A modifier is a word or phrase that changes the nature of
the information in a sentence without altering the sentence’s
grammatical structure by its inclusion or omission.
The specific varieties of modifier misuse follow.
1. Dangling modifier
A dangling modifier is one in which the introduced word or
phrase seems to be associated with the subject rather than the object,
or with nothing. In “A keen observer of popular culture, Smith’s words
are as pertinent as they are poetic,” Smith’s words, rather than Smith
himself, are said to be a keen observer.
To unambiguously make the intended point, the writer
should form the “keen observer” comment as a complete clause and
conclude the sentence with a separate clause: “Smith is a keen observer
of popular culture, and his words are as pertinent as they are poetic.”
2. Dangling participle
One type of dangling modifier is the dangling participle, in which the sentence element that
misleads the reader is, or includes, a participle, a word that appears to be both an adjective and a verb, such as leading in the following example: “Leading the way, the path opened into a clearing.”
This sentence errs by not explicitly mentioning the
object—in this case a person preceding others as they follow a path that
leads to a clearing—and thereby suggesting that the path, rather than a
person, led the way.
Depending on the writer’s intent, the sentence
should refer to the object in the first person (“As I led the way, the
path opened into a clearing”), the second person (“As you led the way,
the path opened into a clearing”), or the third person (“As she led the
way, the path opened into a clearing”).
3. Disruptive modifier
A disruptive modifier is one that interrupts the flow of a
sentence because it is located between the verb and the object. In “He
was instructed to administer every two hours the dosage,”
administer and “the dosage” should be adjacent. The modifying phrase, in
this case, is best positioned at the end: “He was instructed to
administer the dosage every two hours.”
A split infinitive, in which a preposition is
separated from a verb by an adverb (“She intended to quickly leave a
message”) rather than being in proximity, with the adverb placed
elsewhere (“She intended to leave a message quickly”), is a type of
disruptive modifier. However, although split infinitives can sound
awkward, many writers, recognizing that the long-held, prescriptive ban
on such constructions was founded on a misguided effort to emulate the
supposedly perfect grammar of Latin, consider them acceptable.
4. Misplaced modifier
A misplaced modifier, because its location in a sentence is
erroneous, affects a word or phrase other than the one intended. In the
sentence “Do we really want folks who are so easily duped in the White
House?” the incorrect implication is that there is a concern about
people being deceived while they are located in the White House. But
this sentence features a casual reference to the current presidential
administration, not to just anyone who happens to be visiting the White
House, so the modifying phrase “in the White House” should immediately
follow folks and precede the action: “Do we really want folks in the
White House who are so easily duped?”
A variation of this problem is caused by the misplacement of a limiting modifier—almost, only, simply, and the like. The word only,
in the sentence, “He wasn’t only listening to tone, but also to the
rhythms and patterns,” suggests that the subject was doing more to tone
than listening to it, but the meaning, which only becomes clear when the
entire sentence is read—which becomes clear only when the sentence is
read, that is—is that the subject was listening to tone as well as to
other qualities. That meaning is expressed in this revision: “He was
listening not only to tone but also to the rhythms and patterns.”
5. Squinting modifier
A squinting modifier, also called a two-way modifier, is a word
whose association is ambiguous; it could be modifying a preceding word
or a following one. In “Asking the child about it too often results in
shrugs,” the writer has failed to communicate whether shrugs occur from
too-frequent questions, or whether questions asked with an unstated
frequency result in an excessive number of shrugs. One solution is to
place the modifier at the beginning of the sentence: “Too often, asking
the child about it results in shrugs.”
A version of this post first appeared on DailyWritingTips.com.