“As a kid, my parents were pretty strict about manners, so I had the way I was with my friends and then my personality with adults, and that’s continued a little bit.” - Owen Wilson
Owen has misplaced a modifier. The introductory prepositional phrase “As a kid” is the modifier, and it describes the subject of the clause “my parents were pretty strict about manners,” which is “my parents.” This means that Owen’s parents were “a kid.” This does not make sense.
To correct the misplaced modifier, either change the prepositional phrase into a dependent clause or move it closer to the word it modifies.
“When I was a kid, my parents were pretty strict about manners, so I had the way I was with my friends and then my personality with adults, and that’s continued a little bit.”
The introductory dependent clause “When I was a kid” clearly refers to Owen.
“My parents were pretty strict about manners, so as a kid, I had the way I was with my friends and then my personality with adults, and that’s continued a little bit.”
The prepositional phrase “as a kid” precedes “I” and logically modifies this pronoun.
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