Misplaced Modifiers Mix Meanings

Misplaced Modifiers Mix Meanings Misplaced Modifiers Mix Meanings Misplaced Modifiers Mix Meanings By Mark Nichol Scrambled sentence structure can lead to humorous or at least head-shaking imagery that readers will stumble on. Be alert in your writing for infelicitous misplacement of meaning: 1. â€Å"Kangaroo babies are the size of a lima bean at birth.† But we’re not told how big a lima bean is at birth. Oh perhaps it means this: â€Å"At birth, kangaroo babies are the size of a lima bean.† 2. â€Å"A famous athlete in the ancient Olympics named Milo of Kroton could break a string tied around his head with his bulging forehead veins.† OK, wait, let me get this straight: Milo of Kroton tied a string around his head with his bulging forehead veins? Why not just tie the string to, um, the string? Milo evidently wasn’t using his head after all: â€Å"In the ancient Olympics, a famous athlete named Milo of Kroton could, with his bulging forehead veins, break a string tied around his head.† (It was also unclear whether the athlete or the games were called Milo of Kroton.) 3. â€Å"The first company to pioneer the idea of extended stay in 1975 was started by an apartment developer.† A year-specific long-term residence hotel? What an intriguing business model! Which entrepreneurial insight did they have for 1976? (And first and pioneer are redundant.): â€Å"The company, which pioneered the idea of extended stay, was started by an apartment developer in 1975.† (â€Å"In 1975, an apartment developer started the company, which pioneered the idea of extended stay† is also correct and is also more active, but the context may prefer passive construction.) 4. â€Å"Mail was delivered by the Pony Express in the Wild West, a system in which riders rode to checkpoints, got a new horse, and rode on.† I’ve never heard the Wild West described as a system: The writer meant, â€Å"Mail was delivered in the Wild West by the Pony Express, a system in which riders rode to checkpoints, got a new horse, and rode on.† 5. â€Å"Based on a true story, divers are left behind to float in the open seas in Open Water.† The divers are not based on a true story; a true story inspired the movie: â€Å"In Open Water, based on a true story, two divers are left behind to float in the ocean.† 6. â€Å"The president says valor and sacrifice in the armed forces are no longer defined by sexual orientation at historic signing.† What does sexual orientation at a historic signing have to do with valor and sacrifice?: Nothing. The sentence should read, â€Å"At a historic signing, the president says valor and sacrifice in the armed forces are no longer defined by sexual orientation.† 7. â€Å"If you learn to laugh with, and at, your family, you’ll be able to survive just about anything that life throws at you with confidence and style.† Why let your life throw things, much less throw things with confidence and style?: â€Å"If you learn to laugh with (and at) your family, you’ll be able to survive, with confidence and style, just about anything that life throws at you.† (I also placed â€Å"and at† in parentheses to break up a string of commas that would, unchecked, have flattened the sentence.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Computer Terms You Should KnowBest Websites to Learn EnglishNarrative, Plot, and Story