Transcript Presentation

 Misplaced
modifiers are words or
phrases that you’ve put in the wrong
place.
 Modifiers
should be placed as close as
possible to the words they modify.
 Take
a look at this sentence, written
with a single word in the wrong place:
 After
her wreck Joanna could
comprehend what the ambulance
driver was barely saying.
 It
should be moved so that it modifies
the verb could comprehend.
 After
her wreck, Joanna could barely
comprehend what the ambulance
driver was saying.
 In
addition to being single words,
misplaced modifiers can also be
phrases.
 Witnesses
reported that the woman
was driving the getaway car with
flowing black hair.
 Clauses,
place!
 Mrs.
too, can be put in the wrong
Anderson could not stop thinking
about her sick baby running in the sixmile road race.
 One
of the most common problems with
misplaced modifiers comes with what are
called limiting modifiers—words like
almost, even, hardly, just, merely, nearly,
only, scarcely, and simply.
 To convey the correct meaning, limiting
modifiers must be placed in front of the
words they modify.
 1.
Already, Mr. Gonzales has almost
eaten four slabs of ribs!
 2. Richard has nearly wrecked every
car he’s had.
 Another
problem arises with the word
not. Often the word not appears in
the wrong place.
 All
these chairs in the office are not
comfortable for the employees.
 Dangling
modifiers have no word or
phrase to describe; they just dangle,
or hang in the sentence without
something to hold on to.
 Long
ears drooping on the floor, Julie
wondered how the dog could walk.
 While performing, the audience
gasped as the singer forgot the words
to the song.
 After getting a new paint job,
reupholstering was now needed for
the car.
1. Carved in stone, I found the ancient
ruins.
2. Walking through the garden, the
petunias drooped their scarlet heads.
3. Jay went to see the new ape in the
zoo wearing his new jeans.
4. While trying to work on my term
paper, my dog kept annoying me.

Workbook Page 209
 Parallelism
helps you give equality and
balance to separate points that you
make.
 This includes keeping all nouns, all
verbs, all verb tenses, and voices the
same.
 “With
this faith we will be able to work
together, to pray together, to struggle
together, to go to jail together, to
stand up for freedom together…”—
M.L.King
 “I
came, I saw, I conquered”—
J.Caesar
 When
naming items, you should
present them all the same way.
 This
afternoon I washed, waxed, and
then I was vacuuming the car.
The following example shows the
incorrect use of parallel items in a
series when a colon is used:
Compared to a typewriter, a word
processor has three helpful features
that save time: you can edit, you can
save drafts, and it automatically
corrects words.
 When
using more than one clause,
you should keep the same voice and
use the same type of introduction in
each.
I
was worried that Bill would drive too
fast, that the road would be too
slippery, and that the car would be
stopped by the police.

You promised that you would bring
everything for the picnic, that you would
be on time, and not to forget the bug
repellent.

Is this sentence parallel?
 If
the items have different degrees of
importance or if they occur at
different times, you should order them
according to their emphasis or
chronology.
 Misuse
of the drug can result in fever,
death, or dizziness.
 The
telephone is either ringing off the
wall and sometimes it’s silent for
several days.
 Corrected:
The telephone is either
ringing off the wall or it’s silent for
several days.
 You
should include all the words that
are necessary to indicate the items
you’re referring to.
 In conducting my interview, I talked
with the college senior and candidate
for the job.
 Corrected: In conducting my
interview, I talked with both the
college senior and the candidate for
the job.
 You
do not need to repeat the same
introductory word if it applies to all of
the items.
I
hope to see you on November 20,
December 13, and on January 7.
 Look
for –ing or –ed constructions
 Look for constructions beginning with
it, that, to, and you.
 Look for constructions beginning with
the same prepositions
 Look
for the voice (active or passive)
in construction
 Check to see if one of the
constructions is more important
 If you’ve used a correlative
conjunction, check to see if it has a
partner (either…or).