1. Or words in the wrong place
Misplaced Modifiers,
Or words in the wrong place
“Life is a promise; fulfill it.” Mother Theresa
5/21/2019

2. To begin with, can anyone define modifier?
A modifier is a word or phrase that describes something.
There are two types of modifiers in the English language.
Adverbs-describe verbs
Adjective-describe nouns

3. Some examples of modifiers in action.
The tall man with the suntan sat under the palm tree.
In this sentence we have two modifiers tall and with the suntan.
The sentence as it is written makes perfect sense;however consider the sentence on the next slide.

4. Example of misplaced modifier
The tall man sat under the palm tree with the suntan.
If you read this sentence quickly, it seems to make sense; but when you read it slowly, you might ask yourself, can a palm tree have a suntan? The answer is no, of course.
This is an example of a misplaced modifier. The modifier is in the wrong place and makes the sentence confusing. Remember the modifier should always come close to what it modifies.

5. Consider this example:
The lady with three legs bought a piano.
To correct follow these steps.
One, find the modifier.
Two, check if it makes sense where it is
Three, if it seems to be misplaced, find it’s true place.

6. Could you correct it?
Correction:
The lady bought a piano with three legs.
(The incorrect sentence made it seem as if the lady had three legs.)

7. I saw a mouse going to our class meeting.
I think you now have a better idea of what is a misplaced modifier. Let’s practice. Remember the three steps.
I saw a mouse going to our class meeting.
Flying around the room, I saw two mockingbirds.
Climbing a tree the other day, I saw a monkey at the zoo.
I bought a puppy for my brother with a cute little tail.
A cow is wanted by a farmer weighing about pounds.

8. Going to our class meeting, I saw a mouse.
Corrections:
Going to our class meeting, I saw a mouse.
I saw a mouse going to our class meeting.
I saw two mockingbirds flying around the room. Flying around the room, I saw two mockingbirds.
The other day I saw a monkey climbing a tree at the zoo. Climbing a tree the other day, I saw a monkey at the zoo.
I bought a puppy with a cute little tail for my brother. I bought a puppy for my brother with a cute little tail.
A cow weighing about 1500 pounds is wanted by a farmer. A cow is wanted by a farmer weighing about 1500 pounds.

9. More practice
I returned the kitty to my Mom which had been missing for a couple of days.
I relaxed on the mat wearing my Hawaiian shirt and shorts.
I replaced a tile on the floor that was loose.
I was bathing my dog while singing a beautiful melody.
Jerry stepped on the snake without any shoes on.
I bought the used television from a friend with a broken antennae.

10. Corrections:
I returned the kitty which had been missing for a couple of days to my Mom.
Wearing my Hawaiian shirt and shorts,I relaxed on the mat.
I replaced a tile that was loose on the floor.
While singing a beautiful melody, I was bathing my.
Without any shoes on, Jerry stepped on the snake.
I bought the used television with a broken antennae from a friend.

11. Assignment:
Carlos returned the hot dog to the Circle K that was rotten.
I love the donuts from HEB with the vanilla frosting.
My cousin told me how to get to her business in a telegram.
Alex visited the hospital, still worn out from all the work.
The woman by the pool with the bright T- shirt always drank water.