Misplaced modifiers cause ambiguity because exactly what they are describing is unclear. They can be single words, phrases or clauses. As concepts and sentences become more complicated, misplaced modifiers become increasingly common and more care is needed to avoid them. Academic discourse, which typically contains information-dense expressions is particularly prone to this problem. Written language in general is also more likely to be subject to this issue because spoken language can communicate extra information through intonation and timing.

Examples of Misplaced Modifiers

Can you spot the misplaced modifiers below? Can you correct them?

1. I found the leather woman’s purse in the park.
2. I put the greasy man’s tools in that bucket.
3. I scrubbed the garage with my brother.
4. My father shot an giraffe wearing his pyjamas.
5. People who whistle quickly become annoying.

Possible solutions to Misplaced Modifier Examples

Misplaced modifiers can often be resolved in many ways.

1. I found the woman’s leather purse in the park
2. I put the man’s greasy tools in that bucket.
3. My brother and I scrubbed the garage.
4. Wearing his pyjamas, my father shot a giraffe.
5. People who quickly whistle become annoying. or (with different meaning) People who whistle become annoying quickly.

5 is confusing because the intended meaning is particularly unclear.

Summary

An awareness of misplaced modifiers can improve your academic writing. As concepts and sentences become more complicated and abstract, avoiding misplaced modifiers and related awkwardness becomes increasingly difficult. If you need more specific help with a particular text, please consider my technical editing service.

See also

• Improving Flow in Academic Writing by expressing Logical Connections
• Summary Nouns in Research Papers
• Appositives for Simple Conciseness in Academic Writing
• Parallelism for Clarity in Academic Writing
• Background and Experience