for the opening phrase to modify; therefore, it is dangling.
Revision: Hearing no further business, the president ended the meeting.
Dangling modifier: Cleaning the kitchen, a giant cockroach scampered across the
counter.
Since the cockroach can’t clean a kitchen, the modifier is dangling.
Revision: Cleaning a kitchen, I saw a giant cockroach scamper across the
counter.
Or
While I was cleaning the kitchen, a giant cockroach scamper across the
counter.
Dangling modifier: After brushing my teeth, my tongue began to tingle.
Since my tongue can’t brush my teeth, this modifier is dangling.
Revision: After brushing my teeth, I felt my tongue begin to tingle.
Or
After I brushed my teeth, my tongue began to tingle.
Dangling modifier: While driving home, the puppy slept in the back seat.
Since the puppy can’t drive home, this modifier is dangling.
Revision: While I was driving home, the puppy slept in the back seat.

* Changing word order will repair misplaced modifiers, but it will not repair dangling
modifiers.
Misplaced modifier: My favorite vacation photograph is the one my
grandmother as she sat atop a camel wearing her red tennis shoes.
Correct revision: My favorite photograph is the one of my grandmother wearing
her red tennis shoes as she sat atop a camel.
The modifier wearing her red tennis shoes now appear next to grandmother, the word it
modifies, so changing word order is effective.
Dangling modifier: While sitting atop a camel, my grandmother’s red tennis
shoes looked great.
Changing the word order in this sentence does not repair the dangling modifier.
Incorrect revision: Mt grandmother’s red tennis shoes looked great while sitting
atop a camel.
Correct revision: While sitting atop a camel, my grandmother looked great in her
red tennis shoes.