Curriculum
Course: Course I: Writing Correctly
Login

Curriculum

Course I: Writing Correctly

Module I: Punctuation

0/1

- Punctuation Review -

0/1

- Sentence Problems Review -

0/1
Text lesson

Dangling Modifiers

Next we will tackle dangling modifiers. A modifier is a word or group of words that describes or qualifies the meaning of another word or group of words. Put simply, modifiers provide more information about the subject or verb in a sentence.

The simplest modifiers are one-word modifiers like adjectives (which describe nouns or pronouns) and adverbs (which describe verbs or other adverbs). Look at the following sentence:

The little girl ran quickly.

The adjective “little” modifies the noun “girl,” and the adverb “quickly” modifies the verb “ran.”

Other elements can also act as modifiers, including infinitive phrases, prepositional phrases, participial phrases, and so forth.

The main point to remember about modifiers is to place them as near as possible to the words they qualify. When modifiers are misplaced, the meaning is distorted, and confusion can result.

One particular kind of misplaced modifier is called a dangling modifier, and it occurs when a modifying phrase seemingly refers to a word other than the one it’s intended to modify.

A dangling modifier is a modifier attached to the wrong noun or pronoun, and it usually occurs at the beginning of a sentence.

Consider this sentence:

Stranded on a desert island, a ship didn’t rescue Alexander Selkirk for five years.

The phrase “Stranded on a desert island” modifies the first noun that follows it–in this case, “ship.” A ship was stranded on a desert island? No, but grammatically that’s what the sentence says. 

To correct a sentence containing a dangling modifier, place the noun or pronoun being described next to the modifying word or phrase.

Who or what was “Stranded on a desert island”? Alexander Selkirk. So the correct structure should be:

Stranded on a desert island, Alexander Selkirk wasn’t rescued for five years.

Readers should not have to guess what our meaning is; our grammatical construction should clearly reflect our intended meaning.

In the following presentation, we will review more examples of dangling modifiers and show you how to correct them.

Presentation

Carefully review the presentation below. Core details on the above content are explained in further detail, along with relevant examples.

Access video version of the presentation. (Optional, voiced-over version of the above presentation)

Click here to open the video.
PRESENTATION TRANSCRIPT

When it comes to modifiers, place them as near as possible to the subject they describe. As you saw in the previous example, when modifiers are misplaced, the meaning is distorted, and confusion can result. Look at this sentence:

When not at work, my hobbies range from reading to jogging.

This sentence literally says that the hobbies are not at work. To correct any dangling modifier, either make certain that the noun or pronoun following the modifying material is the right one, or insert a subject into the modifying phrase.

Here are two possible corrections.

CORRECT SUBJECT AFTER MODIFIER:
When not at work, I devote time to my hobbies, which range from reading to jogging.

ADD SUBJECT TO MODIFIER:
When I am not at work, my hobbies range from reading to jogging.

Here is another example of a dangling modifier:

When writing a report, all grammatical rules must be followed.

This sentence implies that grammatical rules write reports, which of course makes no sense at all. Following are two possible revisions.

CORRECT SUBJECT AFTER MODIFIER:
When writing a report, examiners must follow all grammatical rules.

ADD SUBJECT TO MODIFIER:
When examiners write a report, all grammatical rules must be followed.

 

Here are two more examples, each with revisions:

By debating the issue at length, a compromise was reached.

The compromise didn’t debate the issue, right?

CORRECT SUBJECT AFTER MODIFIER:
By debating the issue at length, the committee reached a compromise.

ADD SUBJECT TO MODIFIER:
After the committee debated the issue at length, a compromise was reached.

Final Recap: Dangling Modifiers

To recap, modifiers can be one word like adjectives or adverbs, or phrases. Dangling modifiers occur when a modifier is describing the wrong subject. This will happen when the subject is not placed immediately beside its modifier.

Complete the following self check to test your knowledge of dangling modifiers.

GREAT WORK!

PROGRESS TO THE SECTION SELF CHECK.

This website uses cookies and asks your personal data to enhance your browsing experience. We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring your data is handled in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).