Misplaced modifiers cause readers heartburn. They have to reread to figure out what you’re trying to say, or worse, they misunderstand.
Misplaced: After months of traveling, the secretary met with her boss at the airport.
Clearer: After months of traveling, the boss met his secretary at the airport.
Notice that in the first sentence you may have thought the secretary was doing all the traveling. Not so. It was the boss’s homecoming.
To eliminate this common problem, always place the modifier (adverb, adjective, or prepositional phrase) nearest the word it modifies.
Foggy: The boss discussed the problem in the men’s room.
Clearer: In the men’s room the boss discussed the problem.
By moving the prepositional phrase, ...
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