02A: SYNTAX AND WORD CHOICE

3. Mind Your Modifiers

Adjectives and adverbs modify (describe) other words. A modifier may be a single word, such as an adjective (which modifies a noun) or an adverb (which modifies a verb, adjective, or adverb). A modifier may also be a group of words - a phrase. The following phrases act as adjectives; they are adjectival phrases:
        • Arriving home exhausted
        • As the manager
        • Compelled to protect her young
Each of these three phrases is written to describe a noun - and the noun that they describe should be the very next word in the sentence. When you put a different word after an introductory adjectival phrase, you’re committing an error called either a "misplaced" or a "dangling" modifier. Here’s an example of a misplaced modifier:

NO: Arriving home exhausted, my toothbrush and my bed were the only things I wanted.

(Your toothbrush arrived home exhausted? Really? That’s a misplaced modifier!)

YES: Arriving home exhausted, I wanted only my toothbrush and my bed.

For additional insight on how introductory phrases can easily become misplaced modifiers, watch this instructional video: 

Dangling modifiers occur when the noun being modified never actually appears in the sentence, as in the following two examples:

NO: As the manager, the refunds were handled carefully.

(The refunds are the manager? That’s a dangling modifier; the manager is never identified.)

YES: As the manager, I carefully handled the refunds.

NO: Compelled to protect her young, a camouflaged nest was hidden in the rose bush.

(Another dangling modifier. Who’s protecting whose young?)

YES: Compelled to protect her young, the female robin camouflaged her nest in the 

rose bush.

Adverbs also function as modifiers, and the same rule applies when placing them in your sentences. Keep your adverbs close to the word they modify. This proximity keeps the meaning clear. Notice how the misplacement of an adverb (underlined in the sentences below) reduces clarity:  

MISPLACED ADVERB: Tony fixed the clog in his bathroom drain skillfully. 

(What does the adverb "skillfully" have to do with drains? Isn’t it modifying the verb "fixed"?)

WELL PLACED ADVERB: Tony skillfully fixed the clog in his bathroom drain.

MISPLACED ADVERB: Our sales manager tried to overcome the client’s objections doggedly.  

 (What does "doggedly" have to do with "objections"?)

WELL PLACED ADVERB:  Our sales manager doggedly tried to overcome the client’s objections.

Or, as we learned in the sidebar above, try eliminating the adverb altogether by using a stronger verb:

ADVERB NO LONGER NEEDED:      Our sales manager strived to overcome the client’s objections. 

The word "only" is an especially tricky modifier because it can function as an adjective or an adverb. This duality can cause great confusion. To avoid misinterpretation, think carefully about where to place only; it belongs directly next to the word or words it modifies.

EXAMPLE 1: She picked up the phone only when he was in the office.

(Meaning: She never picked up the phone unless he was in the office.)

EXAMPLE 2: She only picked up the phone when he was in the office. 

(Meaning: She didn’t do anything else when he was in the office: she didn’t say hello, dial a number, check her email, look out the window, etc.  Her sole activity when he was in the office was to pick up the phone.)

Neither example is incorrect, depending on the meaning the writer wants to convey. That’s why you have to think through the placement of "only" in a sentence. Almost all errors with "only" occur when it is placed between the subject and the verb (as in Example 2 above). In spoken English, you can get away with putting "only" between the subject and the verb because your intonation will make the meaning clear. In writing, however, make sure you put "only" exactly where it belongs: immediately before the word(s) you want it to modify. 

For a general review of the placement of adverbs, watch the following instructional video: