Whether you’re a homeschool parent or a homeschool student, if you’re interested in writing for publication, you must realize sentences demand variety to maintain reader interest. Constantly repeating the pattern of Subject + Verb + Direct Object will quickly become stale. Modifiers are one of your tools for injecting freshness, variety, and extra information into sentences. However, misusing modifiers can make your writing sound illogical, even laughable. To make sure that doesn’t happen, let’s take a moment to discuss modifiers.
What are Modifiers?
You’ll find various definitions, but basically, a modifier is any word (or group of words) that describes or provides more information about another element in the sentence. (Stay with me; examples are coming!) So, a modifier can be an adjective or an adverb, and entire phrases can serve as modifiers. Here’s a simple example, with the modifying phrase in bold type:
Cautious by nature, I proceeded with my eyes and ears alert for danger.
Although there’s nothing wrong with writing simply, “I proceeded with my eyes and ears alert for danger,” by adding the modifier, the writer gives additional information about himself plus an explanation for proceeding with wariness.
Misplaced Modifiers
When you misplace a modifier, you’re putting it in an incorrect location in the sentence. Normally, a modifier belongs right beside the element it’s modifying. Placing it elsewhere in the sentence can change the meaning or confuse the reader. Following are a few examples.
“Years ago, while strolling through a wheat field, a covey of quails suddenly exploded in front of me.”
In this sentence, the modifier while strolling through a cornfield is telling us that the covey of quails was sauntering across a field when they suddenly took flight in front of the writer. We intuitively understand that’s not what the writer intended to convey, but that really is what he wrote. To correct the problem, we need to place the modifier beside the person, not the quails:
“Years ago, while strolling through a wheat field, I saw a covey of quails suddenly explode in front of me.”
Here’s another example, which in context referred to a creature with God-given camouflage:
“From a standing position, the moth was not visible.”
This sentence is a bit of a muddle. The writer does not name himself but includes a modifier describing himself anyway. The result is that, according to the rules of English syntax, From a standing position ends up describing the moth, and that makes no sense. Here is one of several ways to reword the sentence:
“Gazing down from a standing position, I couldn’t see the moth. It wasn’t visible.”
In this case, the reworked version is longer but is clear.
One time, a particularly unfortunate misplaced modifier occurred during the graduation ceremony of a Christian college. (Sorry, names have been changed to protect identities!) Here is what the speaker declared as he introduced a guest:
“An alumnus and longtime friend of Somewhere Bible College, the Lord has greatly blessed Pastor Smith.”
Whoa. The Lord Himself is an alumnus and friend of this school? Obviously not. We can forgive the speaker who committed that gaffe while under the pressure of a formal occasion, but let’s hurry and recast that introduction for him:
“An alumnus and longtime friend of Somewhere Bible College, Pastor Smith has experienced great blessings from the Lord.”
Whew. Much better!
Here’s a misplaced modifier that occurred in a church bulletin. (A friend emailed me a photo.) This time, the modifier is incorrectly placed at the end of a sentence:
“Remembrance Sunday: We will remember those killed and injured in conflicts during our morning service.”
Accepted as written, the sentence tells us this church experienced quite a wild morning service. Let’s help to restore peace in the pews:
“Remembrance Sunday: During our morning service, we will remember those killed and injured in conflicts.”
Check Your Work
No human writer is infallible. Even editors need editors because we all have blind spots. Although we understand what we intend to convey, our meaning is not always what ends up on the page. However, with practice, you’ll become more adept at seeing and hearing misplaced modifiers. By weeding them out before an editor receives your submission, you will make your manuscripts shine brighter and will make yourself look more professional.
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Rick Barry’s writing has been published by Kregel Books, Focus on the Family, JourneyForth, Answers in Genesis, and others. His latest novel is Christian science fiction, The Next Fithian: An Ordinary Teen on a Strange, New World. Visit his website at www.rickcbarry.com.