2.04 dangling modifiers

A dangling modifier is a type of error that occurs when a modifying phrase or clause is not clearly connected to the word it is supposed to modify. This can create confusion and make the sentence difficult to understand.

The dangling modifier (which can be a word, phrase, or clause) doesn’t clearly and/or logically modify any word or group of words in the sentence. With gerunds and infinitives, remember that the subject of the sentence has to be the subject of the gerund or infinitive (unless a new subject is added to the phrase). Dangling modifiers can make the meanings of sentences ambiguous and can confuse the reader.

Error: To get into Princeton, the guidance counselor “whited out” Sara’s transcripts and rewrote her grades.

Revision: For Sara to get into Princeton, the guidance counselor “whited out” Sara’s transcripts and rewrote her grades.

Revision: To get into Princeton, Sara asked her guidance counselor to “white out” her transcripts and rewrite her grades.

Example: "Walking to the store, the bag was heavy."

In this sentence, the modifying phrase "walking to the store" is not clearly connected to the subject of the sentence, "the bag." As a result, it is unclear who was walking to the store, and the sentence is confusing.

To correct this sentence and avoid a dangling modifier, we could revise the sentence to make the connection between the modifier and the subject more clear: "Walking to the store, I realized that the bag was heavy." In this revised sentence, the subject "I" is explicitly mentioned in the modifying phrase, and it is clear who was walking to the store.

More examples:

Here are some examples of sentences with dangling modifiers and how to fix them:

Original sentence: "After eating the cake, the dishes were dirty."

Revised sentence: "After I ate the cake, the dishes were dirty."

Original sentence: "Sitting on the couch, the TV was turned on."

Revised sentence: "Sitting on the couch, I noticed that the TV was turned on."

Original sentence: "Running late for work, the traffic was heavy."

Revised sentence: "Running late for work, I realized that the traffic was heavy."

In each of these examples, the original sentence contains a dangling modifier that is not clearly connected to the subject of the sentence. By revising the sentence and making the connection between the modifier and the subject more clear, we can avoid the dangling modifier and make the sentence more coherent and understandable.