1. MODIFIERS Notes and Exercises

2. RULE ONE: MODIFIERS are phrases that add meaning to a sentence. EXAMPLE: The professor, a tall and slender old woman, was standing in the front. EXAMPLE: We traveled the winding and convoluted road. EXAMPLE: Long and covered in sequins, her dress was rather unique. NOTICE: The underlined phrases modify the meaning of the words they are next to.

3. RULE TWO: “PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES” are modifying phrases that begin with a preposition. Remember that prepositions are words that show position (“above,” “below,” “between”) EXAMPLE: On the very top shelf, the book remained unopened. The book remained unopened on the very top shelf. NOTICE: Both versions are correct, but a comma is necessary only if the prepositional phrase comes at the beginning of the sentence.

4. RULE THREE: It is a mistake to place the modifying phrase next to a word that is not the word being described. If this happens, it is called a “MISPLACED MODIFIER.” EXAMPLE of MISTAKE: Wagging his tail and barking, the cat walked past the excited dog. NOTICE: This is a mistake because the modifying phrase is not next to the word it modifies, dog. EXAMPLE of REVISION: The cat walked past the dog, wagging his tail and barking.

5. RULE FOUR: Another common mistake is a “DANGLING MODIFIER.” This occurs when the phrase being described does not even appear in the sentence at all. EXAMPLE of MISTAKE: Driving around the corner, a bear leaped out of nowhere! NOTICE: The underlined phrase does not describe any word that appears in the sentence. EXAMPLE of REVISION: Driving around the corner, I saw a bear leap out of nowhere! NOTICE: In this revision, the word I has been added to the sentence so that the phrase has something to modify.

6. RULE FIVE: “RESTRICTIVE” and “NONRESTRICTIVE” clauses have to do with whether a modifying phrase takes commas around it. It depends on if the modifying phrase refers to a whole group or just a specific part of that group. EXAMPLE: Anteaters, which do not have teeth, use their long tongues to eat up ants. NOTICE: The phrase appears in commas because it refers to all anteaters. It is “NONRESTRICTIVE.” EXAMPLE: Students who need to buy tickets to the dance should meet in the front office. NOTICE: The phrase does not take commas because it refers to only a select group of students. It is “RESTRICTIVE” to only those students who need tickets.

7. MODIFIERS EXERCISES On a separate paper, revise the following. For 7 and 8, you will need to add words. For 4, 5, and 6, you need to rearrange the order of words. If some are correct, copy them as is. 1.Between the house and the tree Skippy stood quietly. (prepositional phrase) 2.The shore became apparent, across the expanse of water. (prepositional phrase) 3.Flagpoles appeared along the shore. (prepositional phrase) 4.Rattling every time it changed gears, Bob worried about his car. (misplaced modifier) 5.Waving as he made his way around the corner, we all cheered at the sight of Skippy. (misplaced modifier) 6.Extremely tall and majestic, everyone admired the mountains. (misplaced modifier) 7.Noticing that the leaves were gone, it must be autumn. (dangling modifier) 8.Eating eggs and bacon, Donnie interrupted my breakfast. (dangling modifier) 9.Nurses who have all attended college are very smart. (restrictive/nonrestrictive) 10.Eggs that smell bad are probably rotten. (restrictive/nonrestrictive)

8. 1. Between the house and the tree Skippy stood quietly. (prepositional phrase) ANSWER: Between the house and the tree, Skippy stood quietly. ADD COMMA

9. 2. The shore became apparent, across the expanse of water. (prepositional phrase) ANSWER: The shore became apparent across the expanse of water. NO COMMA

10. 3. Flagpoles appeared along the shore. (prepositional phrase) ANSWER: Flagpoles appeared along the shore. CORRECT AS IS

11. 4. Rattling every time it changed gears, Bob worried about his car. (misplaced modifier) ANSWER: Bob worried about his car, rattling every time it changed gears.

12. 5. Waving as he made his way around the corner, we all cheered at the sight of Skippy. (misplaced modifier) ANSWER: We all cheered at the sight of Skippy, waving as he made his way around the corner,.

13. 6, Extremely tall and majestic, everyone admired the mountains. (misplaced modifier) ANSWER: Everyone admired the extremely tall and majestic mountains.

14. 7. Noticing that the leaves were gone, it must be autumn. (dangling modifier) ANSWER: Noticing that the leaves were gone, I realized that it must be autumn. SIMILAR ANSWERS ARE ALSO ACCEPTABLE

15. 8. Eating eggs and bacon, Donnie interrupted my breakfast. (dangling modifier) ANSWER: While I was eating eggs and bacon, Donnie interrupted my breakfast. SIMILAR ANSWERS ARE ALSO ACCEPTABLE

16. 9. Nurses who have all attended college are very smart. (restrictive/nonrestrictive) ASNWER: Nurses, who have all attended college, are very smart. COMMAS (nonrestrictive)

17. 10. Eggs that smell bad are probably rotten. (restrictive/nonrestrictive) ANSWER: Eggs that smell bad are probably rotten. CORRECT AS IS (nonrestrictive)