Diagnose modifier placement

Supplied materials

• Paper and pencil, or a browser text area. All named people/events/records are fictional learning inputs.
• Worked case: Excerpt A: Under the bench. Excerpt B: Jo waited and watched the door. Excerpt C: Walking home, Jo saw a cat. Excerpt D: A quiet ___ peaceful room; adjectives independently describe the room and allow and.
• Primary check: Excerpt A: Because it rained. Excerpt B: Jo waited, and Lea waved. Excerpt C: Jo saw a bird with binoculars; intended meaning: Jo used binoculars, but placement appears to attach them to bird. Excerpt D: A small ___ red bag; size and color form cumulative layers here.

Learn the idea

A modifier should attach to the intended word. Misplacement makes it describe the wrong word; a dangling modifier has no appropriate named subject to attach to.

Ask who or what performs the modifier’s action. Check the subject immediately following an introductory participial phrase.

Original worked input: Original excerpt C: Walking home, Jo saw a cat. The task is to diagnose modifier placement. The answer is “clearly attached”. Evidence: Walking home, Jo saw a cat. Reasoning: clearly attached is supported because the named main-clause subject performs the introductory action. Walking home, the rain began makes rain the apparent walker.

1. Read the supplied worked case and identify the part named in this lesson. An adult can model unfamiliar words.
2. Ask who or what performs the modifier’s action. Check the subject immediately following an introductory participial phrase.
3. Check the worked solution: clearly attached. Evidence: Walking home, Jo saw a cat. Reasoning: clearly attached is supported because the named main-clause subject performs the introductory action. Walking home, the rain began makes rain the apparent walker.
4. Use the new primary and practice cases. Give a reason from the actual words before checking the feedback.

Check your reasoning

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Take it further

Changed-input task: Original excerpt C: Lea almost waited an hour; intended meaning: she waited nearly an hour, so almost is beside the wrong word. Give an evidence-based answer before looking at the model. Expected reasoning: Evidence: Lea almost waited an hour; intended meaning: she waited nearly an hour, so almost is beside the wrong word. Reasoning: misplaced modifier is supported because the modifier is placed beside the wrong expression for its supplied intended meaning. Walking home, the rain began makes rain the apparent walker. Then write a brief alternative sentence, paragraph, source note or scene that demonstrates the same operation; label new fictional details and preserve source limits.

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