TIP Sheet
AVOIDING MODIFIER PROBLEMS

Modifiers are words-adjectives, adverbs, prepositional phrases, clauses-that explain, expand, and enrich sentences. Misplaced 修饰语是需要移到句子的其他地方以避免混淆的修饰语. 事实上，修饰词放错位置的结果可能会令人困惑或滑稽, comedians take deliberate advantage of them, as in these words of Groucho Marx:

在非洲打猎时，我穿着睡衣射杀了一头大象. 我永远不会知道大象是怎么钻进我睡衣的.

A dangling 修饰语是一个孤儿——它想要修饰的东西实际上根本没有出现在句子中. 修改含有悬空修饰语的句子.

Misplaced modifiers

以下是可以纠正大多数修饰语问题的四个放置规则:

1. Simple adjectives precede.
2. Adjective phrases and clauses follow.
3. Adverbs move around.
4. Limiters precede.

1. Simple adjectives precede.
In the following, aromatic modifies tea, fluffy modifies socks, and cold modifies feet:

Mai set a cup of aromatic 她一边拉茶，一边在柜台上泡茶 fluffy socks over her cold feet.

In general, an adjective modifier precedes the noun it modifies. In other words, it is aromatic tea, not "tea aromatic." Nor is it "...一杯浓香的茶放在柜台上，”或者“拉上袜子盖住她毛茸茸的冷脚。.如果你的母语是英语，你可能本能地知道这一点.

2. Adjective phrases and clauses follow.
我们倾向于将短语修饰语与最近的前名词联系起来. 下面的例子有一个滑稽的效果，因为我们读到修饰语， with a deep tan, as belonging to the nearest noun:

Incorrect:
救生员一头扎进海浪中，皮肤晒得黝黑. (The surf with the deep tan?)

Revised:
那个皮肤黝黑的救生员跳进了海浪中.

像这样的形容词短语不仅跟在它们所描述的名词后面 headwords, as Tod E. 琼斯在他的在线文章《十大网赌正规平台》中称它们为“英语语法和标点符号的常见问题”。, 他们必须非常紧密地跟随才能有正确的意义.

Treat adjective clauses similarly. 这些词组既包含主语也包含动词, 但它们并不完整，因为它们还包含一个构成依赖性的词()that or which, for example). 他们解释或以其他方式扩展句子中的信息, like adjective phrases, should immediately follow their headwords:

Incorrect:
她的姐妹会发起了一次献血活动，以协助救灾工作 他们花了将近六个月的时间来计划. 姐妹会策划了整个救灾工作吗? Or just the blood drive?)

Revised:
Her sorority sponsored a blood drive 他们花了将近六个月的时间来计划 to assist the disaster relief effort.

3. Adverbs move around.

副词修饰动词、形容词和其他副词. 在英语中，副词可以在句子中来回走动. In the following example, the adverb quickly modifies the verb calculated, or the verb graphed或者两者兼而有之——但无论放在哪里都不会造成很大的混乱.

Quickly 她计算了斜率，并把结果画了出来.

She quickly calculated the slope and graphed the result.

She calculated the slope and quickly graphed the result.

她计算了斜率，并把结果画了出来 quickly.

然而，放错位置的副词会造成歧义. 如果发生这种情况，只需将副词移动到要修改的标题旁边.

Incorrect:
米凯尔按照指示设置了计算机网络 carefully. (Followed the instructions carefully? 或者是仔细设置网络的指示?)

Revised:
米哈伊尔小心翼翼地按照指示设置了计算机网络.

Or:
米哈伊尔按照指示仔细地设置了计算机网络.

由于副词在句子中可以自由浮动，所以有时会被说成“to” squint. 斜视副词是指同时修饰两个事物的副词. Like an optical illusion, 带有斜视副词的句子似乎先表示一件事，然后又表示另一件事. 在下面的例子中，介词短语修饰动词或动词-but which?

Incorrect:
She agreed after the Rooks' game to meet her friends at Moxie's. (Did she agree to this after the game? Or did she agree to meet following the game?)

Revised:
She agreed to meet her friends at Moxie's after the Rooks' game.

Or:
After the Rooks' game she agreed to meet her friends at Moxie's.

副词从句用这样的词来表达时间、原因、目的和条件等关系 when, because, in order that, and if. 副词从句可以在句子中随意移动. 下面的副词从句明显地修饰了动词 will erode，副词从句是放在前面还是后面;

If the Sacramento River rises fast enough, some farmland will erode along the banks.

Some farmland will erode along the banks if the Sacrament River rises fast enough.

If you think a reader may misunderstand, 随意移动从句或修改句子以消除混淆.

4. Limiters precede.
Limiters are words like only, almost, just, nearly, or hardly. 把这些词放在标题词前面. 考虑一下下面两个例子的意义差异:

He does math homework almost every day.

Or:
He almost does math homework every day.

The difference - did you catch it? 第一个科目会做数学，而第二个科目不会. In the first example, almost modifies every. In the second, almost modifies do. But one either does math, or doesn't; "almost doing" math is nonsense, 除非你想表达的意思是第二个说话者 thinks about doing math, and gets ready to do math, but never actually does math.

Dangling modifiers
Dangling modifiers are missing their intended headwords; that is, 你不能在句子的主要部分指出修饰语所指的任何单词. 在下面的例子中，带下划线的修饰语清楚地表示 rafters:

在河上度过了漫长的一天后，他们累得摇摇晃晃, the sunburned rafters dragged their boat into the shallows.

But in the next example, the rafters have inexplicably disappeared, 据说这艘船本身也因疲惫而摇摇欲坠, which of course is nonsense:

Incorrect:
在河上度过了漫长的一天后，他们累得摇摇晃晃, the boat was dragged into the shallows.

悬空修饰语通常采用的形式是 -ing, or -ed 短语(动名词和分词)和最常出现在句子的开头. (它们也经常涉及被动语态动词, which are less direct, less vivid, and more ambiguous. See the TIP Sheet Active and Passive Voice to learn more about this.纠正悬空修饰语，修改句子，包括适当的标题.

Incorrect:
Worried about finding an apartment在纽约，人们填写了数十份租房申请表. (The dozens of applications were worried?)

Revised:
Worried about finding an apartment, the two roommates filled out dozens of rental applications.

Less commonly, 悬垂修饰语出现在句子的中间或结尾, but the same principle applies. Find the modifier, 找出合适的(缺失的)标题, and revise the sentence to clarify it.

Incorrect:
My GPA improved a whole point 通过使用教科书的章节评论作为学习指南. (My GPA used the textbook chapter reviews?)

Revised:
I improved my GPA a whole point 通过使用教科书的章节评论作为学习指南.

Of course, as writers we know what we mean. 但是作为有目标和读者的作家, 我们必须使用词序规则，尽可能避免歧义，这样读者也能明白我们的意思.

 

References
Jones, Tod E. 《全国十大赌博官网》." 26 May 2004. http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/6354/grammar.html#Modifiers