Misplacedmodifier（修饰语错位)ContentsDefinitionTypesHowtoavoidthem?DefinitionAmisplacedmodifierisaword,phrase,orclausethatisimproperlyseparatedfromtheworditmodifies.Becauseoftheseparation,sentenceswiththiserroroftensoundawkward,ridiculous,orconfusing.Furthermore,theycanbedownrightillogical.Misplaced:Johncouldn'tdrivetoworkinhissmallsportscarwithabrokenleg.(It'simpossiblethatcarhadabrokenleg.)Corrected:Withabrokenleg,Johncouldn'tdrivetoworkinhissmallsportscar.(John,notcar,hadabrokenleg.)Types1.Misplacedadjectivesareincorrectlyseparatedfromthenounstheymodifyandalmostalwaysdistorttheintendedmeaning.Misplaced:Thechildateacolddishofcerealforbreakfastthismorning.这孩子今天早上吃了一盘冷的麦片粥。Corrceted:Thechildateadishofcoldcerealforbreakfastthismorning.2.Placementofadverbcanalsochangemeaninginsentences.Forexample,thesentencesbelowillustratehowtheplacementofjustcanchangethesentence'smeaning.Eg..JustJohnwaspickedtohosttheprogram.(JustmeansonlyJohnwaspicked,nooneelse.).Johnwasjustpickedtohosttheprogram.(JustmeansthatJohnwaspickednow.).Johnwaspickedtohostjusttheprogram.(JustmeansthatJohnhostedonlytheprogram,nothingelse.)3.Misplacedphrasesmaycauseasentencetosoundawkwardandmaycreateameaningthatdoesnotmakesense.Misplaced:Theysawafencebehindthehousemadeofbarbedwire.Corrected:Theysawafencemadeofbarbedwirebehindthehouse.4.Misplacedclausesmaycauseasentencetosoundawkwardandmaycreateameaningthatdoesnotmakesense.Misplaced:Thewaiterservedadinnerrolltothewomanthatwaswellbuttered.Corrected:Thewaiterservedadinnerrollthatwaswellbutteredtothewoman.Howtoavoidmisplacedmodifiers?1.PlacingmodifyingwordspreciselyLimitingmodifiers,suchasalmost,only,evenhardly,nearlyandjust,shouldalwaysimmediatelyprecedethewordstheymodify.Adifferentplacementwillchangethemeaningofthesentence.Eg:.JustJohnwaspickedtohosttheprogram.(JustmeansonlyJohnwaspicked,nooneelse.).Johnwasjustpickedtohosttheprogram.(JustmeansthatJhonwaspickednow.).Johnwaspickedtohostjusttheprogram.(JustmeansthatJhonhostedonlytheprogram,nothingelse.)Howtoaviodmisplacedmodifiers?2.RelocatingmisplacedphrasesAsageneralrule,amodifiershouldbeplacedascloseaspossibletowhatitmodifies.Placingamodifyingphraseincorrectlycanchangethemeaningofasentenceorcreateanunclearorconfusing(orevenunintentionallyhumorous)construction.Toavoidambiguity,placephrasesascloseaspossibletothewordstheymodify.Eg.Johncouldn'tdrivetoworkinhissmallsportscarwithabrokenleg.(It'simpossiblethatcarshadabrokenleg.)Withabrokenleg,Jhoncouldn'tdrivetoworkinhissmallsportscar.(John,notcar,hadabrokenleg.)Howtoavoidmisplacedmodifiers?3.RevisingintrusivemodifiersAnintrusivemodifierawkwardlyinterruptsasentence,makingitdifficulttounderstand.Revisewhenalongmodifyingphrasecomesbetweenanauxiliaryverb.Eg.Confusing:Shehad,withoutgivingitasecondthoughtorconsideringtheconsequence,plannedtoenlist.Revised:Withoutgivingitasecondthoughtorconsideringtheconsequence,shehadplannedtoenlist.Howtoavoidmisplacedmodifiers?Whenaphrasebeginsasentence,makesurethatitmodifiesthesubjectofthesentence.Whenaprepositionalphrasebeginsasentence,makesurethatitmidifiesthetruesubjectofthephrase.Whenaverbalphraseendsasentence,makesurethatitcannotmodifymorethanoneideainthemainclause.THANKS!
