Harvey's Elementary Grammar and Composition · Lesson 42 (III) · Part 1: Part I: The elementary course
43. Putting modifiers in the right place
Goal: Your child moves misplaced words, phrases and clauses next to the words they modify.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- Paper and a pencil (or a slate)
What's in the book
Part III of Lesson 42 shows how moving "only" changes meaning, gives a rule for placing modifiers, and nine funny sentences to fix.
The lesson, step by step
Review
Ask for a sentence with an infinitive as the subject.
Only where?
Read the book's pair: "John only studies algebra" and "John studies algebra only." Talk about how the meaning changes.
The rule
Read:
Words, phrases, and clauses, used as modifiers, should be placed as near the modified words as possible.
Laugh first
Read these from the page and picture them literally:
A man was hanged yesterday with a blind eye.
I saw a dog bite a man with long ears and a white spot on his face.
The book was dropped by a bad boy on my head.
Fix them
Rewrite each sentence with the modifier next to the right word. Do the rest of the nine on the page.
Check together
Compare with the answers. There's often more than one good fix.
Use it today
Keep an eye out for funny misplaced modifiers in signs or ads.
Answers to the book's problems
1 The sled was bought for a dollar by a boy going to school. 2 Wanted, by an English gentleman, a horse sixteen hands high. 3 A man with a blind eye was hanged yesterday. 4 Look at those two men with sunburnt faces fishing. 5 The book was dropped on my head by a bad boy. 6 I saw a dog with long ears and a white spot on his face bite a man. 7 Mr. Otis, who has broken his arm, needs a surgeon. 8 A silver fruit knife which has a broken back was found by a child. 9 He that can not eat wants no food.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.