So, you’ve put together a sentence with a complete idea because you’ve got something to say. The problem is that it’s a total snoozefest of a sentence—a real “Jack and Jill went up the hill” dud of a thing—and you want to make it better, snazzier, really memorable. What do you do? You add some modifiers in there: “Wheezing and panting, an overweight Jack and his much more physically active girlfriend Jill struggled to haul themselves all the way to the zenith of the local scenic overlook and make-out point.”

A modifier is a type of word that modifies^[1] the meaning of a sentence. Writers use modifiers to craft sentences that are more detailed and descriptive, which tends to help them be clearer, more specific, and more engaging. When modifiers aren’t used correctly, though, the results can produce unclear or unambiguous meanings that are difficult to understand. Many times, they can also create unintentionally funny images for the reader to consider. So, let’s briefly review the types of modifiers we can use and look at how poorly we can misuse them.

Types of Modifiers

Earlier, we took a look at several types of modifiers in the section on sentence parts. Just to review, modifiers can appear in the form of a single word, a phrase, or even a full clause. Single-word modifiers, like adjectives and adverbs, typically get placed directly before or after the noun or verb they modify.

Phrases can also be constructed to serve the same purpose of adding details to nouns and verbs.

Similarly, prepositional phrases can perform the same kind of duties that adjectives and adverbs do: they can provide additional details about both nouns and verbs.

Gerund phrases can be used adverbially, too, to add detail and flavor to sentences.

Modifier Mistakes

With so many types of modifiers and so many possible places to use them in a sentence, putting one in the wrong place can easily happen. When it does, your meaning can be confused or become ambiguous, leading to sentences that are either difficult to understand or unintentionally hilarious. Here are a few of the most common ways that modifiers can be misused and how you can fix those issues.

Misplaced Modifiers

As mentioned above, most modifiers are placed either directly before or after the word they modify. When you put them somewhere else, their modification can be applied accidentally to a different word or idea. Here are some bad examples:

In this first example, the modifying phrase “they call ‘Bruiser’” is in the wrong place. This name should be applied to the kitten,^[2] but because it was placed immediately after the brother, it sounds like the brother has a ridiculous nickname instead. In the second example, things get even more outrageous because the writer made it sound like their six-year-old child owns a car but doesn’t, thankfully, smoke or drink.

Instead of placing the modifiers later in the sentences, after the mentions of the brother and the child, the authors should have placed the phrases immediately after mentioning the kitten and the babysitter, like this:

To avoid the issue of misplaced modifiers, make sure that you always locate your modifying words and phrases as close as possible to the words they describe.

Dangling Modifiers

When adding variety to sentences, writers will frequently begin their sentences with gerund phrases, just like I did at the beginning of this very sentence. It starts the sentence with some engaging action and pulls the reader right into it. However, just like other modifying phrases, when these phrases at the beginning of a sentence are not immediately followed by the person or thing they are describing, then they don’t make much sense. They’re now “unattached,” so to speak, and they just “dangle” there, describing the very next thing that gets mentioned in the rest of the sentence, often with a comical and confusing effect.

In the first example, the modifying phrase that the sentence opens with sure makes it sound like the dog is the one that’s driving to the vet’s office. We know that’s not true,^[3] but we can’t get past the fact that that is how the sentence has been constructed. Similarly, in the second bad example, the action of “walking into the museum” comes immediately before “the beautiful painting,” which means that it is describing the painting. I don’t know about you, but if a beautiful painting walked into the museum, it would definitely get my attention, too. However, this is certainly not the intended meaning of that sentence.

To fix a dangling modifier, you need to either change the subject that comes immediately after the modifying phrase or rewrite the modifying phrase to make sure it clearly states the actual subject. Here are some examples of how you might revise the bad examples:

In the first revised example, we were able to clearly identify who was driving by adding a subject to the modifying phrase, thereby converting it to an adverb clause. For the second revision, we ensured that the actual subject of the modifying phrase was placed at the beginning of the main clause. Now, it’s clear who was walking into the museum: large groups of people.

To avoid dangling modifiers, make sure that modifying phrases are always immediately followed by the subjects they describe.

Squinting Modifiers

Because modifiers can be placed both before or after the word they describe, if a modifier gets placed between two words or phrases that it might equally describe, then it becomes difficult to know which one the author intended to modify. In essence, we can’t tell if this modifier is “looking” to the left or to the right, which has led to it being called a “squinting” modifier. Here are a couple of examples:

In the first bad example, there are two ways we can understand the sentence. One way to read this is that the habit of frequent swimming is difficult,^[4] but you can also parse this to mean that the activity of swimming is usually, but not always, difficult to do.^[5] The second squinter can also be interpreted in two very different ways. One reading warns us that, when we punch people, it doesn’t usually end up being a benefit to our feelings,^[6] but the second reading tells us that, as long as we don’t punch people that often, it actually can make us feel better.^[7]

Correcting squinting modifiers usually means moving the modifier out of its ambiguous position and into one that clearly indicates the author’s meaning, but it can also require that you rewrite the modifier so that it can only apply to one of the two possible subjects. Here are some ways you might revise the previous bad examples:

While squinting modifiers frequently happen with adverbs of frequency,^[9] it can actually happen with just about any adverb when there is an action on either side of it. A more definitive placement of the adverb, clear comma use between dependent and independent clauses, and the inclusion of relative pronouns can all help you avoid any squinting.

Some information and examples were adapted from Writing for Success, by University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing. The book is licensed under the CC-BY-NC 4.0 license.