Is there a word for these kind of sentences [details inside]?

I think those are called “misplaced modifiers” or “dangling modifiers”.

Where’s Jeruba???

Ambiguity.

Misplaced modifiers, yes. I asked a Fluther Q about them here

Misplaced modifiers. Here is a website for jellies that makes fun of them.

Thanks guys, that was fast!
Had I known those two words (misplaced and modifier) then I would have probably found your question in a search, @Blueroses….
I am going to have a read tomorrow, now it is time for sleep.
Nightnight.

Sweet dreams, Rebbel. Don’t fall asleep with your book open- you might suffocate. And we’d miss you.

no worries @rebbel I think they’re hilarious!

I believe those can loosely be classified as garden path sentences, though I’m not sure. I have no way to explain it so please read the wiki.

I once got one that kept popping up beastiality images, and was forced to see a woman preforming oral sex on a horse while having intercourse with a snake in the same room as my father while he fixed my computer.

Fucked up shit is what I call it.

“Any tips on washing a child with a broken arm?”
I don’t think that’s a misplaced modifier. Misplaced modifiers are supposed to be separated from the thing they’re modifying, and that one isn’t.

“I have heard from some women that when a guy starts sucking their breasts”
That’s not a misplaced modifier. It’s simply potentially ambiguous about which antecedent “their” is referring to. But is it actually ambiguous?

Sentences #1 and #2 (as @morphail correctly points out) are perfectly clear and not examples of dangling participles or misplaced modifiers.

The child has the broken arm.

The guy (singular) is sucking their (the women’s) breast.

And sentence #3 is too long but also grammatically fine. (performing)

I tickled Milo wearing my blue jeans.

I’d just classify these as “ambiguous sentences”. A misplaced modifier is something like “musty and stuffy, he walked into the attic”. “Musty and stuffy” is supposed to describe the attic, but it’s not attached to it and seems to be describing “he”.

@gailcalled Are you sure Sentence #1 is not ambiguous? I’d contest that it is:

Sentence #1 is ambiguous in that it can be interpreted as the child having the broken arm or the washer having the broken arm. I wouldn’t describe it as a “misplaced modifier” though. The modifier is in the right place; it’s just not clear what it refers to. It could be “any tips on washing a child who has a broken arm” or “any tips on washing child while you have a broken arm”.

Sentence #2 is also ambiguous because of the usage of the gender neutral pronoun “they”. “Their” can refer to either the man or the woman, it’s not clear.

Sentence #3 is still confusing me…I’m watching a confusing mindfuck movie right now and maybe that’s why I’m not getting it…

@KatawaGrey

A garden path sentence is something like “The horse raced passed the barn fell”. Unlike ambiguous sentences, there’s only one “right” way to read it, it just might not be apparent at first; it’s supposed to “lead you down the wrong path”.

@DominicX: Yeah, that makes more sense. I’m just very confused about garden path sentences.

@Symbeline Lol I call it fucked up shit too. Cuz I was the one who wrote it, and the one who experienced that awkward moment.

@DominicX There was bestiality porn on my computer from a virus, and the porn wouldn’t go away, and I had to get my father to fix the computer, thus forcing my father and I to watch the bestiality porn together.

@Aethelflaed I just got a sympathetic tension headache trying to imagine a scenario where I’d have to explain to my dad how beastiality porn “accidentally” got on my computer

@Blueroses You’d think it’d be because of all the porn I did actually look at, but no, I was just illegally downloading music (which he knew I did and didn’t care about, and was no stranger to “the theory” of porno viruses himself). So, it all worked out, because I knew how to hide my porn. It did cause me to wonder, though, would he care more about me having a bestiality fetish (that I didn’t really have) or an S&M fetish (that I really did have)?

Hey, objection! My question is only ambiguous because people use misplaced modifiers. I dont have a broken arm:-P

@DominicX:

I will concede the possibility of misunderstanding #1, although it would take some effort to miss the sense.

However, in #2, there is no ambiguity because “women” is plural and thus takes the pronoun “they.” “A guy” would never be referred to as “they” in clear, correct, written English. I know that there are sloppy uses of it today but never in print that I would choose to read.

“The horse raced pass the barn fell” makes no sense to me, garden path or no.

And I would have trouble describing anyone as “musty and stuffy.”

I do enjoy, however, debating with you.

Edit: “Passed”

Edit: Young and precocious, I do enjoy debating with you.

@gailcalled

I’d chop the use of “they” up to “changing language”. I’m not sure it’s “incorrect” as much as it’s considered non-standard. My guess that in time, it will eventually become standardized as it does seem to be replacing “he or she”.

Also, “The horse raced passed the barn fell” is supposed to be “The horse that was raced (passive) passed the barn, fell”. Another one is “The old man the boat.” :P

I just made up that last sentence; I thought a misplaced modifier only had to have the potential to refer to one thing in the sentence, that is, the attic. Though it’s placed in the sentence as if it were modifying “he”, thus making it a misplaced modifier. The example sentence I read was “Covered in flowers, the aardvark pondered the hillside’s beauty”. Would that also be the same thing?

I too enjoy debating linguistics with anyone :)

Sorry, ducks. You’ve left me confused.

“Passed” or “past”? And would any writer use the passive voice when racing a horse?

The horse raced past the barn and then fell. The horse raced past the barn that was falling down.

And the old man and the boat and the attic (and a “he”) has me completely at sea.

The aardvark covered in flowers is unambiguous and also a charming image.

@gailcalled

Ah okay, I had it wrong, it was “past”. I don’t know why I have such trouble with those two words, but that’s why I asked this question: http://www.fluther.com/80030/what-is-the-difference-between-passed-and-past/

Yes, “The horse who had been raced past the barn by a rider, fell down”. It may not be the most likely way of saying that, but I think it’s technically grammatically correct.

You’re right about the aardvark; in that case I think there’s potential for describing either the “aardvark” or the “hillside” as being the one “covered in the flowers”. The example was trying to make it look like it was obviously the hillside, but that’s not necessarily true. Then I guess the “attic” example is better because you wouldn’t describe a person as “musty and stuffy” and in that case, it must be the attic being described and thus the modifier is in the wrong place.

Now, about “the old man the boat.”

And I agree that if you wanted to drape your pet aardvark in flowers, you have every right. Statistically, it’s unlikely, don’t you think?

And on that note, I am going to pour boiling water on weeds, make some gazpacho from nature’s bounty and call my daughter.

Smiling at the festive aardvark image.

Another misplaced modifier would be, “Wrapped in bacon strips, my uncle enjoys chicken livers.”

@Blueroses: A perfect parting gift for me; thanks.

Covered in poison ivy, I am going to pour boiling water on the weeds.

@gailcalled

Sounds good :)

And “The old man the boat” is just an issue of the less common verb “to man” something and using “old” as a noun. As in “the old people service/staff the boat”.

Aha! @DominicX I get it.

The young fish the river; the old man the boat.

@DominicX : Eureka.