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非英文母語者常見寫作錯誤之二：修飾語錯置(Misplaced Modifiers)
【學術專欄】
身為專業譯者與編輯，多年來為許多英語非母語人士修改與潤飾文章，發覺華人從事英文寫作時常犯的錯誤，在於落入中文的語法陷阱中、或是無意識受到中文影響而使用不該用的措辭，造成詞不達意而無法精確地用英文的句構邏輯連結起來，但也可能僅是對於英文句法結構的不熟悉所致。此次推出的新專欄希望能帶領讀者發現常見的英文寫作陷阱，並避免將這些謬誤帶入文章當中。新專欄並非在教導文法規則，而是提出一些觀點，提點寫作者如何提升英文寫作風格與文字說服力。
As an editor and translator with years of experience in correcting English written by non-native speakers, I have come across certain areas that seem to be major pitfalls for Chinese speakers when writing in English. These mistakes are usually the writer’s Chinese grammar or diction unconsciously coming out in their English exposition, or perhaps simply a unfamiliarity with English composition at its higher levels. This monthly column can teach you to spot these common writing pitfalls and thus avoid having them find their way into your English composition. It will not be a list of grammar rules to follow, but instead a look into how we can improve the style and force of our English writing.
Misplaced Modifiers (or do you know where your participle phrase is pointing?)
修飾語錯置 (您能正確區分分詞片語的意義嗎？)
Let’s look at the following three phrases. Can you tell what they all have in common?
讓我們看看下面三個例句。您能找出他們的共同點嗎？
Filled with hope after receiving the aid,
接受援助後充滿希望
Since joining the WHO,
自從加入世界衛生組織後
By bringing desperately needed supplies,
透過帶來急需的物資
Simply put, they are all participle phrases.
簡而言之，他們都是分詞片語。
There are many rules detailing the functions and uses of a participle phrase and I encourage you to look them up, however, for the scope of this column it is suffice to say that participle phrases act as adjectives modifying a noun. And one of the cardinal rules of modification is to get the modifier as close as possible to the word it describes.
分詞片語有許多規則與使用的功能和用途，建議大家可以多多查閱字典並詳讀研究。然而，本專欄此次重點在於介紹分詞片語如何扮演形容詞的角色，以達到修飾名詞的作用。修飾的其中一項最重要原則就是讓修飾語盡可能地貼近想要描述的字詞。
Now we can look at the entire sentences (all three of which were written by non-native speakers):
現在讓我們看看下面三個例句（皆由英語非母語人士所寫）：
1)Filled with hope after receiving the aid, the volunteers hope the tenants of the hotel can one day join their ranks and work to help others in need.
志工在接受援助後充滿希望，期待飯店的房客有一天能加入他們的行列，以實際行動幫助有需要的人。
2)Since joining the WHO, many medical supplies could now be imported to Taiwan.
許多醫療用品自從加入世界衛生組織後，都可以進口到台灣了。
3)By bringing desperately needed supplies, many lives have been saved by the volunteers.
許多生命透過帶來急需的物資，才得以被志工拯救。
Let’s look at the first sentence.
首先我們來檢視第一句。
Filled with hope after receiving the aid, the volunteers hope the tenants of the hotel can one day join their ranks and work to help others in need.
志工在接受援助後充滿希望，期待飯店的房客有一天能加入他們的行列，以實際行動幫助有需要的人。
“Filled with hope after receiving the aid” is a participle phrase that, acting as an adjective, points to a someone or a group of people being “filled with hope”. However, immediately following the phrase we have the noun “the volunteers”. This is what we call a misplaced modifier, as the people who are “filled with hope after receiving the aid” are not the volunteers, but “the tenants of the hotel.” This mix-up occurred because the author of the sentence allowed the modifier (Filled with hope after receiving the aid) and its object (the tenants of the hotel) to stray too far apart, thus leading to confusion regrading the true object of the modifying participle phrase. If we are to rewrite this sentence correctly, we need to move the modifier next to the appropriate word:
「接受援助後充滿希望」是當作形容詞使用的分詞片語，意指一個人或一群人「充滿希望」。然而，緊接著片語之後的是名詞「志工」，這就是我們所說的修飾語錯置，因為「接受援助後充滿希望」的人並非志工而是「飯店的房客」。之所以會發生這種混淆，是因為作者讓修飾語（接受援助後充滿希望）與要描述的對象（飯店的房客）距離太遠，從而導致分詞片語修飾了錯誤對象的混亂句型。如果我們要重新將句子改寫正確，需要將修飾語移動至適切的字詞旁邊。
Filled with hope after receiving the aid, the tenants will perhaps one day join the ranks of the volunteers and work to help others in need.
房客在接受援助後充滿希望，期待有一天能加入志工的行列，以實際行動幫助有需要的人。
And remember that a participle phrase can come after the word it modifies:
請記住分詞片語也可以跟在想要修飾的字詞後面：
The volunteers hope that one day the tenets, filled with hope after receiving the aid, will join their ranks and work to help others in need.
志工期待有一天接受援助後充滿希望的房客能加入他們的行列，以實際行動幫助有需要的人。
A quick look at our second sentence shows us a similar problem:
類似的問題出現在第二句話，讓我們快速瀏覽一下：
Since joining the WHO, many medical supplies could now be imported to Taiwan.
許多醫療用品自從加入世界衛生組織後，都可以進口到台灣了。
We have the participle phrase “since joining the WHO” which is mistakenly modifying the word “medical supplies” instead of Taiwan. After all, it is Taiwan that joined the WHO, not the medical supplies! So, like with our first sentence, we need to bring the modifier and the word it describes closer together:
此句的分詞片語「自從加入世界衛生組織後」，原本應指台灣卻錯誤修飾了「醫療用品」。畢竟，加入世界衛生組織的是台灣而非醫療用品！如同第一個例句所示範的，我們必須將修飾語和描述的字詞放在一起：
Since joining the WHO, Taiwan now imports many medical supplies.
台灣自從加入世界衛生組織後，可以進口許多醫療用品了。
As for our third sentence, I will leave it to our readers. Just follow the above two examples and you should have no problem.
至於第三句，就讓我留給各位讀者吧。只要按照上面兩個例子作更改，相信您一定可以改得更加通順且正確。
As an editor and translator with years of experience in correcting English written by non-native speakers, I have come across certain areas that seem to be major pitfalls for Chinese speakers when writing in English. These mistakes are usually the writer’s Chinese grammar or diction unconsciously coming out in their English exposition, or perhaps simply a unfamiliarity with English composition at its higher levels. This monthly column can teach you to spot these common writing pitfalls and thus avoid having them find their way into your English composition. It will not be a list of grammar rules to follow, but instead a look into how we can improve the style and force of our English writing.
Misplaced Modifiers (or do you know where your participle phrase is pointing?)
修飾語錯置 (您能正確區分分詞片語的意義嗎？)
Let’s look at the following three phrases. Can you tell what they all have in common?
讓我們看看下面三個例句。您能找出他們的共同點嗎？
Filled with hope after receiving the aid,
接受援助後充滿希望
Since joining the WHO,
自從加入世界衛生組織後
By bringing desperately needed supplies,
透過帶來急需的物資
Simply put, they are all participle phrases.
簡而言之，他們都是分詞片語。
There are many rules detailing the functions and uses of a participle phrase and I encourage you to look them up, however, for the scope of this column it is suffice to say that participle phrases act as adjectives modifying a noun. And one of the cardinal rules of modification is to get the modifier as close as possible to the word it describes.
分詞片語有許多規則與使用的功能和用途，建議大家可以多多查閱字典並詳讀研究。然而，本專欄此次重點在於介紹分詞片語如何扮演形容詞的角色，以達到修飾名詞的作用。修飾的其中一項最重要原則就是讓修飾語盡可能地貼近想要描述的字詞。
Now we can look at the entire sentences (all three of which were written by non-native speakers):
現在讓我們看看下面三個例句（皆由英語非母語人士所寫）：
1)Filled with hope after receiving the aid, the volunteers hope the tenants of the hotel can one day join their ranks and work to help others in need.
志工在接受援助後充滿希望，期待飯店的房客有一天能加入他們的行列，以實際行動幫助有需要的人。
2)Since joining the WHO, many medical supplies could now be imported to Taiwan.
許多醫療用品自從加入世界衛生組織後，都可以進口到台灣了。
3)By bringing desperately needed supplies, many lives have been saved by the volunteers.
許多生命透過帶來急需的物資，才得以被志工拯救。
Let’s look at the first sentence.
首先我們來檢視第一句。
Filled with hope after receiving the aid, the volunteers hope the tenants of the hotel can one day join their ranks and work to help others in need.
志工在接受援助後充滿希望，期待飯店的房客有一天能加入他們的行列，以實際行動幫助有需要的人。
“Filled with hope after receiving the aid” is a participle phrase that, acting as an adjective, points to a someone or a group of people being “filled with hope”. However, immediately following the phrase we have the noun “the volunteers”. This is what we call a misplaced modifier, as the people who are “filled with hope after receiving the aid” are not the volunteers, but “the tenants of the hotel.” This mix-up occurred because the author of the sentence allowed the modifier (Filled with hope after receiving the aid) and its object (the tenants of the hotel) to stray too far apart, thus leading to confusion regrading the true object of the modifying participle phrase. If we are to rewrite this sentence correctly, we need to move the modifier next to the appropriate word:
「接受援助後充滿希望」是當作形容詞使用的分詞片語，意指一個人或一群人「充滿希望」。然而，緊接著片語之後的是名詞「志工」，這就是我們所說的修飾語錯置，因為「接受援助後充滿希望」的人並非志工而是「飯店的房客」。之所以會發生這種混淆，是因為作者讓修飾語（接受援助後充滿希望）與要描述的對象（飯店的房客）距離太遠，從而導致分詞片語修飾了錯誤對象的混亂句型。如果我們要重新將句子改寫正確，需要將修飾語移動至適切的字詞旁邊。
Filled with hope after receiving the aid, the tenants will perhaps one day join the ranks of the volunteers and work to help others in need.
房客在接受援助後充滿希望，期待有一天能加入志工的行列，以實際行動幫助有需要的人。
And remember that a participle phrase can come after the word it modifies:
請記住分詞片語也可以跟在想要修飾的字詞後面：
The volunteers hope that one day the tenets, filled with hope after receiving the aid, will join their ranks and work to help others in need.
志工期待有一天接受援助後充滿希望的房客能加入他們的行列，以實際行動幫助有需要的人。
A quick look at our second sentence shows us a similar problem:
類似的問題出現在第二句話，讓我們快速瀏覽一下：
Since joining the WHO, many medical supplies could now be imported to Taiwan.
許多醫療用品自從加入世界衛生組織後，都可以進口到台灣了。
We have the participle phrase “since joining the WHO” which is mistakenly modifying the word “medical supplies” instead of Taiwan. After all, it is Taiwan that joined the WHO, not the medical supplies! So, like with our first sentence, we need to bring the modifier and the word it describes closer together:
此句的分詞片語「自從加入世界衛生組織後」，原本應指台灣卻錯誤修飾了「醫療用品」。畢竟，加入世界衛生組織的是台灣而非醫療用品！如同第一個例句所示範的，我們必須將修飾語和描述的字詞放在一起：
Since joining the WHO, Taiwan now imports many medical supplies.
台灣自從加入世界衛生組織後，可以進口許多醫療用品了。
As for our third sentence, I will leave it to our readers. Just follow the above two examples and you should have no problem.
至於第三句，就讓我留給各位讀者吧。只要按照上面兩個例子作更改，相信您一定可以改得更加通順且正確。
