February 10, 2020Dangling modifiers do NOT have a clear word(s) to modify in a sentence. Underline the modifiers in the following sentence: Climbing the mountain, my backpack fell

February 10, 2020

•Homework: REREAD NOTES! modifier work notfinished in class

•Daily writing:

•Choose a prompt and

jump into your writing

with gusto!

Modifiers: misplaced and dangling

What does this mean? The modifiers are lost and hanging from a cliff???

What?????• The meaning gets lost with either misplaced or dangling modifiers.

Modifiers

A modifier consists of words, phrases, or clauses that provide

description in sentences. A modifier describes another

word in a sentence.

Modifiers• Underline the modifiers in the sentence in your notes:

• Amy’s favorite red purse, the one she always carries, was stolen last week.

• Example: Amy’s favorite red purse, the one she always carries, was stolen last week. (note: adjectives & adverbs)

• Amy’s favorite red – modifies/describes the noun-- purse

• the one she always carries – descriptive phrase for “purse”

• always – modifies the verb “carries”

• last - modifies “week”

Modifier PLACEMENT

•A modifier should be placed as closeas possible to the word or words it describes/modifies.

Example:

My dog Fido, who loves pizza crusts, eats under the kitchen table.

PLACEMENT

• Example: My dog Fido, who loves pizza crusts, eats under the kitchen table.

• What is the modifier?

• who loves pizza crusts

• What is it describing?

Misplaced modifiers

• Sometimes modifiers can be MISPLACED or PLACED INCORRECTLY

• This doesn’t mean they are

lost, but the meaning of the

sentence might be lost

Misplaced modifiers do not clearly associate

with the word or phrase they modify.

Example: He gave his sister the stuffed bear with a polka-dot dress.

• Modifier – “with a polka-dot dress”

• What it modifies – “sister”

• Problem – It sounds as if the bear has a polka-dot dress.

• Corrected – He gave the stuffed bear to his sister with a polka-dot dress.

Example• The boy ate a pizza. Sentence

Add these 2 Modifiers:

• 1. who has freckles

• 2. loaded with cheese and pepperoni

➢The boy, loaded with cheese and sausage, ate a pizza.

➢The boy ate a pizza who has freckles. What?

✓The boy who has freckles ate a pizza loaded with cheese and sausage.

Dangling Modifiers

What is a Dangling Modifier?

❑A modifier that starts a sentence must be followed right away by the word that it describes.

❑Otherwise, the modifier is said to be dangling, and the sentence takes on an unexpected meaning.

Dangling modifiers do NOT have a clear

word(s) to modify in a sentence.

Underline the modifiers in the following sentence: Climbing the mountain, my backpack fell in the mud.

•Modifier – “climbing the mountain”

•What it modifies – “I”

Dangling modifiers do NOT have a clear

word(s) to modify in a sentence.

Underline the modifiers in the following sentence: Climbing the mountain, my backpack fell in the mud.

•Problem – It sounds as if the backpack was climbing the mountain.

•Corrected – My backpack fell in the mud as I was climbing the mountain.

•Notice the sentence needs revising, not just moving the modifier(added dependent clause)

Write this below the sentence you rewrite.

➢A dangling modifier has NOTHING TO MODIFY.

Solution

➢ADD SOMETHING NEW to provide something to modify

Revise the following sentence.

Dangling Modifier:

After reading the original research, the article remains unconvincing.

Revised Version:

After reading the original research, I find the article unconvincing.

Be careful with your modifiers!

https://onlinewritingtraining.com.au/2017/05/misplaced-modifiers-dangling-modifiers-and-squinting-modifiers/

Is this a misplaced or dangling modifier?

Coming out of the market, the bananas fell on the pavement.

Did the bananas walk out of the market?

Dangling:

As I was coming out of the market, the

bananas fell on the pavement.

Are these misplaced or dangling modifiers?

➢I smelled the roasted chicken coming down the stairs for dinner.

➢Coming down the stairs for dinner, I smelled the roasted chicken. (misplaced)

➢ I brushed my teeth after eating with Crest toothpaste.

➢I brushed my teeth with Crest toothpaste after eating. (misplaced)

Are these misplaced or dangling modifiers?

➢Waiting for the Moon pie, the candy machine began to hum loudly.

➢I began to hum loudly as I waited for the Moon pie to drop out of the candy machine. (more than 1 way to revise ---dangling)

➢Oozing slowly across the floor, Marvin watched the salad dressing.

➢Marvin watched the salad dressing oozing slowly across the floor.

(misplaced)

Driving like a maniac, the deer was hit and killed.

• Was the deer driving?

• Is this a misplaced or dangling modifier?

These & others can be

located at https://writing.wisc.edu/Archive/

CommonErrors_BestMod.html

Avoid the lack of clarity and prevent confusion

Time to watch video & and answer the questions.

Add these notes beside question #4

➢Squinter- seems to modify more than one element in a sentence (misplaced)

➢Correction: change its position or the punctuation

Squinting modifier: As the ship sank suddenly the life boats were lowered.

Corrections:

• As the ship sank suddenly, the life boats were lowered.

• As the ship sank, the life boats were suddenly lowered.

Complete the following:

• The questions for the Ted-Ed video—be sure to follow the directions

•All the BrainPOP questions, except #4 and #6

• Finish at home if not completed.

•Reread and review the notes on modifiers

Squinting Modifiers ✓Stuck in between 2 words, phrases, or clauses

✓Which one does it modify? what precedes or follows it.

✓Squinting modifiers need revision to modify only one element.

Example: Even though the author lists some advantages, overall his vision of an effective argument is biased.

Revision: Even though the author lists some overall advantages, his vision of an effective argument is biased.

(The word overall is repositioned, and punctuation is added. Overall describes advantages.)

Even though the author lists some advantages, overall, his vision of an effective argument is biased. • (Punctuation is added, and overall describes vision.)

It’s all about clarity

• Avoid the lack of clarity and prevent confusion

• Make sure all modifiers are correct in your sentences