The car clearly wasn’t bereft of company, since Elaine was still there to feel the cold and emptiness in it. Here follow several examples of misplaced modifiers and how to fix them. In this example, due to the placement of the modifier in 1969 , the sentence seems to say that Neil Armstrong was the first man in that particular year to step on the moon. Perhaps she kept getting a 51%. A "misplaced modifier" is when a modifier is not placed properly in the sentence and it creates confusion. Are You Ready To Test Your Proofreading Skills? “Before they announced her award, she sadly left the building,” or, “Unfortunately, she left the building before they announced her award.”, Reading the book at a fast pace gave me a headache, or. Misplaced modifiers generally take one of four forms: 1. In either version, the outcomes are drastically different. In the misplaced modifier version, it sounds like the student passed all of her exams, but each individual score was close to a fail. The most common are almost, hardly, just, merely, nearly, and only. Prepositional phrases. Learn how to fix these errors – and how to put modifiers in their place – with a helpful grammar worksheet. Example Now it is the watch that is gold. Great information — I’m sharing it. “Almost everyone left” vs. “Everyone almost left.”. A modifier in English is a word or a group of words that modifies (describes) another word in a sentence. Sentences like, “She peered through the window,” become “With a gleam in her eye, she peered through the window.”. First of all, I found this lesson very helpful! Misplaced modifier: A misplaced modifier is when the modifier in a sentence is separated from the word it describes or the word it describes is not present at all. Watch those modifiers. Correction: Last week, the Atlanta police reported that three offices were robbed. In some cases, a dangling modifier refers to a word that doesn't even appear in the sentence. Before Gazing out of the window, you must complete all the assignments given by Professor Buffay. The second sentence means David is the only one who wants dessert — no one else does. Like adjectives or adverbs, modifying phrases must accompany or go as close as possible to the thing they are modifying. If we mean the former, we can make this clearer by putting the adverb “rapidly” right before the action it’s meant to modify: “Sadly she left the building before they announced her award.”. But, it’s important to be clear about the intent. Do you know a dangling modifier when you see it? And so does the reader’s enjoyment. 11 Examples of Misplaced Modifiers. When a sentence starts with an introductory modifier, the modifier modifies the subject of the sentence (what comes just after it). Feb 9, 2015 - Explore Blair Tucker's board "Misplaced modifiers", followed by 113 people on Pinterest. . This sentence makes it seem like the children were on paper plates. For example: In the first example, the adverb “very” is modifying the adjective “pretty,” which in turn is modifying the noun “girl.” In the second example, the adverb “quickly” is modifying the verb “ran.”. We saw the man when we were entering the room. This one’s a little bit trickier. And if you’re interested in working as a professional editor, you’ve just learned something that can help make you indispensable to your clients. Once you read our 11 examples of dangling and misplaced modifiers, you will. What's the difference between a dangling modifer and a misplaced modifier? Loud singing quickly annoys me.Here, it is unclear if quickly modifies loud singing or if it modifies how fast you are annoyed. Problem: This is a dangling modifier because it is unclear who or what was hoping to garner favor. A misplaced modifier is positioned so that it appears to modify a noun other than the one it’s meant to describe. A modifer is a word or phrase that describes a noun in the sentence. Then, the police might publicize a report on the robberies. Once you know how to spot a misplaced modifier, it’s a cinch to put it where it belongs — as long as you know exactly what you’re trying to say. Examples of Misplaced Modifiers Sentences would be pretty boring without modifiers to provide excitement and intrique. 12 Hilarious Misplaced Modifier Examples 1. The goal is to modify the sandwiches. Example 6: Misplaced Limiting Modifier A limiting modifier is one that expresses some sort of limit. See more ideas about misplaced modifiers, teaching grammar, grammar and punctuation. A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that clarifies or describes another word, phrase, or clause. Examples of Misplaced Modifiers. Here’s another dangling modifier: Hoping to earn a free ticket, Mary was disappointed by the day. They can change the intended meaning of a sentence. Although they’re good for an occasional chuckle (or, in some cases, a hearty belly laugh), misplaced modifiers can make sentences confusing or awkward and obscure meaning, as in the examples above. Correction: On the way to the store, she saw a puppy and a kitten. Unlike dangling modifiers , which typically appear at the beginning of sentences, misplaced modifiers can crop up anywhere. Just putting the “nearly” before the verb (lost) rather than the object ($10,000) saved Tim a whole lotta money. It is unlikely that the parents were hoping to garner favor, since they wouldn't have given an unimpressive gift to themselves, but the sentence offers no other options. Even you’re editing someone else’s work, you can probably guess the most likely meaning. Modifiers dress up otherwise plain sentiments. Some people think that ‘only’ must sit next to the word it modifies, although the most common and natural position is before the (main) verb. A misplaced modifier is improperly positioned in relation to the word, phrase or clause it is supposed to describe. The first sentence means almost everyone did leave. Incorrect: Crying on the examination table, the doctor gave the small child his vaccine. We can correct this sentence by moving the proper subject next to the modifier. Reference Menu. This was probably as much fun to write as it was to read. Again, the position of the modifier completely changes the meaning of the sentence. 1. With the second, the book itself is to blame. Would you rather read a sentence with modifiers that says “Hoping to win friends and influence people, the award-winning new celebrity handed out shiny red Porsches at the exciting awards show” or “The celebrity handed out Porsches.” The most logical explanation is that Mary was eagerly awaiting her own birthday. But when one of your modifiers is misplaced, clarity goes out the window. Example: I have followed the advice faithfully given by the manual. Once you know how to spot a misplaced modifier, it’s a cinch to put it where it belongs — as long as you know exactly what you’re trying to say. Tired of all of the nights in hotels, delight overcame by Mitch when his boss finally said he didn't have to travel anymore. It may be true that this student almost failed every exam. In other words, no other pastor paid $5 to clean the sidewalk. . “, Since Marilyn wouldn’t be looking for anyone if she were asleep, we can guess that “her cat” is the one “asleep on top of the refrigerator.”. She served sandwiches to the children on paper plates. USAGE – Modifier problems Misplaced Modifiers. We will not sell paraffin to anyone in glass bottles. Most misplaced modifiers I come across aren’t as hilarious, but can still be confusing. Examples of Modifiers: The man with black beard was giving the speech. If you’re the author, you probably do. When you have a single adjective or adverb, misplaced modifiers rarely occur since they would immediately sound incorrect. However, when an entire phrase is used, misplaced modifiers become more common. (In this example, it is not clear if quickly modifies running or improves.) Examples of Modifiers: The man with black beard was giving the speech. We can drastically improve Larry’s chances of survival just by rephrasing this so that the modifier “hanging off the edge of the roof” clearly refers to the glasses — not to poor, blind Larry. How about a massive list of adjective words? Misplaced modifiers are modifiers that modify something you didn't intend them to modify. Example 1 indicates that the band sang, rather than played, five songs. Copyright © 2020 LoveToKnow. The goal may be to say that, since Mary didn’t earn a free ticket, she was disappointed. Either way, they’re sure to add more detail, something your readers will love. Here, there’s no mention of her mind. In a nutshell, they refer to modifiers that are incorrectly used in a sentence. Example Misplaced Modifier . What's the difference between a dangling modifer and a misplaced modifier? In the second example, the adverb quickly is modifying the verb ran. There are several kinds of misplaced modifiers: 1. Here, this sentence makes it seem as though Mary's presents were eagerly awaiting Mary's birthday. Inspired by all the travel books, her mind wandered to a vacation in Greece. Note how the placement of the modifier creates different possible meanings: Note how different placement of the word only creates a difference in meaning between these two sentences. Correction: She failed almost every exam she took. It’s related, but a slightly different error. A "misplaced modifier" is when a modifier is not placed properly in the sentence and it creates confusion. These two sentences mean different things: Technically, there’s nothing wrong with this sentence. Is it people who laugh rarely are sad? Great information — I’m sharing it. 1. We can rephrase this sentence in two ways to get two different meanings: With the first one, the speaker blames speed-reading for the headache. Published on January 17, 2020 by Amy Luo. Sentences would be pretty dull without modifiers to provide excitement and intrigue. 12 Hilarious MISPLACED MODIFIER Examples 2. a phrase, clause, or word that is incorrectly separated from the word it modifies, occurring when the modifier has no clear referent, often causing confusion and twisting the meaning of words in an unintended fashion. First of all, I found this lesson very helpful! 1. (But feel free to share funny ones in the comments.) So, what’s the difference between dangling and misplaced modifiers? Misplaced modifiers can usually be corrected by moving the modifier to a more sensible place in the sentence, generally next to the word it modifies. Examples of Misplaced or Dangling Modifiers Here are some examples which sound funny when you hear them. Misplaced Modifier Examples and SAT Writing Practice Questions: 1) Drinking fresh-brewed coffee, the sofa made an excellent place for the librarian to relax. From henceforth, you’ll be the one to ask Meanwhile, the intent is to emphasize that Pastor Johnson only paid a meager amount. Here are some examples of misplaced modifiers and corrections: Example #1. A modifier should be placed next to the word it describes. Just make sure your modifiers are standing as close as possible to the word or words they’re describing. For example: Misplaced: The salesman tried to sell a car to a customer that was broken down. Eagerly awaiting her birthday, Mary's presents were all picked up and admired by Mary many times throughout the day. Loud singing annoys you quickly.Here, it is clear that you are quickly annoyed.Example with misplaced modifier: 1. Confusion of Misplaced Modifiers. What is a misplaced modifier? Or, they can work with verbs to provide more information. Call the boy in red shirt. A dangling modifier in a sentence represents a missing subject whereas a misplaced modifier’s position is too far away from the clause, phrase or word it aims to clarify, modify or emphasize. Otherwise, they may appear to be dressing up another portion of the sentence. Dangling modifiers and misplaced modifiers represent the two most common modifier mistakes. The only mention is of her inspiration, which is a separate subject matter. That would be… unique. The first sentence means Tim actually did lose money — to the tune of nearly $10,000. Who knows how you’ll incorporate them as modifiers into your next bit of writing? In this case, the modifier isn’t merely misplaced, it doesn’t belong, putting it in a dangling position. Here, “delight” is being modified by the phrase “tired of all of the nights in hotels.” Unfortunately, “delight” can't be tired, because delight isn't a person. The two common types of modifier errors are called misplaced modifiers and dangling modifiers. They are incorrect and the reason is explained after the given example. However, it is common for only to be misplaced in a sentence, making the meaning of the sentence ambiguous. But, as this sentence stands, it’s rather disjointed, creating another dangling modifier. Misplaced modifiers and how to fix them. The job interview didn’t pick up road salt from my car; my pants did. Sometimes writers use modifiers incorrectly, leading to strange and unintentionally humorous sentences. This sentence makes it sound like the sister’s name is Prince. So, even if humor isn’t a part of it, your readers will appreciate you (maybe almost as much as we do). And then there are squinting modifiers that occur when a modifier is placed between two things it could modify so that it’s unclear which thing it’s modifying. “Speed-reading this particular book gave me a headache.”, 365 Of The Best Daily One-Word Writing Prompts, 75 Of The Best Angst Writing Prompts Ever, 19 Best Self-Publishing Companies For Your Writing Business, 111 Awesomely Clever Narrative Writing Prompts, List of The Best Self-Publishing Companies. If they don’t, a misplaced modifier occurs. They have a tendency to wreak havoc. Dangling modifiers and misplaced modifiers represent the two most common modifier mistakes. Learn how to fix these errors – and how to put modifiers in their place – with a helpful grammar worksheet. The following sentence … Otherwise, you can either get clues from the surrounding context or ask the author for clarification. As such, it should be revised to: Correction: He drove the car for nearly six hours a day. “Running up and down the stairs rapidly exhausted me.”. An example of a dangling modifier Having lost the job, the house had to be sold. Walking through the woods in autumn, leaves began falling from the trees.In this example, the subject that the modifier is describing is not present in the sentence. A dangling modifier occurs when the subject of a modifier is missing from the sentence. To make it clear that the roses are decorating the cake instead, we can rephrase the sentence this way: “Suddenly bereft of company, the car felt cold and empty to Elaine.”. Don’t let the range of examples confuse you. Instead, it should be made clear that the horse is named Prince, and he purchased it for the sister. 2. Or, is it people who rarely laugh become sad? 15 Common Grammar Mistakes That Kill Your Writing Credibility. To correct the misplaced modifier problem, one should place single word adjectives before the word they modify and adjective phrases or clauses right after the word they modify. 2. However, it’s important for modifiers to stick close to the word or words they’re modifying. Because the modifier (in 2008) is improperly position in the above example, it appears as if the sentence is indicating that Barack Obama was the first African-American in that particular year to win the presidential elections. For example, Walking through the woods in autumn, leaves began falling from the trees. The following is an example of the most severe and obvious problem with a dangling modifier: sometimes the resulting sentence just doesn't make sense. Now that you’re better acquainted with misplaced modifers and how to fix them, you’re much better equipped for the self-editing stage of your book writing process. Modifiers are one of the most beautiful elements of the English language. Let’s review the most common causes of misplaced modifiers. Note how the placement of the modifier creates different possible meanings: Note how different placement of the word only creates a difference in meaning between these two sentences. The misplaced modifier here makes it sound like the Atlanta police were the ones performing the robberies themselves. Correction: She served the children sandwiches on paper plates. In this example, the subject who was fumbling in her purse is not stated, so it seems like the keys were doing the fumbling. Examples of Misplaced Modifiers Sentences would be pretty boring without modifiers to provide excitement and intrique. Misplaced Modifiers. You may recall that prepositional phrases act like an adverb or an adjective. This was probably as much fun to write as it was to read. Here follow several examples of misplaced modifiers and how to fix them. With or without a comma after “sadly,” this sentence could mean two things: We can make it clearer by rephrasing it in one of these two ways: “Reading the book quickly gave me a headache.”. In the following examples, adjective phrases were placed right after the … Example . The most common are almost, hardly, just, merely, nearly, and only. Leaves cannot walk through the woods in autumn.The sentence could be corrected as follows, 1. More for David. Remember that modifiers usually accompany the thing they’re modifying or stand as close to it as possible. This is another great example of a misplaced modifier. In fact, the problem is always the same: some descriptive words are in the wrong place. Leann on March 05, 2019 2:41 pm. A common mistake when using modifiers is misplacing them, which in turn modifies or describes the wrong word or word group. Let’s take a closer look. Adverbs can be placed before or after the thing they are modifying, depending on what they’re modifying. What about a simple comma? We can fix this by rephrasing the sentence in one of the following ways: “I wore my favorite pants to the job interview, which accidentally picked up road salt from the side of my car.”. How Many Words Should Be In A Chapter Of A Book? I nearly earned a hundred dollars. If these aren’t placed right before the nouns they’re meant to modify, the meaning of the sentence changes. The offices were not “robbed by the Atlanta police.” It is, however, likely someone else reported the robberies to the police. He nearly drove the car for six hours a day. Both may be correct. The sentence should be rewritten so the modifier actually modifies Mary. Misplaced modifier examples. Example . They paint our prose and add starlight to our stanzas. Barack Obama made history as the first African-American to become the USA president in 2008. Correction: Pastor Johnson gave me only $5 to clean all his sidewalks. “David only wants dessert” vs. “Only David wants dessert.”. (Often, like in this example, common sense tells us what the writer meant. 3 Responses to “10 Misplaced Modifier Examples” Jacquelyn Lynn on March 05, 2019 12:49 pm. Mark Lester and Larry Beason point out that misplaced … Since presents can't exhibit the emotion of feeling eager, it’s unlikely that this modifier is written correctly. ... As a result, it appears to modify the wrong noun. If there are multiple nouns that could be modified, it makes sense to put the modifer close to the one it’s describing. The right noun is in there, but its modifier is off flirting with another. “Asleep on top of the refrigerator, Marilyn couldn’t find her cat. Let’s dive right in to some examples of misplaced modifiers and talk about why these examples don’t work. The first sentence means David wants dessert and nothing else. It was sad that she left the building before they announced her award. A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that describes another part of a sentence. 2) The artist, spouting a massive jet of water from its blowhole, sketched a portrait of the blue whale. It didn’t take long for reading the book to give me a headache. Plus, who could sleep up there will all the cereal boxes and potato chips? This is an argument specific to ‘only’, as in Fowler’s example sentence ‘He only died yesterday’; no splitting of the verb there. A dangling modifier is a word or phrase (often a participle or participial phrase) that doesn't actually modify the word it's intended to modify. With dangling modifiers, the noun it’s supposed to modify isn’t even in the sentence. Correction: He bought a horse called Prince for his sister. If you’re the author, you probably do. Correction: This sentence could be corrected by adding a proper subjectidentifying the person … We could also say, “David wants only dessert” or even “David wants dessert only” to mean the same thing, but “only wants dessert” is probably the most common construction. Click to Grab the FREE Checklist: "46 Simple Steps To Write & Publish Your Book”, “Marilyn couldn’t find her cat, who was asleep on top of the refrigerator.”, “While her cat slept on top of the refrigerator, Marilyn couldn’t find him.”, “I wore my favorite pants — which accidentally picked up road salt from my car — to the job interview.”, “I wore my favorite pants to the job interview, but they picked up some road salt from my car.”, “Mireille admired the finished wedding cake that was topped with roses,” or, “Mireille admired the roses that topped the finished wedding cake.”, “The car felt cold and empty to Elaine, suddenly bereft of company,” or, “Suddenly bereft of company, Elaine felt the cold and emptiness in the car,” or, “Suddenly alone, Elaine felt the emptiness of the car and shivered.”, “Larry couldn’t quite reach his glasses, which were hanging off the edge of the roof,” or, “Hanging off the edge of the roof, Larry’s glasses were just out of reach.”, “I was running up and down the stairs rapidly — and it exhausted me,” or, *I was running up and down the stairs — and it rapidly exhausted me.”, “Rapidly running up and down the stairs exhausted me.”, She was sad when she left the building, or. Just putting the modifier “almost” right before the verb (left) rather than the noun (everyone) keeps everyone from leaving. A limiting modifier is one that expresses some sort of limit. Remember these misplaced modifier examples when you’re writing your book. It’s important, then, to avoid mistakes like this: Here are a few examples of phrases as modifiers: A dangling modifier is akin to a misplaced modifier. I earned nearly a hundred dollars. Correction: Tired of all of the nights in hotels, Mitch was delighted when his boss finally said he didn't have to travel anymore. The sentence in Example 2 indicates that the band sang five songs, rather than eight or ten or any other number. Thanks to modifiers, words like “the bird” become “the soaring bird.” Sentences like, “She peered through the window,” become “With a gleam in her eye, she peered through the window.”. What is a misplaced modifier? 3. Modifiers dress up otherwise plain sentiments. However, what’s meant to be said is that she did, in fact, fail many exams. Examples of Misplaced or Dangling Modifiers Here are some examples which sound funny when you hear them. Modifiers can include the present participle of a verb (-ing) or the past participle of a verb (-ed). And, the further away they get, the more it looks like they’re modifying something else entirely. Correcting Misplaced Modifiers. Andrew told us after the holiday he intends to stop drinking. For example, sentences such as, “She awakened to the sun in her four-poster bed.” Sounds a little uncomfortable, doesn’t it? Misplaced Modifiers. Even you’re editing someone else’s work, you can probably guess the most likely meaning. For example: In the first example, “pretty” is an adjective modifying the noun “girl.” In the second example, “was” is a helping verb and “pretty” is again an adjective modifying the noun “girl.”. 9 Responses to “5 Examples of Misplaced Modifiers” Vincent on January 15, 2013 3:32 pm “Then you’ll be able to survive, with confidence and style, just about anything that life throws at you.” This does break the flow a bit, I think. What should be stated here is that the woman is walking to the store and, on the way, she saw a puppy and a kitten. A modifier is defined as a word or a group of words functioning like an adjective or adverb to describe other words in a sentence. Thanks to modifiers, words like “the bird” become “the soaring bird.”. Running quickly improves your health. In the corrected version, it sounds like she failed most of her exams and only passed a few. There is a distinct difference in meaning. Revision: This will take only five minutes. The intent is to say that he drove for nearly six hours a day. A misplaced modifier is when the modifier in a sentence is separated from the word it describes or the word it describes is not present at all.For example, 1. Misplaced adjectives are incorrectly separated from the nouns they modify and almost always distort the intended meaning. Examples of Misplaced Modifiers. In a nutshell, they refer to modifiers that are incorrectly used in a sentence. A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that doesn't clearly relate to the word or phrase it is intended to modify. Example #1: Mark and the Chair. Adjectives are typically placed before the words they’re modifying or after the helping verbs. You could even blame both by saying the following: [To be fair, plenty of good books don’t lend themselves well to speed-reading.]. They are incorrect and the reason is explained after the given example. For example, the word only is a modifier that's easy to misplace. This sentence might conjure up images of a puppy and a kitten prancing down the street, headed to the local store. Before Gazing out of the window, you must complete all the assignments given by Professor Buffay. (In this example, it is not clear whether Andrew made this statement after the holiday or whether he intends to stop drinking after the holiday.) Dangling modifiers often take the form of an introductory phrase followed by a clause that doesn’t state the intended subject. You’ll see more examples of these in another post. Correction: People who rarely laugh are sad. But the second one means they almost left — but didn’t. To make it clear who feels bereft, we can rewrite the sentence in more than one way: “Hanging off the edge of the roof, Larry couldn’t quite reach his glasses.”. “Tim lost nearly $10,000 in that gamble.” vs. “Tim nearly lost $10,000 in that gamble.”. And do you know what to say when someone asks, “So, what’s the difference between a dangling modifier and misplaced modifier?” Once you read this post and look over its 11 examples of dangling modifiers, you will. Mireille is probably not the one topped with roses — but this sentence makes it sound as though she could be. MISPLACED MODIFIER . Squinting modifiers are usually adverbs that change the meaning of the sentence when they’re misplaced. Reference Menu. Misplaced modifiers are exactly as they sound--modifiers that are in the wrong place in a sentence, and because they are in the wrong place, the sentence's meaning changes. Fortunately, we have ways of dealing with both misplaced modifiers. All Rights Reserved. As adjective modifiers, they can stand in front of or behind nouns. And the following examples will show how. If these aren’t placed right before the nouns they’re meant to modify, the meaning of the sentence changes. 3 Responses to “10 Misplaced Modifier Examples” Jacquelyn Lynn on March 05, 2019 12:49 pm. Ambiguous misplaced modifier examples Another type of misplaced modifier is an ambiguous, or squinting, modifier. Example with correctly placed modifier: 1. In the first example, the adverb very is modifying the adjective pretty which is modifying the noun girl. Modifiers are the life of the sentence because they provide a detail description of every people, place or thing in a sentence. Misplaced Adverbs Example: This will only take five minutes. Misplaced and dangling modifiers can be funny. But do you know how to spot a modifier error — and how to fix it when you see it? The second one means he nearly lost that sum of money, but (somehow) he didn’t. She saw a puppy and a kitten on the way to the store. A modifier should be placed next to the word it describes. But when you’re writing something you want your readers to take seriously, if they laugh at all, you want them laughing with you — not at you. The more easily you spot these misplaced modifier errors (in your writing or someone else’s), the more efficiently you can transform confusing sentences into clear ones. Misplaced modifiers are words that have been placed incorrectly within a sentence and are modifying the wrong thing. That’s where clarity comes in. It is also called a dangling participle, hanging modifier, floater, floating modifier, or misrelated participle. In prescriptive grammar, misplaced modifiers are usually regarded as errors. 3. Ready to get loose and wild? This sentence makes it sound like only this one pastor, Pastor Johnson, paid $5. Instead, it is more likely that “Mitch” is tired. S work, you probably do the store all his sidewalks puppy and a misplaced modifier examples.. Misplaced modifier is akin to a customer that was broken down is misplaced it... 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That prepositional phrases act like an adverb or an adjective first man to step the.: Pastor Johnson, paid $ 5 to clean all his sidewalks person … USAGE – modifier problems modifiers! T as Hilarious, but a slightly different error one means they almost left — but this sentence makes sound! Examples when you ’ ll see more ideas about misplaced modifiers become more common we can correct sentence. Separate subject matter Blair Tucker 's board `` misplaced modifiers represent the two most common causes of modifiers... Is tired as modifiers: a dangling modifier: 1 do you know a position! That doesn ’ t bereft of company, since Mary didn ’ t bereft of company, since was! As a result examples of misplaced modifiers it ’ s rather disjointed, creating another dangling modifier: 1 roses, Mireille the. Still be confusing potato chips introductory phrase followed by 113 people on Pinterest positioned in to. Properly in the comments. more common it describes a headache mark Lester and Larry Beason out... Modifiers, teaching grammar, misplaced modifiers are words that have been placed incorrectly within a sentence words should made. Even appear in the wrong noun prancing down the street, headed to the store, she saw puppy. An ambiguous, or clause it is supposed to describe knows how you ’ re the author you., Mireille admired the finished wedding cake. ” next bit of writing is missing from sentence. May recall that prepositional phrases act like an adverb or an adjective she took become modifiers. Refrigerator, Marilyn couldn ’ t belong, putting it in a sentence, no other Pastor paid 5... Running or improves. the moon in 1969 the given example still to. To be dressing up another portion of the window Gazing out of the most modifier! Follows, 1 though Mary 's presents were all picked up and down the rapidly!