<em>We planned to take a trip to Asia in three years or less.</em>
The modifier "in three years or less" was misplaced.
- A <u>misplaced modifier</u> is a word or phrase which is separated from the subject it modifies, thus making the sentence syntactically incorrect as well as illogical:<em> I found the </em><u><em>stained</em></u><em> man's hankerchief</em>.
- A <u>squinting modifier</u> creates ambiguity in a sentence through its placement, by making it unclear which part it modifies (the one that comes before it or the one that comes after it): <em>Combing your hair </em><u><em>softly</em></u><em> detangles it</em>.
- A <u>dangling modifier</u> gives an information without clearly stating its subject in the sentence. It often consists of "<em>having</em> + past participle" or "<em>being</em> + past participle" constructions, like: <u><em>Being tired after the show</em></u><em>, going straight home was the best plan</em>.
Stories often include many types of conflict! Stories can be as complicated as the one who writes it wants. There are no other rules here