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Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Misplaced Modifiers

According to CliffsStudySolver™ English Grammar, misplaced modifiers are words or phrases that when read in the context of a sentence lend confusion, not clarity, to the meaning. Here is an example:

Incorrect: Having entered the theatre, the smell of popcorn overwhelmed us.

(The smell of popcorn entered the theatre?)

Correct: As we entered the theatre, the smell of popcorn overwhelmed us.

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2 comments:

  1. PatAugust 29, 2007 at 9:46 PM

    Yes, that's right. Good definition and example, Don. Thank you :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. ceruleanjenAugust 30, 2007 at 2:35 AM

    Thanks for bringing this one up. It's a pretty big pet peeve of mine! >:)

    I know a certain faculty member (not in the English Department, don't worry) who does it *constantly* (I'm not exaggerating, either!) and it drives me up the wall. :P

    ReplyDelete

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