Misplaced modifiers confuse readers. They appear to modify what they don’t modify and not to modify what they do. Once recognized, they’re easy to avoid, but seeing them takes practice. Let’s look at one.
While getting out of bed this morning, the alarm clock woke my wife.
What the sentence means to say is that I got out of bed this morning before the alarm rang and that when it rang it woke my wife.
The modifier here is “While getting out of bed this morning.” It should refer to me, but instead, since I don’t appear in the phrase, the reader thinks the phrase modifies the nearest noun; in this case, the radio. To avoid the impression that the radio got out of bed, we need to revise the sentence to clarify the modification.
While I was getting out of bed this morning, the alarm clock woke my wife.
In the following sentences, potatoes try to save money, shoe heels walk from the bus station, a dog talks to the veterinarian, we get washed and waxed, a canyon looks over the edge of a cliff, and tires use a coupon. Solve these problems by cutting and pasting the badly-written sentences into a Reply below and revise them. I don’t need to see both versions. Your finished work should be six good sentences with well-attached modifiers.
1. Trying to save money, potatoes and other cheap foods filled the shopper’s cart.
2. Walking from the bus station to the office, the heel of my shoe fell off.
3. After talking with our veterinarian, the dog didn’t seem quite so sick.
4. Washed, waxed and with four new tires, we got $5,000 for the car.
5. Looking over the edge of the cliff, the canyon looked very deep.
6. By using a coupon, the tires were half-off.
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Newspaperlessness 
1. When the shopper was trying to save money, they filled the cart with potatoes and other cheap foods.
2. When I was walking from the bus station to the office, the heel of my shoe fell off.
3. The dog didn’t seem quite so sick after we talked with our veterinarian.
4. We got $5,000 for the car after washed, waxed, and changed four new tires.
5. The canyon looked very deep when we were looking over the edge of the cliff.
6. The tires were half-off by using a coupon.
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1. Trying to save money, I filled my shopping cart with potatoes and other cheap foods.
2. The heel of my shoe fell off while I walked from the bus station. .
3. After talking with our veterinarian, the dog didn’t seem quite so sick.
4. We got $5,000 for the car that was washed, waxed, and with four new tires.
5. The canyon looked very deep when I looked over the edge.
6. The tires were half-off when I used a coupon.
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1. Trying to save money, I filled my shopping cart with potatoes and other cheap foods.
2. While I was walking from the bus station to the office, the heel of my shoe fell off.
3.The dog didn’t seem quite so sick after talking with our veterinarian.
4. We got $5,000 dollars for the car that we washed, waxed, and put four new tires on.
5. As I looked over the edge of the cliff, the canyon looked very deep.
6. By using a coupon, I got the tires for half-off.
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1. Trying to save money, the shopper filled their cart with potatoes and other cheap foods.
2. Walking from the bus station to the office, my shoe’s heel fell off.
3. After we talked with our veterinarian, the dog didn’t seem quite so sick.
4. With $5,000 for the car, it was washed, waxed, and got four new tires.
5.While looking over the edge of the cliff, we noticed the canyon looked very deep.
6. When we used a coupon, the tires were half-off.
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1. The shopper, who was trying to save money, filled their cart with potatoes and other cheap foods.
2. While I was walking from the bus station to the office, the heel of my shoe fell off.
3. After talking with our veterinarian, we realized that the dog didn’t seem quite so sick.
4. We got $5,000 for the car after it was washed, waxed, and had four new tires put on.
5. The canyon looked very deep when looking over the edge of the cliff.
6. The tires were half-off with a coupon.
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1. The shopper filled their cart with cheap foods in order to save money.
2. I was walking from the bus station to the office when the heel of my shoe fell off.
3. The veterinarian informed us that our dog is not as sick as we thought.
4. We washed, waxed and put on four new tires before we sold the car for $5,000.
5. When I Looked over the edge of the cliff I could see how deep the canyon was.
6. I used a coupon to get the tires half-off.
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1. Trying to save money, the shopper filled their cart with potatoes and cheap items.
2. The heel of my shoe fell off, walking from the bus station to the office.
3. The dog didn’t seem quite so sick after meeting with the veterinarian.
4. We got $5,000 for the car when it was washed, waxed and had four new tires.
5. The canyon looked very deep looking over the edge of the cliff.
6. The tires for the vehicle were half off, after using a coupon.
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While the shopper was trying to save money, she made sure she filled her cart with potatoes and cheap foods.
While I was walking from the bus station, the heel of my shoe fell off.
After I was done talking with our veterinarian, the dog didn’t seem quite so sick.
After we washed, waxed and with four new tires, we got $5,000 for the car.
While we were looking over the edge of the cliff, we noticed that the canyon looked very deep.
When I used the coupon, the tires were half-off.
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1. Trying to save money, I filled my cart with potatoes and other cheap foods.
2. The heel of my shoe fell off when I walked to the office from the bus station.
3.The dog didn’t seem quite so sick after talking with our veterinarian.
4. We sold the car for $5,000 after getting it washed, waxed, and adding four new tires.
5. The canyon looked very deep when I looked over the edge of the cliff.
6. By using a coupon, I got the tires for half-off.
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1. In the effort to save money, I filled the shopper’s cart with potatoes and other cheap foods.
2. While I was walking from the bus station to the office, the heel of my shoe fell off.
3. After I spoke with the veterinarian, the dog didn’t seem quite so sick.
4. After the car was washed, waxed, and got four new tires, we were able to sell it for $5,000.
5. As I looked over the edge of the cliff, the canyon seemed very deep.
6. Since I used a coupon, the tires were half-off.
LikeLike
1. While trying to save money, the shopper filled their cart with potatoes and other cheap foods
2. While I was walking from the bus station to the office, the heel of my shoe fell off.
3. After I talked with our veterinarian, the dog didn’t seem quite so sick.
4. Washed, waxed and with four new tires, we sold the car for $5,000
5. As I looked over the edge of the cliff, the canyon looked very deep.
6. After I used a coupon, the tires were half-off.
LikeLike
1. Trying to save money, the shopper filled their cart with potatoes and other cheap foods.
2. While I was walking from the bus station to the office, the heel of my shoe fell off.
3. After talking with our veterinarian, we found that the dog didn’t seem quite so sick.
4. We got $5,000 dollars for the car that we washed, waxed, and put four new tires on.
5. Looking over the edge of the cliff, we saw that the canyon looked very deep.
6. The tires were half-off because we used a coupon.
LikeLike
1. The shopper, trying to save money, filled the cart with potatoes and other cheap foods.
2. The heel of my shoe fell off when I was walking from the bus station to the office.
3. The dog didn’t seem quite so sick after I talked to the veterinarian.
4. We got $5,000 for the car that was washed, waxed and had four new tires.
5. The canyon looked very deep while I looked over the edge of the cliff.
6. The tires were half-off when I used the coupon.
LikeLike
1. The shopper was trying to save money filled and filled their cart with potatoes and other cheap foods.
2. While I walked from the bus station to the office, my heel fell off.
3. The dog didn’t seem too sick after I talked with the veterinarian.
4. We got $5,000 for the car that was washed, waxed and had four new tires.
5. The canyon looked very deep when I looked over the edge of the cliff.
6. The tires were half off when I used a coupon.
LikeLike
1. Since they’re trying to save money, they filled their cart with potatoes and other cheap foods.
2. As I was walking from the bus station to the office, the heel of my shoe fell off.
3. After we talked with our veterinarian, our dog didn’t seem quite so sick.
4. After we washed, waxed and added four new tires, we got $5,000 for the car.
5. As I looked over the edge of the cliff, I noticed the canyon looked very deep.
6. Because I used a coupon, my tires were half-off.
LikeLike
Trying to save money, the shopper filled the cart with potatoes and other cheap foods.
While I was walking from the bus station to the office, the heel of my shoe fell off.
After I talked with our veterinarian, the dog didn’t seem quite so sick.
Washed, waxed and with four new tires, the car sold for $5,000.
As I looked over the edge of the cliff, the canyon looked very deep.
By using a coupon, I got the tires for half-off.
LikeLike
1. Trying to save money, I filled the shopper’s cart with potatoes and other cheap foods.
2. Walking from the bus station to the office, I noticed the heel of my shoe fell off.
3. After I talked with our veterinarian, our dog didn’t seem quite so sick.
4. Washed, waxed and with four new tires, the car got us $5,000.
5. The canyon looked very deep while I looked over the edge of the cliff.
6. By using a coupon, I was able to get the tires half-off.
LikeLike
1. Trying to save money, I filled my cart with potatoes and other cheap foods.
2. The heel of my shoe fell off when I walked to the office from the bus station.
3.The dog didn’t seem quite so sick after talking with our veterinarian.
4. We sold the car for $5,000 after getting it washed, waxed, and adding four new tires.
5. The canyon looked very deep when I looked over the edge of the cliff.
6. By using a coupon, I got the tires for half-off.
LikeLike
1. The shopper is trying to save money, so the shopper’s cart is filled with potatoes and other cheap foods.
2. While I was walking from the bus station to the office, the heel of my shoe fell off.
3. After we were talking with our veterinarian, the dog didn’t seem quite so sick.
4. The car was washed, waxed and with four new tires, we got $5,000 for the car.
5. While we were looking over the edge of the cliff, the canyon looked very deep.
6. By us using a coupon, the tires were half-off.
LikeLike
1. Potatoes and other cheap foods filled the shopper’s cart, to try and save money.
2. The heel of my shoe fell off, while walking from the bus station to the office.
3. The dog didn’t seem quite so sick, after talking with our veterinarian.
4. We got $5,000 for the car; a wash, wax and four new tires.
5. While looking over the edge of the cliff, the canyon looked very deep.
6. The tires were half-off, by using a coupon.
LikeLike
1. Potatoes and other cheap foods filled the shopper’s cart because they were trying to save money.
2. The heel of my shoe fell off while walking from the bus station to the office.
3. The dog didn’t seem quite so sick after talking with our veterinarian.
4. We got $5,000 for the car that was washed, waxed and with four new tires,
5. The canyon looked very deep while looking over the edge off the cliff.
6. The tires were half-off when using a coupon.
LikeLike
1. Trying to save money, the shopper filled the shopping cart with potatoes and other cheap foods.
2. The heel of my shoe fell off while I was walking from the bus station to the office.
3. The dog didn’t seem quite sick after I talked with our veterinarian.
4. We got $5000 for the car that was washed, waxed and with four new tires.
5. The canyon looked very deep while I was looking over the edge of the cliff
6. The tires were half-off because of a coupon.
LikeLike
1. In order to save money, the shopper filled their cart with potatoes and other cheap foods.
2. The heel of my shoe fell off while walking from the bus station to the office.
3. The dog didn’t seem quite so sick, after talking with our veterinarian,
4. After having the car washed, waxed and four new tires placed on it, we sold the car for $5000.
5. The canyon looked very deep after looking over the edge of the cliff.
6. By using a coupon, I got the tires for half-off.
LikeLike
1. Trying to save money, potatoes and other cheap foods filled the shopper’s cart.
The shopper is trying to save money by filling his cart with only potatoes and other cheap foods.
2. Walking from the bus station to the office, the heel of my shoe fell off.
The heel of my shoe fell off when I was walking to the office from the bus station.
3. After talking with our veterinarian, the dog didn’t seem quite so sick.
The dog didn’t seem quite so sick after we talked with our veterinarian.
4. Washed, waxed and with four new tires, we got $5,000 for the car.
We got the car four new tires, washed, and waxed for 5,000$.
5. Looking over the edge of the cliff, the canyon looked very deep.
The canyon looked very deep while looking over the edge.
6. By using a coupon, the tires were half-off.
The coupon made the tires half-off.
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1. Trying to save money, potatoes and other cheap foods filled the shopper’s cart.
The shopper, trying to save money, filled their cart with potatoes and other cheap foods.
2. Walking from the bus station to the office, the heel of my shoe fell off.
The heel of my shoe fell off while I was walking from the bus station to the office.
3. After talking with our veterinarian, the dog didn’t seem quite so sick.
The dog didn’t seem quite so sick after we talked with our veterinarian.
4. Washed, waxed and with four new tires, we got $5,000 for the car.
We got $5,000 for the car, which was washed, waxed and given four new tires.
5. Looking over the edge of the cliff, the canyon looked very deep.
The canyon looked very deep from the edge of the cliff.
6. By using a coupon, the tires were half-off.
The tires were half-off with a coupon.
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1. Since the shopper is trying to save money, potatoes and other cheap foods filled their cart.
2. While I was walking from the bus station to the office, the heel of my shoe fell off.
3. The dog didn’t seem quite so sick, after talking with our veterinarian.
4. After we washed, waxed and added four new tires to the car, we got $5,000 for it.
5. After I looked over the edge of the cliff, the canyon looked very deep.
6. By using a coupon for the tires, they were half-off.
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1. Filling the shoppers carts with potatoes and other cheap foods, saved them money.
2. The heel of my shoe fell off, while walking from the bus station to the office.
3. The veterinarian put us at ease when she told us the dog wasn’t so sick.
4. The car got us $5,000 after a wash, wax, and new tires were put on.
5. The canyon looked very deep while looking over the edge
6. The tires were half off by using a coupon.
LikeLiked by 1 person
1. Trying to save money, the shopper filled their chart with potatoes and other cheap foods.
2. While I was walking from the bus station to the office, my heel came off my shoe.
3. After talking with our veterinarian, we noticed the dog didn’t seem quite so sick.
4. Washed, waxed and with four new tires, the car was sold for $5,000.
5. Looking over the edge of the cliff, we saw that the canyon looked very deep.
6. By using a coupon, we got the tires for half the price.
LikeLike
1. Trying to save money, the shopper filled his cart with potatoes and other cheap foods .
2. The heel of my shoe fell off while walking from the bus station to the office.
3. After talking with our veterinarian, the dog didn’t seem quite so sick.
4. Washed, waxed and with four new tires, we got $5,000 for the car.
5. Looking over the edge of the cliff, the canyon looked very deep.
6. By using a coupon, the tires were half-off.
LikeLike
1. Potatoes and other cheap foods filled the shopper’s cart because they were trying to save money.
2. The heel of my shoe fell of while I was walking from the bus station to the office.
3. After we talked with our veterinarian, the dog didn’t seem quite so sick.
4. We got $5,000 for the car after it was washed, waxed and with four new tires.
5. The canyon looked very deep as I looked over the edge of the cliff.
6. The tires were half-off with the use of a coupon.
LikeLiked by 1 person
1. The shopper, trying to save money, filled their cart with potatoes and other cheap foods.
2. The heel of my shoe fell off walking from the bus station to the office.
3. The dog didn’t seem quite so sick after talking with our veterinarian.
4. We got $5,000 for the car that was washed, waxed and with four new tires.
5. The canyon looked very deep while looking over the edge of the cliff.
6. The tires were half-off because of a coupon.
LikeLike