| A Military Writer's Handbook | |
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| Common Errors | |
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| Misplaced Modifiers A modifier is a single word or group of words in a sentence that describes a thing, person, or an action. If a writer is not careful in positioning modifying words, a sentence can be unclear or mean something other than the writer intended. Imagine the response to a love note to your sweetheart that reads "Only I love you" when you meant to write "I love only you." A misplaced modifier is a descriptive word or phrase that has been unintentionally placed some distance from the word it is intended to modify and thus accidentally modifies another word or phrase in the sentence. Often this results in a somewhat comic or bizarre-sounding sentence blooper:
Is the corporal an exhibitionist? The adverb barely is not intended to suggest the state in which the corporal arrived, but as a modifier for the phrase "on time," indicating that he had little time to spare. The sentence should read
Be careful when using limiting words such as barely, scarcely, almost, nearly, exactly, hardly, simply, only, even, just and the like. These words need to be placed directly in front of the words they modify or confusion or a humorous gaffe can result. A modifying phrase may also be misplaced in a sentence and lead to confusion. Modifying words and phrases tend to attach themselves to the nearest word they might grammatically modify.
At present, taxis do not run around displaying PowerPoint presentations. The modifying phrase needs to be positioned next to the word it is intended to modify:
Similarly, a modifying phrase can squint, that is, appear to modify two different parts of the sentence. For instance, if you write
it is unclear whether the corporal made the announcement on a Monday or if the barracks are to be inspected the following Monday. Make your meaning clear by positioning the modifying phrase next to the word or words it modifies:
or
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