Misplaced Modifiers
When my proofreaders proofread a text I have edited, they often find misplaced modifiers to fix. Some can be tricky to spot. Some are quite obvious.
Maybe if I write a blog about it, I will get better at spotting them and thinking about them.
Hey, we all have our weaknesses.
Definitions to Know
Before we can dive into what a misplaced modifier is, let’s review two terms:
Modifier: a word, clause, or phrase that describes or gives more detail about a concept
Subject of modifier: the noun being described by the modifier
*I asked AI to give me example sentences using adjective, adverb, phrases, and clauses type modifiers.
| Sentence | Modifier | Subject |
| The meticulous editor carefully reviewed the manuscript. | meticulous (adjective) | editor |
| The author quickly responded to the editor’s feedback. | quickly (adverb) | author |
| The manuscript on the desk belongs to the client. | on the desk (prepositional phrase) | manuscript |
| Glancing at the deadline, the editor worked faster. | Glancing at the deadline (participial phrase) | editor |
| She paused to clarify the sentence structure. | to clarify the sentence structure (infinitive phrase) | she |
| The course, a comprehensive guide to freelancing, is launching next month. | a comprehensive guide to freelancing (appositive) | course |
| The book that she edited became a bestseller. | that she edited (relative clause) | book |
Misplaced Modifier 101
A misplaced modifier is when a modifier is in the wrong place.
A modifier should go before or after the word it is describing.
“By the detectives” is the modifier, and it is describing “interviewed,” not “committed,” so the modifier needs to be moved.
➜The suspects were interviewed by the detectives right after the crime was committed.
Or for active voice: The detectives interviewed the subjects …
“Only six years old” is the modifier and it is describing the “plan,” not “members,” so the modifier needs to be moved.
➜Members of the board agreed it was time to update the six-year-old plan.
➜Members of the board agreed it was time to update the plan though only six years old.
Why it matters
Sentences have rules. They require a specific syntax—the arrangement of words and phrases. Changing the position of a word can change the meaning of the sentence.
The obvious ones can create for some humorous sentences.
Remember the modifier should be before or after the word it describes. So if you put it in the wrong place, you’re now describing a different part of the sentence.
Look at how the sentence changes when I change the placement of the word “only.”
Tricky modifiers
Some misplaced modifiers are obvious and funny. But some are harder to spot.
The placement of the modifier means that Dr. Johnson is going on vacation, but it’s tricky because other sentence clues make it clear it is Dr. Smith going on the vacation. However, that doesn’t matter. The modifier is in the wrong place regardless of whether the meaning is clear.
➜Before he left to go on vacation, Dr. Smith sent the report to Dr. Johnson.
These are the ones I tend to miss because the sentence makes sense, as other sentence clues indicate what is being modified.
This could be taken to mean the teacher is discussing how one fills containers with the students helping them do so. But on first read, most would probably assume the correct meaning. However, the modifier is still in the wrong place.
➜I discussed with my students how to fill the empty containers.
Misplaced Adverbs
Single-word adverbs are often misplaced in a sentence because they have clear rules on whether they can come before or after the word they are describing.
Adverbs come in two types:
- Adverbs of manner: describe how an action or event is done
- Adverbs of frequency: describe how often an action or event is done
The placement of the adverb depends on what type it is and the other words in the sentence.
Adverbs of frequency
With adverbs of frequency, the adverb comes before the main verb.
If the verb is a form of “to be,” then the adverb of frequency is placed after.
If the sentence has auxiliary verbs like “do” and “have,” the adverb should be placed between the auxiliary and the main verb.
>Adverbs of manner
With adverbs of manner, when you have just one verb, the adverb can be placed either at the start of the sentence, before the main verb, or after the verb or verb clause.
All are correct!
Note that it says after the verb or verb clause. You cannot place the adverb between the verb and its direct object. So it can’t go directly after the verb.
If you have more than one verb, then you put the adverb before or after the verb to describe only that verb. If you want to describe the entire clause, then it goes after the clause.
If you have an auxiliary verb, the adverb goes in between.
Squinting Modifiers
This is a type of modifier where it isn’t clear if it’s describing the word before or the word after.
To fix it, you often need to rewrite the sentence.
Take this sentence:
People who exercise often get results.
It is unclear what “often” is describing: “exercise” or “get results.”
If the modifier can describe both the word/phrase before and the word/phrase after like in this example, you need to reword.
Conclusion
Don’t be like me. Remember these misplaced modifier rules and put your modifiers in the right place.
Or be like me and always need to either look it up or be corrected.
I almost wrote and need to either always look it up or be corrected. EEEK! In this case, always is only modifying look it up.
