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Posts Tagged ‘misplaced modifiers’

Misplaced Modifiers

Using Misplaced Modifiers

Misplaced Modifiers

Misplaced Modifiers     

Play the quick video lesson HERE and click the upper left back arrow to return to this lesson.       

Common Core Language Standard 1

Sometimes we just have to use “big words” to communicate exactly what we want to say. The grammatical term, modify, is one of those “big words” that we need to learn to be able to talk about language. Modify means a variety of things, including to describe, to talk about, to identify, to limit, to change, to add, and to restrict.

Today’s grammar and usage lesson is on misplaced modifiers. Remember that an adjective modifies a noun or pronoun and answers Which one? How many? or What kind? An adverb modifies a verb, an adjective, or an adverb and answers What degree? How? Where? or When?

Now let’s read the grammar and usage lesson and study the examples.

A misplaced modifier modifies something that the writer does not intend to modify because of its placement in the sentence. Place modifiers close to the words that they modify. Examples:  I drank only water; I only drank water. In these sentences only is the modifier. These sentences have two different meanings. The first means that I drank nothing but water. The second means that all I did with the water was to drink it.

Now circle or highlight what is right and revise what is wrong according to grammar and usage lesson.

Practice: I dusted always on Tuesdays. No one else did that chore.

Let’s check the Practice Answers.

Grammar and Usage Practice Answers: I always dusted on Tuesdays. No one else did that chore.

Now let’s apply what we have learned. 

Writing Application: Write two of your own sentences: the first with a misplaced adjective modifier and the second with that adjective modifier placed properly within the sentence.

*****

Syntax Programs

Pennington Publishing Grammar Programs

Teaching Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics (Grades 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and High School) are full-year, traditional, grade-level grammar, usage, and mechanics programs with plenty of remedial practice to help students catch up while they keep up with grade-level standards. Twice-per-week, 30-minute, no prep lessons in print or interactive Google slides with a fun secret agent theme. Simple sentence diagrams, mentor texts, video lessons, sentence dictations. Plenty of practice in the writing context. Includes biweekly tests and a final exam.

Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics Interactive Notebook (Grades 4‒8) is a full-year, no prep interactive notebook without all the mess. Twice-per-week, 30-minute, no prep grammar, usage, and mechanics lessons, formatted in Cornell Notes with cartoon response, writing application, 3D graphic organizers (easy cut and paste foldables), and great resource links. No need to create a teacher INB for student make-up work—it’s done for you! Plus, get remedial worksheets, biweekly tests, and a final exam.

Syntax in Reading and Writing is a function-based, sentence level syntax program, designed to build reading comprehension and increase writing sophistication. The 18 parts of speech, phrases, and clauses lessons are each leveled from basic (elementary) to advanced (middle and high school) and feature 5 lesson components (10–15 minutes each): 1. Learn It!  2. Identify It!  3. Explain It! (analysis of challenging sentences) 4. Revise It! (kernel sentences, sentence expansion, syntactic manipulation) 5. Create It! (Short writing application with the syntactic focus in different genre).

Get the Diagnostic Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics Assessments, Matrix, and Final Exam FREE Resource:

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Dangling Modifiers

Using Dangling Modifiers

Dangling Modifiers

Dangling Modifiers   

Play the quick video lesson HERE and click the upper left back arrow to return to this lesson.   

Common Core Language Standard 1

Dangling modifiers provide quite a bit of humor for your English-language arts teachers. They are also favorite sources of humor for many cartoonists. Cartoonists find much of their humor in word play. The way they use language makes a joke or punchline funny or not. To understand the humor in a dangling modifier, you have to be able to recognize and explain one when you see it. Now, not every dangling modifier is laugh-out-loud funny, but each of them creates misunderstanding for the reader.

Today’s grammar and usage lesson is on dangling modifiers. Remember that an adjective modifies a noun or pronoun and answers Which one? How many? or What kind? An adverb modifies a verb, an adjective, or an adverb and answers What degree? How? Where? or When? A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that serves as an adjective or adverb to describe, limit, or add to another word, phrase, or clause.

Now let’s read the grammar and usage lesson and study the examples.

A dangling modifier is an adjective or adverb that does not have a clear connection to the word, phrase, or clause to which it refers. A dangling modifier usually takes the form of a present participle (“__ing”), a past participle (“__d,” “__t,” “__ed,” “__ en”), or an infinitive (to + the base form of a verb). To eliminate the dangling modifier, place the doer of the sentence as the subject of the independent clause or combine the phrase and independent clause. Example: Fired from your job, your car became your home. (Your car was not fired; you were.)

Now circle or highlight what is right and revise what is wrong according to grammar and usage lesson.

Practice: Having finished her homework, she turned on the television.

Let’s check the Practice Answers.

Grammar and Usage Practice Answers:

Having finished her homework, she turned on the television.

or

She turned on the television show after finishing her homework.

Now let’s apply what we have learned. 

Writing Application: Write two of your own sentences: the first with a dangling modifier and the second with that modifier placed properly within the sentence.

*****

Syntax Programs

Pennington Publishing Grammar Programs

Teaching Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics (Grades 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and High School) are full-year, traditional, grade-level grammar, usage, and mechanics programs with plenty of remedial practice to help students catch up while they keep up with grade-level standards. Twice-per-week, 30-minute, no prep lessons in print or interactive Google slides with a fun secret agent theme. Simple sentence diagrams, mentor texts, video lessons, sentence dictations. Plenty of practice in the writing context. Includes biweekly tests and a final exam.

Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics Interactive Notebook (Grades 4‒8) is a full-year, no prep interactive notebook without all the mess. Twice-per-week, 30-minute, no prep grammar, usage, and mechanics lessons, formatted in Cornell Notes with cartoon response, writing application, 3D graphic organizers (easy cut and paste foldables), and great resource links. No need to create a teacher INB for student make-up work—it’s done for you! Plus, get remedial worksheets, biweekly tests, and a final exam.

Syntax in Reading and Writing is a function-based, sentence level syntax program, designed to build reading comprehension and increase writing sophistication. The 18 parts of speech, phrases, and clauses lessons are each leveled from basic (elementary) to advanced (middle and high school) and feature 5 lesson components (10–15 minutes each): 1. Learn It!  2. Identify It!  3. Explain It! (analysis of challenging sentences) 4. Revise It! (kernel sentences, sentence expansion, syntactic manipulation) 5. Create It! (Short writing application with the syntactic focus in different genre).

Get the Diagnostic Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics Assessments, Matrix, and Final Exam FREE Resource:

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