1. Home
  2. Education
  3. Grammar & Composition

misplaced modifier

By , About.com Guide

Definition:

Words, phrases, or clauses that do not clearly relate to the word they are intended to modify. See also:

Examples and Observations:

  • "One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I'll never know."
    (Groucho Marx)


  • "Her only full-time paid employee is a pleasant young woman with a nose ring named Rebecca, who sits at the front desk."
    (reprinted in The New Yorker)


  • "They just said it's going to rain on the radio."
    ("Tiger" comic strip)


  • Hugh Jackman donated a pair of jeans to a charity that sold for over $20,000.


  • Certain modifiers are slippery; they slide into the wrong position in the sentence. The most dangerous are only, almost, already, even, just, nearly, merely, and always.

    No: They almost worked five years on that system.
    Yes: They worked almost five years on that system.

    In general, these slippery descriptors should appear just before the terms they modify.
    (Edmond H. Weiss, 100 Writing Remedies, Greenwood, 1990)


  • "You are welcome to visit the cemetery where famous Russian composers, artists, and writers are buried daily, except on Thursdays."
    (in a guide to a Russian Orthodox monastery)


  • "Mr. Clinton acknowledged the role played by the men who subdued the gunman when he spoke at a dinner on Saturday night."
    (The New York Times, October 31, 1994)


  • "Historians have been kept guessing over claims [that] Dr James Barry, Inspector General of Military Hospitals, was in fact a woman for more than 140 years."
    (The Daily Telegraph, March 5, 2008)


  • "Plastic bags are a favorite of grocers because of their price, about 2 cents per bag compared to 5 cents for paper. Used widely since the 1970s, environmentalists now estimate between 500 billion to a trillion bags are produced annually worldwide."
    (Savannah Morning News, January 30, 2008)
Pronunciation: MIS-plast MOD-i-FI-er

Explore Grammar & Composition

About.com Special Features

A Smarter Future

Tips that will help finance your education, excel in the classroom, and advance your career. More >

How to Ace the GRE

Being well prepared is the first step; here are more essential suggestions. More >

  1. Home
  2. Education
  3. Grammar & Composition

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.