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On her way home, Jan found a gold man’s watch.

On her way home, Jan found a gold man’s watch. Quick sketch what you see in your head. Does it look something like this?. Hey!!! Where’s my watch?. Misplaced Modifiers. Q: What is a modifier?. A: a word or phrase that modifies (describes) a word, phrase or clause Types:

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On her way home, Jan found a gold man’s watch.

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  1. On her way home, Jan found a gold man’s watch. • Quick sketch what you see in your head.

  2. Does it look something like this? Hey!!! Where’s my watch?

  3. Misplaced Modifiers

  4. Q: What is a modifier?

  5. A: a word or phrase that modifies (describes) a word, phrase or clause Types: • adjectives (modify nouns and pronouns) (for example: the RED house) • adverbs (modify verbs) (for example: he ran QUICKLY) • modifier phrases (modify an action or an actor) (The girl in the car drove over the cat.)

  6. Q: What is a misplaced modifier?

  7. A: a misplaced modifier is a word or word group whose placement suggests that it modifies one word or phrase when it is intended to modify another.

  8. Misplaced Modifiers • You will see, through the following examples, how misplacing modifiers may change the entire meaning of the sentence, and give us a reason to say, "Huh?"

  9. Things that Make You Say, “Huh?” • 1. Yoko Ono will talk about her husband, John Lennon, who was killed in an interview with Barbara Walters. • (What did he ever do to Barbara to deserve that?)

  10. 2. Please take time to look over the brochure that is enclosed with your family. • (I guess we need to know what to do with them once we get them.)

  11. 3. Plunging 1,000 feet into the gorge, we saw Yosemite Falls. • (And lived to tell about it? We must be indestructible.)

  12. 4. CALF BORN TO FARMER WITH TWO HEADS. • (I bet people stare at him when he goes out into public.)

  13. 5. Some sources say that shortly after his death Mao Tse-tung had expressed a wish that his body be cremated. • (What a cool trick!)

  14. 6. Two cars were reported stolen by the Groveton police yesterday. • (And they still have their jobs? Interesting.)

  15. 7. As a baboon who grew up wild in the jungle, I realized that Wiki had special nutritional needs. • (Your pretty smart for a baboon!)

  16. 8. In 1979, he bought majority control of the company's stock, along with his mother. • (I wonder if he ever thought of returning her.)

  17. 9. Locked in a vault for 50 years, the owner of the jewels has decided to sell them. • (What did he eat and drink in there?)

  18. 10.The police said Barth's 1981 Toyota traveled down the shoulder for almost 1,000 feet and then hit a utility pole going about 45 miles an hour. • (Those darn utility poles, they always drive way too fast!)

  19. Misplaced Modifiers • More beautiful than any human being, the explorer noticed the mermaid. • Wild and untamed, Jack entered the jungle. • Moaning in haunting voices, the house contained many ghosts.

  20. Q: How do I fix it?

  21. A: Revise the sentence, taking care to put modifying words, phrases, and clauses next to or close to the word or words they are describing.

  22. Examples: Incorrect: More beautiful than any human being, the explorer noticed the mermaid. Correct: The explorer noticed the mermaid, who was more beautiful than any human being.

  23. Examples: Incorrect: Wild and untamed, Jack entered the jungle. Correct: Jack entered the wild and untamed jungle.

  24. Examples: Incorrect: Moaning in haunting voices, the house contained many ghosts. Correct: The house contained many ghosts that moaned in haunting voices.

  25. Try some of these… • A tarantula bit one of the dockworkers that had a huge, hairy body. • The guest speaker dedicated his new book to his dog who was an archeologist. • The man and woman caught several fish using fancy lures.

  26. Homework- Pick 5 sentences…any 5 you want. • Sentence Picture Re-written sentence

  27. Self Test: What is wrong with the following sentences?

  28. 1. The professor posted the notes for the students covered in class.

  29. 2.Changing the oil every 3,000 miles, the car seemed to run better.

  30. 3. Bright and full of flowers, Jenny entered the meadow.

  31. 4. With three minutes to write, the exam was nearly finished.

  32. 5. Careful not to make a tear, the delicate paper was wrapped around the gift.

  33. Visit the Writing Centre: LIB 272 B Telephone: 416-979-5000 ext. 7192 Website: http://www.ryerson.ca/writing-centre Email address: writingcentre@ryerson.ca

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