Key Terms

misplaced modifiers	words that, because of awkward placement, do not describe what the writer intended them to describe. Ex.: George couldn't drive to work in his sports car with a broken leg. (The sentence attributes the broken leg to the car. The phrase should be moved so that it is closer to "George": With his broken leg, George couldn't drive to work in his sports car).



dangling modifiers	descriptive words that open a sentence but do not describe what the writer intended them to describe. Ex.: While reading the newspaper, my dog sat with me on the steps. (The sentence literally states that the dog was reading the newspaper. The phrase should be altered so that the meaning is clear: While I was reading the newspaper, my dog sat with me on the steps.)

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