Misplaced Modifiers

As police officers, we describe a lot of things! We often used modifiers to describe what we are talking about.  A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that is improperly separated from the word it describes. 

Example of a misplaced modifier:

“The cops chased the bear in the squad car.” This sentence implies that the bear is in the squad car.  We all know what the sentence is trying to say.  The proper way to write it:

“The cops in the squad car chased the bear.”

Here are a few sentences with misplaced modifiers.  Rewrite them with the modifiers in the correct place.  You can find the answers below.

1.      I found a nickel walking home.

2.      Sitting on the dock, a school of fish appeared.

3.      Doug bought a book in the store on geography.

4.      We purchased a new car from the dealer with heated seats.

5.      I observed a blue car traveling in the left lane with a headlight out.

Answers:

1        I found a nickel while I was walking home.  Or…While I was walking home, I found a nickel.

2        A school of fish appeared while I was sitting on the dock.

3        Doug bought a book on geography in the store.

4        We purchased a new car with heated seats from the dealer.

5        I observed a blue car with a headlight out traveling in the left lane.