Guides: Write Clearly: Grammar: Placing Modifiers Correctly (2024)

FAQs

How do you place modifiers correctly? ›

Always place modifiers as close as possible to the words they modify. When you place modifiers too far away from the words that they modify, you change the meaning of the sentence, creating what is called a misplaced modifier error.

Example: The student carefully proofread her draft. The adverb "carefully" is the modifier in this example—it modifies the verb "proofread," giving important details about how the proofreading was conducted.

The placement of modifiers is important for clear and accurate communication. In English, modifiers should be placed as close as possible to the word or phrase they're modifying to avoid confusion. Misplaced modifiers can lead to unclear or incorrect meanings.

As illustrated below, modifiers in English include adjectives, adverbs, demonstratives, possessive determiners, prepositional phrases, degree modifiers, and intensifiers.

E.g. #1 in The large dog … the word dog is the head, and the and large are modifiers. E.g. #2 in barked loudly… the word barked is the head and loudly the modifier. A phrase is a group of interrelated words.

Adverbial phrases, adjective phrases and noun phrases can act as modifiers; in addition to these, relative clauses can be used to modify or add more information about a subject or an object in a complex sentence.

Modifiers are words, clauses or phrases that are used to add meaning to other words, usually nouns or verbs. Modifiers (such as adverbs, adjectives or other nouns) are used to make other words more specific, e.g. to tell the reader how something looks, moves or sounds.

A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that is separated from the word it describes, creating confusion and ambiguity. For example, if you say purple women's shoes, it sounds like the women are purple, not the shoes. In this case, purple is the misplaced modifier.

What is a sentence structure example? ›

A simple sentence structure has one independent clause: “I rode my bike.” A compound sentence has at least two independent clauses: “I got in my car, and I drove into town.” In that sentence, both clauses can stand on their own as complete sentences.

There are two types of modifiers: adjectives and adverbs.

Modifiers are words that modify, or alter, the meaning of a sentence. Modifiers help to address how, which, when, where, and what, and they help to add descriptive elements to a sentence. For instance, the sentence I went shopping, contains no modifiers and is not very descriptive.

Modifiers should be placed next to the words they modify, and any exception to the rule can produce ambiguity or even a complete lack of clarity. Incorrect: "While hunting in Africa, I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How an elephant got into my pajamas I'll never know."

A misplaced modifier is a modifier that is not positioned appropriately to modify the word, phrase, or clause it is supposed to modify. It usually makes sense for a modifier to be placed right next to the word the modifier is supposed to describe.

The general order of sequencing modifiers is (1) pricing (2) payment (3) location. Location modifiers, in all coding situations, are coded “last”.

How to fix misplaced modifiers. To fix a misplaced modifier in your writing, you simply have to rearrange the words in a sentence. Remember, modifiers are supposed to appear next to the words they describe, so just move a misplaced modifier before or after the right word.

Modifiers must be placed as close to the word(s) they modify as possible. Example of error: The trees trimmed in the shapes of animals that line the walks delight visitors. In this example, the underlined adjective clause is misplaced. It modifies trees and should be placed after trees.

Here are things to remember to avoid making these common modifier mistakes when writing. Keep your modifier as close as possible to what they are modifying. Always put the adjective or adverb next to the words they describe. Identify what it is modifying.