Misplaced Modifiers: Rules and Examples for ESL Students

📚 Quick Study Guide

• 🔍 A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that is improperly separated from the word it modifies / describes. Because of the separation, the modifier appears to modify the wrong word.
• 📝 Misplaced modifiers can cause confusion, ambiguity, and unintentional humor.
• 💡 To correct a misplaced modifier, place it as close as possible to the word it is intended to modify.
• 🌍 Common types of misplaced modifiers include misplaced adjectives, misplaced adverbs, and misplaced prepositional phrases.
• 📌 Examples of misplaced modifiers:
  • Incorrect: "I saw a dog running down the street with one eye." (Did the street have one eye?)
  • Correct: "I saw a dog with one eye running down the street."
  • Incorrect: "Covered in chocolate sauce, I ate the ice cream." (Was I covered in chocolate sauce?)
  • Correct: "I ate the ice cream covered in chocolate sauce."

Practice Quiz

1. Which sentence contains a misplaced modifier?
   1. Running quickly, the dog caught the ball.
   2. The dog, running quickly, caught the ball.
   3. The dog caught the ball running quickly.
   4. The dog caught the ball with enthusiasm.
2. Choose the sentence where the modifier is correctly placed.
   1. Covered in mud, the house looked terrible.
   2. The house covered in mud looked terrible.
   3. The house looked terrible covered in mud.
   4. Covered in mud, we saw the house.
3. Identify the misplaced modifier in the following sentence: "I found a wallet walking down the street."
   1. I
   2. wallet
   3. walking down the street
   4. found
4. Which is the best revision of: "She served sandwiches to the children on paper plates."
   1. She served the children sandwiches on paper plates.
   2. She served sandwiches on paper plates to the children.
   3. On paper plates, she served sandwiches to the children.
   4. She served on paper plates sandwiches to the children.
5. Which sentence is free of misplaced modifiers?
   1. Driving fast, the deer ran across the road.
   2. The deer ran across the road driving fast.
   3. The deer driving fast ran across the road.
   4. The deer ran across the road quickly.
6. Select the sentence with the correctly placed modifier.
   1. With great excitement, the gift was opened by her.
   2. The gift with great excitement was opened by her.
   3. She opened the gift with great excitement.
   4. She with great excitement opened the gift.
7. What is the problem with this sentence: "Almost everyone passed the test with flying colors."
   1. Incorrect verb tense
   2. Misplaced modifier
   3. Subject-verb agreement
   4. Dangling modifier