#misplaced modifiers

One Newspaper, One Short Sentence, Two Errors

My Florida friend Cami found this confusing sentence in the Miami Herald. (She notes that Opa-Locka is a section of the Miami area): “A homeless family of six was found by Opa-Locka police officers living in their car.”

No doubt, this is a tragic situation. But from a grammatical standpoint, the sentence raises two questions: were the officers living in the same car with the family of six, or…

Funny Misplaced Modifiers and Other Common Writing Mistakes

Indies Unlimited has all kinds of editing resources for writers. We even have real-life editors who take a spot at the gruel pot.

Because I am not an editor, while I’m reading a novel that interests me, the occasional typo or misplaced modifier is likely to fly right past me. In spite of that, I’m a writing tutor for Pearson/Smarthinking. It’s okay. I can pay attention when I have to.

I tutor…

Don’t Let Others Laugh at Your Writing

Misplaced modifiers are funny—except when you write them and become the object of derision at worst and gentle teasing at best. Here are a few examples from the book I used in my business writing seminars, The Bare Essentials (Norton, Green, Barale): Swimming isn’t a good idea if cold or polluted. (Who or what is cold or polluted?) I learned about Joan’s having a baby in last week’s letter. (That…

Identifying Correct Modifier Placement

Did you know modifiers can be misplaced, dangle, and squint?  Writing is hard. In the book, The Curious Case of the Misplaced Modifier:How to Solve the Mysteries of Weak Writing, Bonnie Trenga provides a lesson on how to make sure our modifiers are utilized correctly.  Here are my notes from that chapter. Modifier Placement Beginning of a Sentence:  Keep the noun next to the modifier. The noun…