Chapter 48: Modifier Placement

CHAPTER 48
Modifier Placement

CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING notice in a guidebook:

Visit the old Dutch cemetery where early settlers are buried from noon to five daily.

Does the old cemetery really bury early settlers for five hours every day? Repositioning the modifier from noon to five daily eliminates the confusion and makes it clear when the cemetery is open: From noon to five daily, visit the old Dutch cemetery where early settlers are buried. To be effective, modifiers should refer clearly to the words they modify and be placed close to those words.