Show TAKE MY WORD FOR IT By Frank Colby Every year at about this time teachers ask me for additional articles on sentence coherence The chief cause of incoherence is the dangling or misplaced modifier Here is a typical example of ofa ofa ofa a misplaced modifier To enjoy skiing the feet Ceet should be warmly warmly warm warm- I ly clad in stout shoes Now it isn't the feet that would enjoy skiing It is the skier The sentence will 11 have to be rewritten thus To enjoy skiing be sure your feet are warmly clad in stout shoes Awkward While on vacation vacation vacation vaca vaca- tion a storm wrecked our cot cot- tage A vacationing storm No Improved While I was on my vacation a storm wrecked our cottage Awkward On reaching manhood manhood man man- hood a good position was offered offered offered of of- me No positions do not reach manhood Improved On reaching manhood I was offered a good g position Dangling constructions are not typical of students alone Pick up almost any publication and you'll find misplaced modifiers modifiers modifiers modi modi- fiers in otherwise good writing For example here is one noted at random in the August American In Beauty Marks the Spot Kelly Roos refers to the story five-story Burton Sisters' Sisters School of oC Beauty The sisters would seem far less less Amazonian if the phrase had read the Burton Burton Burton Bur Bur- ton Sisters' Sisters story five-story School of Beauty Why is it incorrect to say feel teel badly look badly etc These common mistakes arc are corrected corrected corrected cor cor- in simple 1 language a n g u age in Mr Colby's pamphlet C For a copy send in coin and a stamped self- self addressed envelope to him care of The Salt Lake Tribune Tele gram Home Service bureau Salt Lake City 10 Utah Released by Bell Syndicate Inc |