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Dangling Modifier

This document discusses two types of modifier mistakes: dangling modifiers and misplaced modifiers. A dangling modifier refers to a word or phrase that is not clearly connected to the subject it modifies. A misplaced modifier is placed too far from the word it is meant to modify, confusing the meaning. Examples are given of sentences with dangling and misplaced modifiers and how to correct them by attaching the modifier phrase to a subject. Care must be taken with placement of individual modifiers like "almost" and "only" as their position can change the meaning of a sentence.

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112 views2 pages

Dangling Modifier

This document discusses two types of modifier mistakes: dangling modifiers and misplaced modifiers. A dangling modifier refers to a word or phrase that is not clearly connected to the subject it modifies. A misplaced modifier is placed too far from the word it is meant to modify, confusing the meaning. Examples are given of sentences with dangling and misplaced modifiers and how to correct them by attaching the modifier phrase to a subject. Care must be taken with placement of individual modifiers like "almost" and "only" as their position can change the meaning of a sentence.

Uploaded by

anikbiswas
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Dangling & Misplaced Modifiers

A modifier is a phrase or word meant to describe or explain part of a sentence. When modifiers are used correctly,
the meaning of the sentence is clear. When modifiers are used incorrectly the meaning of the sentence can change
drastically. Using modifiers correctly will improve the clarity of your work. Watch out for the two modifier mistakes:

 Dangling Modifiers
 Misplaced Modifiers

Dangling Modifiers

“A dangling modifier is a word or word group that refers to (or modifies) a word or phrase that has not been clearly
stated in the sentence” (Harris 118). When a sentence begins with a phrase that is not directly connected to the
subject that it refers to, that phrase is “dangling.” The following are examples of incorrect modifiers and how to
correct a dangling modifier:

Examples:

Incorrect: Driving past The Bread Box Café, the sun peeked through the clouds.

This sentence implies that the sun was the “doer of the action”, that the sun was driving past The Break Box Café.

Correct: Driving past The Bread Box Café, Suzanne saw the sun peek through the clouds.

Incorrect: Having just met the new roommates, it was certain that this year would come down to survival of the
fittest.

In this sentence the subject “it” takes on the action of “having just met the new roommates.”

Correct: Having just met the new roommates, Joey was certain that this year would come down to survival of the
fittest.

Misplaced Modifiers

“A misplaced modifier is a word or word group placed so far away from what it refers to (or modifies) that the reader
may be confused. Modifiers should be placed as closely as possible to the words they modify in order to keep the
meaning clear” (Harris 120). The following are examples of incorrect modifiers and how to correct a misplaced
modifier:

Examples:

Incorrect: The Girl Scouts went wild when they were told that they had raised one million dollars by selling cookies at
the troop meeting.

The way this sentence is written means that during the troop meeting the Girl Scouts raised one million
dollars. However, “at the troop meeting” should actually refer to where “they were told.”

Correct: The Girl Scouts went wild when they were told at the troop meeting that they had raised one million dollars
by selling cookies.

Misplaced modifiers can also be just one word. These are some of the frequently misplaced one-word modifiers:
almost, even, hardly, just merely, nearly, only (Harris 121). Changing the location of these individual words changes
the meaning of the sentence.

Example: The student passed almost all of her classes.


This sentence means that she passed most of her classes, but not all of them.

The student almost passed all of her classes.

This sentence means that she came close to passing all of her classes but didn’t actually pass any of them.

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