Handbook: Writing Problems and How to Correct Them

10 Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers

Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers

A modifier is a word or group of words that describes, changes, qualifies, or limits the meaning of another word or group of words in a sentence.

The adverb delightedly modifies the verb smiled.

The adjective phrase Pretending to be surprised modifies the pronoun he.

Modifiers that are carefully placed in sentences give your readers a clear picture of the details you want to convey. However, when a sentence contains a misplaced modifier, it is hard for the reader to tell which word or group of words the modifier is supposed to be describing.

10a Place modifiers close to the words they describe

MISPLACED	The mayor chided the pedestrians for jaywalking angrily.
	The adverb angrily should be closer to the verb it modifies, chided. Here, the adverb appears to be modifying jaywalking, so the sentence is confusing.
REVISED	The mayor angrily chided the pedestrians for jaywalking.
MISPLACED	The press reacted to the story leaked from the Pentagon with horror.
	The adverb phrase with horror should explain how the press reacted, not how the story was leaked, so the modifier should be closer to the verb reacted.
REVISED	The press reacted with horror to the story leaked from the Pentagon.

10b Make sure each modifier clearly modifies only one word or phrase in a sentence

When a modifier is placed near or next to the word or phrase it modifies, it may also be near another word it could conceivably modify. When a modifier’s placement may cause such ambiguity, rewrite the sentence, placing the modifier so that it clearly refers to the word or phrase it is supposed to modify.

UNCLEAR	The film’s attempt to portray war accurately depicts a survivor’s anguish.
	Does the film attempt to portray war accurately, or does it accurately depict a survivor’s anguish? The following revisions eliminate the uncertainty.
REVISED
REVISED

10c Revise a dangling modifier by rewriting the sentence

A dangling modifier is a word or phrase that does not modify or refer to anything in a sentence. Instead, it seems to modify something that has been left out of the sentence. A dangling modifier can make the meaning of a sentence unclear, inaccurate, or even comical. Most dangling modifiers appear at the beginning or end of sentences.

DANGLING	After singing a thrilling ballad, the crowd surged toward the stage.
	This sentence suggests that the crowd sang the ballad.
DANGLING	Laying an average of ten eggs a day, the neighboring farmer is proud of his henhouse.
	This sentence suggests that the farmer lays eggs.

To revise a sentence with a dangling modifier, follow these steps.

Identify the word or words that the modifier is supposed to modify.
Revise the sentence to correct the confusion either by changing the modifier into a clause with its own subject and verb or by rewriting the sentence so that the word being modified becomes the subject.