Write On!

• Citation: Vol. 37 No. 2 Pg. 60
• Publication year: 2014
• Pages: 60

Write On! Vol. 37 No. 2 Pg. 60 Wyoming Bar Journal April 2014

Michael R. Smith, Professor of Law Director, Center for the Study of Written Advocacy University of Wyoming College of Law.

Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers

In grammar, modifiers are words, phrases, or clauses that modify—that is, add information to—another part of a sentence. Misplaced modifiers occur when the modifier modifies the wrong part of the sentence, sometimes with comical results. Consider this sentence:

The victim described her attacker as having a tattoo on his right buttock, which was shaped like a peace sign.^[1]

This writer intended to say that the tattoo, not the attacker's right buttock, was shaped like a peace sign. Misplaced modifiers such as this hinder communication and undermine a writers credibility. Writers should keep in mind that modifiers are like dog hair: they attach to whatever they are closest to. In the above example, the clause "which was shaped like a peace sign" immediately followed (i.e., was closest to) the noun "right buttock," and therefore that noun became the target of the modifying language.

Misplaced Single-Word Modifiers - "Just" and "Only"

The two single-word modifiers that writers most commonly misplace are the words "just" and "only." Consider the different meanings of the following sentences based on the different placements of the word "only."

1. Only the manager attempted to move the safe.

2. The only manager attempted to move the safe.

3. The manager only attempted to move the safe.

4. The manager attempted only to move the safe.

5. The manager attempted to move only the safe.

6. The manager attempted to move the only safe.

The placement of only in version 1 suggests that the manager was the only person who attempted to move the safe. Version 2 suggests that there is only one manager. Version 3 suggests that the manager tried to move the safe, but was unsuccessful. Version 4 suggests that the manager tried only to move the safe; he did not try to do anything else with the safe such as open it. Version 5 suggests that the manager did not attempt to move any other object besides the safe. The last version, version 6, suggests that there is only one safe, not multiple safes. As this simple example illustrates, the various placements of the word only can dramatically alter the meaning of a sentence.

Misplaced Modifying Phrases

Misplaced modifiers also often occur as inaccurately positioned...