The term squinting modifiers refers to a word or phrase that can appear to modify words or phrases on either side of it in a sentence.
Because of this, readers may find it confusing to understand which words the modifier is intended to modify.
The name is quite apt because squint can mean to look carefully through narrowed eyes, or to be cross-eyed.
When revising or editing a draft, squinting modifiers are among the easiest mistakes to miss.
Identifying squinting modifiers in your writing
A misplaced modifier can create an unintended meaning when it is placed too far from the words it is intended to describe. A squinting modifier is more difficult to spot because it can appear to modify words on either side of it.
We found a cream woman’s handbag left on the train.
Here the misplacement of the adjective cream is the problem because it can be understood as a cream woman instead of a cream handbag. The fix is simply to move the adjective closer to what it’s describing.
We found a woman’s cream handbag left on the train.
But a squinting modifier is two-directional, and sometimes not as easy to notice or fix.
Nonfiction authors who self-publish online often attract many new readers.
Here the squinting modifier is often, because it could be understood to mean either.
1. Self-publishing frequently is what attracts new readers.
2. Self-publishing is what can often attract new readers.
When editing or proofreading, the only way to find these is to look both left and right.
How to fix squinting adverb modifiers
The best way to fix a squinting modifier is to move the modifier, or rewrite the sentence to remove the ambiguity.
In this example, you can see the left-and-right problem.
People who drink coffee after dinner sometimes have trouble sleeping.
Do people who regularly drink coffee after dinner occasionally have trouble sleeping?
Or do people who occasionally drink coffee after dinner usually have trouble sleeping on those occasions?
You could fix this sentence in several ways, but here are two possibilities.
People who occasionally drink coffee after dinner can have trouble sleeping.
People who regularly drink coffee after dinner sometimes have trouble sleeping.
Here’s another example with an adverb of manner.
Finding problem modifiers quickly improves your writing.
Does being able to quickly find modifiers help to improve your writing?
Or does your writing improve quickly when you learn to spot poor modifiers?
You could remove the ambiguity by moving the adverb earlier or later in the sentence, depending on the intended meaning. For example, you could write Quickly finding problem modifiers improves your writing, or Finding problem modifiers improves your writing quickly.
When you write, you know what you mean, which can sometimes make it tricky to spot the confusion.
Confusing phrase modifiers
While single adverbs often cause the problem, phrases can also create similar confusion.
In the example below, the modifier is before the meeting starts.
Tell the print department before the meeting starts I need a copy of the report.
If you wrote this sentence, you most likely meant that the copy of the report was needed before the meeting started.
However, if you read the sentence carefully, it could also mean that it was only necessary to tell the print department before the meeting started.
The way to fix either meaning is to move the modifier closer to the words it is intended to modify.
Tell the print department I need a copy of the report before the meeting starts.
Before the meeting starts, tell the print department I need a copy of the report.
But it’s not only in the middle of a sentence that a squinting modifier can occur. Here’s an example with a prepositional phrase at the end of a sentence.
A chef at our local restaurant once caught a burglar with a frying pan.
That’s amazing! Did he hit the burglar on the head with the frying pan?
No, he didn’t. It was the burglar who had the frying pan.
This is a good illustration of how easily a reader can misunderstand a sentence. The phrase with a frying pan could refer to the chef or the burglar. The solution is to make it clear who had the frying pan.
A chef at our local restaurant, armed with a frying pan, once caught a burglar.
A chef at our local restaurant once caught a burglar who was brandishing a frying pan.
You do have to squint sometimes
With some problematic sentences, you really need to narrow your eyes and take a much closer look. But fortunately, you don’t need to go cross-eyed.
You’ve probably come across the problem many times when reading.
However, when it occurs in your writing, your brain can easily convince you of the meaning you intended and miss the possible confusion.
One of the best ways to find potential squinting modifiers is to check sentences that have an adverb between two possible targets.
Adverbs of frequency, such as often and sometimes, are common culprits. But other adverbs can cause the same problem.
Look at what comes before and after the adverb, and decide whether there is any possible confusion.
Writers who edit slowly improve their manuscripts.
You can see the obvious confusion. Does slowly describe how the writers edit, or how quickly their manuscripts improve?
With other forms of squinting modifiers, which may be less common, it’s a matter of staying alert and catching as many as you can.
Conclusion
Misplaced modifiers come in different forms, but squinting modifiers are among the more difficult ones to identify.
You have to look carefully to find them, and it’s easy to read straight past them in your own writing.
All you can do is be aware of them and, when possible, reorder or rewrite the problem sentence.
Because they’re so easy to miss, it pays to have another pair of eyes to help you edit and proofread a long piece of writing, such as an essay or book manuscript.
But if you’re writing short articles for your blog or website, you’re probably on your own and will need to catch them whenever you can.
At least you’re more aware of them now, so you should be able to spot them more easily.
Related Reading: Can You Start A Sentence With An Adverb? Definitely!
English teacher, writer, and author. Passionate about grammar, creative writing, and self-publishing. Always exploring new tools and tech to help writers succeed.
