ShmoopTube

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Here’s your Shmoop du jour, brought to you by sticky threads.

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Great for weaving spider webs, bad for weaving shirts.

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The best placement for the word “strong” would be where?

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And here are the potential answers...

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This question requires us to solve “The Case of the Misplaced Modifier.”

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No worries, though; it doesn’t take Sherlock to solve this one.

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The rule of thumb is that it’s best to place a modifier as close to the thing it’s modifying

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as possible. Failing to do so puts us on the road to confusion.

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In this particular sentence, the adjective “strong” is meant to describe the term “dragline threads.”

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So the right answer will be the one that places modifier and modified snuggly together.

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Option (D) is definitely incorrect because it places “strong” the furthest away from “dragline threads.”

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Just listen to the sentence (D)’s way...

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“Their webs are complex nets of dragline threads radiating strong out from...”

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If we place the adjective “strong” after “radiating,” it makes it sound like the

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adjective is trying to modify the way in which the dragline threads are radiating,

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instead of the threads themselves.

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If we take option (B)’s advice, there’s only more confusion in store.

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Check it out....

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“Their webs are complex nets strong of dragline threads radiating out from...”

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If possible, this choice is even more confusing than the one before. It’s hard to tell what

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the adjective is trying to modify here. The preposition “of” maybe?

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No doubt this is wrong because adjectives can only modify nouns, pronouns, and other adjectives.

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Whatever, we’ll toss this one on the pile before we waste too many brain cells on it.

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Remember: whenever possible store brain cells away for when you’ll really need them.

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(A) suggests leaving the adjective where it is now, so the sentence would read...

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“Their webs are complex nets of dragline strong threads radiating out from...”

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This doesn’t work either because in this version “strong” only modifies “threads,”

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not “dragline threads.”

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And dragline threads do so hate it when they’re not modified.

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Choice (C) finally gets it right by placing the modifier before dragline.

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The sentence now reads...

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“Their webs are complex nets of strong dragline threads radiating out from...”

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Placing one-word modifiers, like “strong,” directly before the thing they’re modifying

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is usually the best way to avoid confusion.

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A concern: Does Confusion ever feel bad that everybody tries to avoid it?

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That’s gotta be a blow to the self esteem.

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