Modifiers Review

It is a word or phrase that, due to its placement, mistakenly refers to the wrong word.

• Dangling Modifier

• Participles

• Misplaced Modifier

• Verbals

T or F: Misplaced modifiers can be adjectives, adverbs, prepositional phrases or clauses.

• True
• False

Identify the misplaced modifier:

Covered with cream sauce, my husband loves spinach soufflé.

• Covered with cream sauce

• my husband

• spinach soufflé

• my husband loves spinach soufflé

It is usually a phrase, frequently found at the beginning of a sentence, which refers to a word that is not actually stated in the sentence at all.

• Misplaced Adjectives

• Dangling Modifier

• Dependent Clause

• Misplaced Modifier

Identify the dangling modifier:

Waking in the night, the fire engine could be heard.

• Waking

• Waking in the night

• the fire engine

• could be heard

To fix a misplaced modifier, relocate it next to the _____ it is supposed to modify.

• adjective

• verb

• noun

• preposition

Read each sentence. Then select the correct answer below.

Tonya was petting the cat eating a candy bar.

• contains a misplaced modifier

• contains a dangling modifier

• is correct as written

• contains no modifier

Answer explanation

This sentence indicates that the CAT is eating a candy bar. "Eating a candy bar" needs to be moved closer to Tonya.

After the football game, the leftover pizza went into the refrigerator.

• contains a misplaced modifier

• contains a dangling modifier

• is correct as written

• contains no modifier

Answer explanation

The leftover pizza didn't take itself into the fridge after the game. Information is left out here.

Each of these three sentences contains a misplaced modifier or a dangling modifier. Choose the sentence that fixes it best.

While standing in line for movie tickets, lightning flashed.

• Lightning flashed while standing in line for movie tickets.

• While John stood in line for movie tickets, lightning flashed.

• While standing in line for movie tickets, lightning flashed on John.

• While stadning in line for movie tickets, a bolt of lightning flashed.

Answer explanation

The way the sentence is written, we don't know who is standing in line. That must be added in.

The girl danced on the stage with curly brown hair.

• Correct as is.

• While on the stage with curly brown hair, the girl danced.

• The girl danced on the curly, brown-haired stage.

• The girl with curly brown hair danced on the stage.