MAP 8th Grade Language Usage

An engaging course focused on mastering grammar, usage, mechanics, and effective communication for 8th grade students.

Parts of Speech and Sentence StructurePunctuation and CapitalizationSubject-Verb Agreement
Modifiers and Misplaced ModifiersActive and Passive VoicePronoun-Antecedent Agreement
Writing Effective ParagraphsEditing and ProofreadingCommunicating Effectively
Reading Questions CarefullyUsing Process of Elimination
Parts of Speech and ...Punctuation and Capi...Subject-Verb Agreeme...Modifiers and Mispla...Active and Passive V...Pronoun-Antecedent A...Writing Effective Pa...Editing and Proofrea...Communicating Effect...Reading Questions Ca...Using Process of Eli...
Advanced Topics

Modifiers and Misplaced Modifiers

Making Descriptions Clear

Modifiers are words, phrases, or clauses that add detail to your sentences. They can be adjectives, adverbs, or even descriptive phrases.

What Can Go Wrong?

Sometimes, modifiers land in the wrong spot and create confusion. These are called misplaced modifiers.

  • Misplaced: She almost drove her kids to school every day.
  • Correct: She drove her kids to school almost every day.

Dangling Modifiers

A dangling modifier is missing the word it’s supposed to describe.

  • Dangling: Running down the street, the backpack fell off.
  • Correct: Running down the street, I dropped my backpack.

Real-World Fixes

Being careful with modifiers means your readers get the right picture in their heads!

Examples

  • Covered in chocolate, Julia ate the donut. (Who is covered in chocolate?)

  • I saw a bird flying through the window. (Is the bird flying through the window or did you see it through the window?)

In a Nutshell

Keep your modifiers close to the words they describe to avoid confusion.

Key Terms

Modifier
A word or phrase that describes or changes the meaning of another word.
Dangling Modifier
A descriptive word or phrase that is not clearly related to the word it is supposed to modify.
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Active and Passive Voice