Modifiers can be a single word: an angry elephant; a phrase: Vernon chased the furious, trumpeting elephant down the hill; or a dependent clause: Vernon, who was nearly fainting from fear and anxiety, chased the furious, trumpeting elephant down the hill.

Oh, what a tangled web we weave: some laughable sentences resulting from misplaced modifiers can be found here.

Misplaced modifiers: If modifiers don't clearly refer to the words they should modify, confusion ensues.

• Position a modifier near the word it modifies.
• CONFUSING: An elephant rumbled down the street, grey with dust.
• CLEAR: A grey, dusty elephant rumbled down the street.
• PRACTICE: Revise this sentence so the modifying phrase is correctly placed: "The behavior of a chemical compound in the laboratory that is put together is similar to the behavior of an identical compound obtained from plants and animals growing in nature."
• Make sure a modifier clearly refers to only one word.
• CONFUSING: The supervisor who was conducting the interview thoughtfully posed a final question.
• CLEAR: The supervisor who was conducting the interview posed a final, thoughtful question.
• PRACTICE: Revise this sentence so "often" modifies one word: "Sitting in the hot summer sun often accelerates the skin's aging practice."
• Move modifiers that split sentences so that sentences aren't cut in two.
• CONFUSING: The agent signed, with her client seated beside her, the contract.
• CLEAR: With her client seated beside her, the agent signed the contract.
• PRACTICE: One of a manager's responsibilities is to successfully manage conflict.
• PRACTICE: Despite severe economic limitations, many third-world countries have in efforts to improve the health, well-being, and education of children invested huge sums.
• PRACTICE: Many managers are unable to with difficult employees establish a moderate and reasonable tone.
• Dangling modifiers: Make sure introductory phrases or clauses refer to a specific word.If the sentence is in passive voice, an introductory clause which refers to an invisible agent can be very confusing.
• CONFUSING: After appearing in Pretty Woman, it was clear Hollywood had a new star.
• CLEAR: After appearing in Pretty Woman, Julia Roberts became Hollywood's new star.
• PRACTICE: Dominated though they are by a few artists who repeatedly get the best roles, millions of people flock to the cinemas.
• CONFUSING: With his weary, sardonic style and his dangling cigarettes, the persona of the private detective was etched into the American psyche.
• CLEAR: With his weary, sardonic style and his dangling cigarettes, Bogart etched the persona of the private detective into the American psyche.
• PRACTICE: Knitting together the two disparate areas of Peru, mountain and desert, an economic ans social synthesis was achieved.
• PRACTICE: Voting for the status quo, the issue was resolved by tabling the motion.