Misplaced modifiers

As the name itself indicates a modifier is a word used to modify another word. A modifier should come close to the word it modifies. If it doesn’t, the result might be funny. Modifiers that seem to modify the wrong word are often called misplaced or dangling modifiers. This is a very common mistake.

Study the sentence given below.

• She pressed the panic button under pressure.

This sentence suggests that it was the panic button that was under pressure. That is not true. The woman was under pressure.

The sentence should be rewritten as:

• Under pressure, she pressed the panic button.

More examples of dangling modifiers are given below.

• She was wearing a hat on her head made of coconut fiber.

Her head wasn’t made of coconut fiber. It was the hat that was made of coconut fiber. So the sentence should be rewritten as:

• She was wearing a hat made of coconut fiber on her head.

Another example is given below.

• I bought a clock from a dealer with crooked hands.

This sentence seems to suggest that the dealer had crooked hands, but in reality it was the clock that possessed crooked hands.

• I bought a clock with crooked hands from a dealer.

Another example is given below.

• Dad announced that he was building a house after lunch.

Dad wasn’t going to build a house after lunch, but the announcement was made after lunch. The sentence should be rewritten as:

• After lunch dad announced that he was building a house.