Flashcard 8 - ELAR: Writing Flashcard Set for the TSIA2

a word, phrase, or clause that describes or gives more information about a word in the sentence

Modifiers must be next to the word(s) they intend to modify in order to make sense. Misplaced modifiers create confusion (and sometimes humor) in a sentence. For example:

“Fearing it would rain, the umbrella was brought by Jane.”

In this sentence, it is unclear who feared the rain: the umbrella or Jane. To clarify, we move the modifier closer to who it is describing:

“Fearing it would rain, Jane brought the umbrella.”