Placing modifiers so the meaning is clear, and keeping lists and comparisons balanced. · about 14 minutes
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What is it? A modifier is a word or phrase that describes another word. It must sit next to the word it describes, or the meaning goes wrong (misplaced or dangling modifiers). Parallel structure means giving items in a list, or ideas joined by and/or/but, the same grammatical form.
Why does it matter? Misplaced modifiers can make sentences unintentionally funny or confusing, and non-parallel lists sound clumsy. Fixing both is the quickest way to make writing sound polished.
Where do we use it? Essays, applications, announcements: "Covered in mud, the boys ran home" (not "Covered in mud, the house...").
In this lesson you will:
