Miss Modifier Says Hi

Hello there, interwebz. As the title implies, I’m Miss Modifier. What is a modifier, you ask?

A modifier is a clause in a sentence that changes (or modifies–how shocking!) and adds details and descriptions. Nouns, adjectives, and adverbs can all be modifiers. So if I were to say “While smiting the grammatically challenged, I found a sane human,” the bolded would be modifiers. Yay? Yay!


Modifiers can do nasty things like dangle or be misplaced. These things make Miss Modifier sad, which is why she seeks to obliterate bad grammar.

Dangling Modifier: 

Having gone through all the coffins, the vampire I wanted simply wasn’t home. (Seriously. This just sounds ucky. No. NO.)
Correct: Having gone through all the coffins, I concluded the vampire I wanted simply wasn’t home. (Can you see how much easier this reads? Yes? Good. Tip: if it reads awkwardly, it’s probably wrong.)

Misplaced Modifier: 

The knife was just sharp enough to stab the zombie in the store. (This sounds like you were targeting store zombies specifically, which is generally not the goal. Zombies should be targeted regardless of location.)
Correct: The knife in the store was just sharp enough to stab the zombie.