TEAS Ready🗣️ English and Language Usage · Knowledge of Language · Lesson 4 of 6 · 6 min
Misplaced and dangling modifiers, and parallel lists
🐕 "Walking to the clinic, the rain soaked my scrubs." Was the rain walking? Modifier errors create pictures you never meant.
💡 Key idea
Put modifiers beside what they describe, and give every item in a list the same form.
🧠 The idea
A MODIFIER is a word or phrase that describes something, and it should sit next to the word it describes. A MISPLACED MODIFIER is in the wrong spot: "She almost studied for six hours" means she never started; "She studied for almost six hours" is what was meant. A DANGLING MODIFIER has nothing in the sentence to describe. An opening phrase such as "Walking to the clinic" must be followed by the person doing the walking: "Walking to the clinic, I got soaked by the rain." PARALLEL STRUCTURE means items in a list or comparison share the same grammatical form: "reading, writing and calculating," not "reading, writing and to calculate." Pairs joined by both/and, either/or, not only/but also must also match: "not only fast but also accurate." When you check a list, line the items up and make sure each one could follow the same opening words.
✏️ Worked example
"After reviewing the chart, the medication was given by the nurse." Step 1: who reviewed the chart? The nurse. Step 2: the word right after the comma is medication, so the phrase dangles. Step 3: put the doer first: "After reviewing the chart, the nurse gave the medication." Now the opening phrase describes the nurse, and the active verb is clearer too.
📌 Takeaways
- An opening -ing or -ed phrase must be followed by the one doing it.
- Place limiting words (only, almost, just, nearly) right before what they limit.
- List items match: all -ing, all to + verb, or all nouns.
📖 Terms in this lesson
Parallel structure: Using the same grammatical form for items in a list or pair; for example, "reading, writing and studying" (not "reading, writing and to study").
✅ Check yourself
Question 1 of 3
Which sentence avoids a dangling modifier?
- Rushing to class, my coffee spilled on the stairs.
- Rushing to class, I spilled my coffee on the stairs.
- Rushing to class, the stairs were covered in my coffee.
- Rushing to class, coffee was spilled on the stairs by me.
Show the answer and rationale
Answer: B
The opening phrase describes the person rushing, and only the second sentence places I right after it. The others make the coffee, the stairs, or the coffee again appear to be rushing.
Question 2 of 3
Which sentence has parallel structure?
- The program teaches students assessment, to plan and evaluating care.
- The program teaches students to assess, plan and evaluate care.
- The program teaches students assessing, planning and to evaluate care.
- The program teaches students to assess, to plan and evaluating care.
Show the answer and rationale
Answer: B
To assess, plan and evaluate share one to + verb form. The other options mix infinitives, -ing words and nouns in the same list.
Question 3 of 3
Where should only go to say that Ben missed one question and no more? "Ben missed one question on the quiz."
- Ben missed one question on the only quiz.
- Ben missed only one question on the quiz.
- Only Ben missed one question on the quiz.
- Ben missed one only question on the quiz.
Show the answer and rationale
Answer: B
Only should sit right before what it limits, the number of questions: "missed only one question." Placed before Ben it says no one else missed one, "one only question" is not standard word order, and "the only quiz" changes the meaning entirely.
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