Misplaced modifier or not

Question

Hi. Would you say the following are sentences with misplaced modifiers? What I think modifiers are underlined for you.

1. John went home, carrying an umbrella.

2. John, carrying an umbrella, went home.

3. Carrying an umbrella, John went home.

How about this? I added the adverb "early" to the number 1 sentence, after the word "home."

John went home early, carrying an umbrella.

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

All of your sentences are OK, though the 2nd is awkward.  No modifiers are misplaced.

Anonymous · Answer

Hi. Thank you. I have recently been preoccupied by the notion of misplaced modifiers. Many grammar sources seem to recommend that in the cases of participle clauses modifying an element in a sentence, the participle clauses be as closely as possible to the ones they modify.

I wrote:

1. John went home, carrying an umbrella.

2. John, carrying an umbrella, went home.

3. Carrying an umbrella, John went home.

Of the three sentence, I seem to like the number 3 sentence best, assuming all three are correctly written. If I add a subordinate clause like "After finishing school at five" to the number 1 sentence and put that in front of the sentence, we will have this sentence.

After finishing school at five, John went home, carrying an umbrella.

And this sentence seems to be correctly written, but if we add the subordinate clause I mentioned to the number 3 sentence, which I said I liked best, we will have the sentence below and having both a subordinate clause and a participle clause (I think it is - not sure, though) one after the other, I think, would be awkward at best. What do you think, Mr M? Also, I have this feeling (eventhough it might as well be misguided) that some people might name the number 1 sentence above as having a misplaced modifier and also feel it would be more likely for them to name so if we added an adverb like "early" to the sentence, after the word "home." (Note: I am not sure I have written clearly to say what I wanted to say) What's you do you think about this?

After finishing school at five, carrying an umbrella, John went home.

As to the case of participle clauses modifying some elements in sentences, I feel, eventhough could be wrong, that participles clauses could sort of modify the sentences as a whole, perhaps not in fact but perhaps neverthless give out such an impression, and in that case, at the end of the sentence is where it most likely will be (if I am not mistaken).

He invited almost everyone he has befriended with over the past few months, delighting many of them in the process.

Thank you in advance for any help you could give me.

Mister Micawber · Answer

I think that if you add more adverbials, of course they affect the positioning of the others; I think that adverbials commonly modify the whole main clause; I think that what I said about the original sentences holds.

Misplaced modifier or not

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