squinting modifier

squinting modifier (plural squinting modifiers)

1. (grammar) A modifier that could apply to either the clause that precedes it or the clause that follows it; an instance of amphiboly.
   • 1983, Marylu Mattson, Sophia Leshing, Elaine Levi, Help Yourself: A Guide to Writing and Rewriting, page 251:

     A squinting modifier makes the meaning ambiguous and is, therefore, an error.

   • 1998, Jill Meryl Levy, Take Command of Your Writing, →ISBN, page 228:

     Do not try to fix a squinting modifier by inserting a comma to make your readers pause.

   • 2014, Rachelle Smith, Dominic Marulllo, Ken Springer, CLEP: College Composition, →ISBN:

     For example: “Running on concrete surfaces quickly leads to knee damage.” Owing to the squinting modifier "quickly," this sentence could meant that running at a high rate of speed on concrete surfaces leads to knee damage, or that running on concrete surfaces will very soon lead to knee damage.