Misplaced Modifiers

A misplaced modifier is a word that does not connect clearly to the word being modified (changed). This can make the sentence difficult to understand.

  • He nearly drove the car for six hours.
    (Nearly seems to connect with drove the car which doesn’t make sense. Nearly should be next to and on the left of six hours.)
    He drove the car for nearly six hours.

See also dangling modifiers and limiting modifiers.