A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that provides additional information about another part of a sentence, such as a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb. Modifiers help to clarify, describe, or qualify the meaning of the words they modify.

Examples of modifiers include:

Adjectives (words that describe nouns or pronouns):

  • “The tall building overlooked the city skyline.”
  • “Tall” is an adjective that modifies the noun “building.”
  • “She wore a beautiful red dress to the party.”
  • “Beautiful” and “red” are adjectives that modify the noun “dress.”

Adverbs (words that describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs):

  • “He quickly ran to catch the bus.”
  • “Quickly” is an adverb that modifies the verb “ran.”
  • “The extremely tall skyscraper dominated the city’s skyline.”
  • “Extremely” is an adverb that modifies the adjective “tall.”

Phrases (groups of words that function as a single unit):

  • “The book on the shelf is my favorite novel.”
  • “On the shelf” is a prepositional phrase that modifies the noun “book.”
  • “Exhausted from the long hike, she quickly fell asleep.”
  • “Exhausted from the long hike” is a participial phrase that modifies the pronoun “she.”

Clauses (groups of words containing a subject and a verb):

  • “The car, which was parked illegally, got a ticket.”
  • “Which was parked illegally” is a relative clause that modifies the noun “car.”
  • “Because he studied hard, he passed the exam with flying colors.”
  • “Because he studied hard” is a subordinate clause that modifies the main clause “he passed the exam with flying colors.”

What is a misplaced modifier?

A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that is positioned too far away from the word or phrase it is meant to modify, causing confusion or ambiguity in the sentence.

Examples of misplaced modifiers:

  • “She nearly spent two hours on her homework.” (Incorrect)

In this sentence, the modifier “nearly” is misplaced, suggesting that she almost spent two hours on her homework but did not. The intended meaning is that she spent nearly two hours on her homework.

  • “I saw a man on a hill with a telescope.” (Ambiguous)

This sentence is ambiguous because it’s unclear whether the man or the speaker is on the hill and has a telescope.

To fix misplaced modifiers, move the modifier closer to the word or phrase it is meant to modify:

  • “She spent nearly two hours on her homework.” (Correct)
  • “On a hill, I saw a man with a telescope.” (Clear) or “I saw a man with a telescope on a hill.” (Clear)

What is a dangling modifier?

A dangling modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that is meant to modify a specific word or phrase in a sentence, but that word or phrase is missing or unclear. As a result, the modifier appears to be “dangling” without a clear connection to the rest of the sentence.

Examples of dangling modifiers:

  • “Having finished the meal, the dishes were washed.” (Incorrect)

In this sentence, it seems that the dishes finished the meal and then washed themselves. The phrase “having finished the meal” is a dangling modifier because it does not have a clear subject.

  • “To get a good grade, the essay must be well-researched and carefully written.” (Incorrect)

Here, it appears that the essay wants to get a good grade. The phrase “to get a good grade” is a dangling modifier because it does not clearly connect to the subject of the sentence.

To fix dangling modifiers, make sure to include the subject being modified and ensure that the modifier is clearly connected to it:

  • “Having finished the meal, we washed the dishes.” (Correct)
  • “To get a good grade, you must research and write the essay carefully.” (Correct)