English grammar, vocabulary, and listening comprehension exercises

MISPLACED MODIFIERS 1

Choose whether each of the following sentences is CORRECT or whether it has a MISPLACED MODIFIER.

1. I wore my blue cap to the beach, which I had just washed.
  CORRECT
  MISPLACED MODIFIER

2. The singer had a lot of well-known songs in her repertoire.
  CORRECT
  MISPLACED MODIFIER

3. I can't believe she almost sang for three hours.
  CORRECT
  MISPLACED MODIFIER

4. She is a bit younger than the rest of the band.
  MISPLACED MODIFIER
  CORRECT

5. I recognized almost every song that she sang, even the lesser-known ones.
  CORRECT
  MISPLACED MODIFIER

6. He was so tired that he nearly slept for ten hours.
  CORRECT
  MISPLACED MODIFIER

7. He nearly escaped, but the police caught him.
  CORRECT
  MISPLACED MODIFIER

8. I bought the t-shirt for my brother with the funny logo.
  MISPLACED MODIFIER
  CORRECT

9. She's looking for an orange woman's handbag.
  CORRECT
  MISPLACED MODIFIER

10. I was told by my brother that she was married.
  MISPLACED MODIFIER
  CORRECT

11. James wore his grey suit to the meeting, which was too small for him.
  MISPLACED MODIFIER
  CORRECT

12. My brother, lying on the second shelf, saw the knife he had been looking for.
  CORRECT
  MISPLACED MODIFIER

13. My sister, having prepared everything for the party, took a nap.
  CORRECT
  MISPLACED MODIFIER

14. These new shoes, bought on sale at the store next to my house, are really comfortable.
  MISPLACED MODIFIER
  CORRECT

15. The woman was talking to the police officer whose purse was stolen.
  MISPLACED MODIFIER
  CORRECT

16. A man who has three dogs is coming this way.
  MISPLACED MODIFIER
  CORRECT

17. My aunt gave a dog to to my brother named Spot.
  CORRECT
  MISPLACED MODIFIER

18. The candidates, tired from the grueling campaign trail, decided to take a couple of days off.
  MISPLACED MODIFIER
  CORRECT

19. Samantha, whose car broke down on the way to the restaurant, was visibly upset.
  CORRECT
  MISPLACED MODIFIER

20. The boxes were reported stolen by the police.
  CORRECT
  MISPLACED MODIFIER

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GRAMMAR REVIEW! Misplaced modifiers

A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that is improperly separated from the word it describes. Because of this separation, the sentence can sound awkward, confusing, or even unintentionally funny.

EXAMPLE:
Misplaced: She almost drove her kids to school every day.
(Sounds like she almost drove them, but didn't.)
Corrected: She drove her kids to school almost every day.
(Now it's clear she did drive them, but not every single day.)

WHY IT MATTERS:
Misplaced modifiers can confuse readers or change the meaning of a sentence. Fixing them improves clarity and flow.

How to fix it:
Place the modifier as close as possible to the word or phrase it's meant to describe.

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