Clear Reference Weak Reference Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers “Never let your modifiers dangle.” – Mr. McGowan English 3
What is unclear about these sentences? Mike talked to Steve while he was away. The storm began at midnight. That made driving difficult. We went to the movies. It was great!
Clearer sentences While Steve was away, he talked to Mike. The storm that began at midnight made driving difficult. We went to the movies. It was a great time. I ditched my date and went off with my friends.
Weak Reference In New York they have the best Sicilian pizza. On our trip to Washington, we visited the White House, which made our trip memorable. I like lacrosse, but I’ve never been to one.
Stronger references New York restaurants have the best Sicilian pizza. Visiting the White House on our trip to Washington made our trip memorable. I like lacrosse, but I’ve never been to a game.
Dangling and Misplaced Modifiers A short story… (perhaps true) A woman hired a hitman to get rid of her husband. On the day before he was supposed to do the deed, he met with her in the park. She slipped him an envelope with the money in it and says "Kill the man in the Mercedes with an American flag."
It puzzled the hitman why she wants him to use an American Flag to kill her husband but, he was hired to do a job and he decided he would do it no matter how absurd it seemed. The next morning, he receives a call from the angry wife. She accuses him of not doing the job. He replies, "I don't know what you are talking about! I dropped him and the flag I killed him with in the river! It's not possible for him to be alive."
She pauses and then asks, "Why would you kill him with an American Flag?” "I thought it was weird, too, but, you said 'Kill the man in the black Mercedes with an American Flag' so, I snuck up on the black Mercedes and choked the man inside with an American Flag."
The woman sighs then replies, "No, I didn't want you to kill him with an American Flag! The car my husband drives has an American Flag across the back windshield!" Apparently there was a different black Mercedes without an American flag in the window. That poor guy was a victim of a misplaced modifier.
What makes these sentences unclear? After trying the combination several times, the lock finally opened. Disappointed that vacation would soon end, September came all too quickly. He went to the library wearing a leather jacket. I found my missing baseball glove cleaning my room.
Many people watched the Fourth of July fireworks in their cars. I sent a poster to Mom rolled in a tube. At the back of the refrigerator, I noticed a yellow apple. Having been thrown in the air, the dog caught the stick.
Misplaced… The officer left to fight with his troops. She could not explain why she wanted to get married to her mother. After letting out a bang, I had to fix the ignition on my car.
Fix misplaced modifiers The officer left with his troops to fight. She could not explain to her mother why she wanted to get married. After my car let out a bang, I had to fix the ignition.
Assignment Classwork: Problems in Pronoun Reference A and B HW: Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers- rewrite sentences so they are clear