Repairing dangling modifiers

To repair a dangling modifier, you can revise the sentence in one of two ways:

  1. Name the actor in the subject of the sentence.
  2. Name the actor in the modifier.

Depending on your sentence, one of these revision strategies may be more appropriate than the other.

Heading: Actor named in subject. Example sentence with editing. Original sentence: Biking along the narrow path, the wind swept a huge branch onto the ground. Revised sentence: Biking along the narrow path, we saw the wind sweep a huge branch onto the ground.

Example sentence with editing. Original sentence: To perform well in the marathon, a spaghetti dinner was served the night before. Revised sentence: To perform well in the marathon, the runners ate a spaghetti dinner the night before.

Heading: Actor named in modifier. Example sentence with editing. Original sentence: Upon entering the doctor's office, a skeleton caught my attention. Revised sentence: Upon entering the doctor's office, I noticed a skeleton.

Example sentence with editing. Original sentence: Though too small for the roller-coaster, the attendant let Jenny sneak in. Revised sentence: Though Jenny was too small for the roller-coaster, the attendant let her sneak in.

You cannot repair a dangling modifier just by moving it. Consider, for example, the sentence about the skeleton. If you put the modifier at the end of the sentence (A skeleton caught my attention upon entering the doctor’s office), you are still suggesting—absurdly, of course—that the skeleton entered the office. The only way to avoid the problem is to put the word I in the sentence, either as the subject or in the modifier.

Example sentence with editing. Original sentence: Upon entering the doctor's office, a skeleton caught my attention. Revised sentence: Upon entering the doctor's office, I noticed a skeleton. Explanation:

Exercises:

Dangling modifiers 1

Dangling modifiers 2

Dangling modifiers 3

Dangling modifiers 4