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Like dangling modifiers, misplaced words and phrases cause confusion—and sometimes unintentional humor.
Adverbs are particularly easy to misplace because they can be correctly placed in several locations in a sentence; however, changing the location of the adverb changes the meaning of the sentence. The following words can be troublesome:
| The following words can be troublesome: | ||||
| almost | exactly | just | nearly | scarcely |
| even | hardly | merely | only | simply |
Notice how changing the location of "only" changes the meaning.
EXAMPLES
Only the technician adjusted the valve.
The only technician adjusted the valve.
The technician only adjusted the valve.
The technician adjusted the only valve.
A good guideline is to place phrases and subordinate clauses close to the words they are intended to modify. Incorrectly placed modifiers can change the meaning.
Endorphin is released during labor when a woman is having a baby to dull her senses.
Motherhood might, in some situations, temporarily dull the senses, but no woman begins with this as a goal. The revision places the phrase "to dull her senses" close to the word it modifies, endorphin.
Endorphin is released to dull a woman’s senses during labor.
Endorphin, which dulls senses, is released during labor.
The following sentence is illogical if "that verified her own field study" modifies "insect reproduction."
In the technical journal, she read an article about insect reproduction that verified her own field study.
Instead, the phrase should be placed next to "article," the word it modifies.
In the technical journal, she read an article that verified her own field study about insect reproduction.