Name: ____________________________________Period: ____________ Grammar: Modifiers

A modifier is a word or phrase that adds detail or description to a sentence. In the example sentences
below, the modifiers are underlined.

I walked in and out of dozens of stores yesterday, searching for the perfect purse.
Shopping with Lisa today, I found a great purse.

While modifiers are great for adding detail and interest to sentences, they must be used carefully so that
the reader understands the details being added. Writers generally make two major modifier mistakes:
dangling modifiers and misplaced modifiers.

A dangling modifier occurs when the subject of the modifier is unclear. Most dangling modifiers occur
at the beginning of sentences, but they can also occur at the end. Consider the sentence below and its
revision (the modifiers are underlined).

Incorrect: Having looked through the whole music store, the CD I wanted just wasn’t there.

From the way this sentence is written, it actually looks like the CD has been looking through the
whole music store. Even though readers can probably guess that it is the writer who has looked
through the whole music store, the dangling modifier makes the sentence unclear. We can correct
the dangling modifier and make the sentence clearer by adding a subject for the modifier.

Possible revision: Having looked through the whole music store, I realized that the CD I wanted
just wasn’t there.

Misplaced modifiers occur when the subject of the modifier is unclear because the modifier is poorly
placed. The reader may be unsure of what word the modifier is describing. The reader may even think the
misplaced modifier is describing a different word than intended. Consider the sentence below and its
revision (the modifier is underlined).

Incorrect: The jacket was just too small in the store.

The placement of the modifier in the store implies that the jacket was too small in the store. If the
writer wants to convey that the jacket suddenly changed sizes when worn in other locations, then
the modifier’s placement in the sentence is correct. If the modifier is intended to specify that the
author is talking about the jacket in the store, then this modifier should be moved.

Possible revision: The jacket in the store was just too small.
Name: ____________________________________Period: ____________ Grammar: Modifiers
Modifier Practice

Directions: 1) Underline the misplaced or dangling modifiers. 2) Rewrite each sentence in the
space provided, moving the modifiers to their correct positions.

1. No one can shoot anything on this property except the owner.

2. The book was missing from the library that we needed to finish our research.

3. The robber was a tall man with a mustache weighing 160 pounds.

4. We watched the newscast with anxious eyes.

5. You will only need to plant one row of corn.

6. She had a meal in a restaurant that was low in price.

7. I gave the woman an umbrella who was interviewing for the job.

8. He promised never to remarry at her deathbed.

9. I nearly waited two hours for the bus.

10. A fish was found in the Pacific Ocean that had been considered extinct.

11. The cowboy was thrown by the bull in a leather vest. *HINT: active or passive?

12. She was making a sweater for her husband that was warm.

13. The contractors needed all kinds of artists to paint the mural badly.

14. The opera singer was upstaged by the mime with the robust voice. *HINT: active or passive?

15. Left alone in the house, the thunderstorm terrified the two small children.
Name: ____________________________________Period: ____________ Grammar: Modifiers
KEY

1. No one can shoot anything on this property except the owner.

CORRECTED: No one except the owner can shoot anything on the property.
2. The book was missing from the library that we needed to finish our research.
CORRECTED: The book that we needed to finish our research was missing from the library.
3. The robber was a tall man with a mustache weighing 160 pounds.
CORRECTED: Weighing 160 pounds, the robber was a tall man with a mustache.
4. We watched the newscast with anxious eyes.
CORRECTED: With anxious eyes, we watched the newscast.
5. You will only need to plant one row of corn.
CORRECTED: You will need to plant only one row of corn.
6. She had a meal in a restaurant that was low in price.
CORRECTED: She had a meal that was low in price in a restaurant.
7. I gave the woman an umbrella who was interviewing for the job.
CORRECTED: I gave the woman who was interviewing for the job an umbrella.
8. He promised never to remarry at her deathbed.
CORRECTED: At her deathbed, he promised never to remarry.
9. I nearly waited two hours for the bus.
CORRECTED: I waited nearly two hours for the bus.
10. A fish was found in the Pacific Ocean that had been considered extinct.
CORRECTED: A fish that had been considered extinct was found in the Pacific Ocean.
11. The cowboy was thrown by the bull in a leather vest.
CORRECTED: The bull threw the cowboy in a leather vest.
12. She was making a sweater for her husband that was warm.
CORRECTED: She was making a warm sweater for her husband.
13. The contractors needed all kinds of artists to paint the mural badly.
CORRECTED: The contractors badly needed all kinds of artists to paint the mural.
14. The opera singer was upstaged by the mime with the robust voice.
CORRECTED: The mime upstaged the opera singer with the robust voice.
15. Left alone in the house, the thunderstorm terrified the two small children.
CORRECTED: The thunderstorm terrified the two small children left alone in the house.