Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers

1. What is a modifier?

• A modifier is a word or group of words which describes another word in a sentence.

• Correct placement of modifiers is essential to making a sentence clear.

2. What is a misplaced modifier?

• A misplaced modifier is a word or group of words which is placed in the wrong position of the sentence.

• Modifiers should be placed next to the word they describe.

3. How do I find a misplaced modifier?• Misplaced modifiers are

usually participial phrases or prepositional phrases that have been written in the wrong place.

• Find the participial phrases and the prepositional phrases to determine if they are written next to the word they should describe.

4. Find the misplaced modifier• Did you see the boy on

the bus with a brown hat?– First, look for participial

phrases.– If there aren’t any

participial phrases, look for prepositional phrases.

– Check to see which word the phrase should be identifying.

(Cont)

• Did you see the boy on the bus with the brown hat?– The green phrase is

describing the boy. The bus cannot have a brown hat; therefore, this phrase is misplaced.

5. Correcting the phrase

• Did you see the boy on the bus with the brown hat?– In order to correct this

phrase, you must place the phrase next to the word it describes

• Did you see the boy with the brown hat on the bus?

6. Find the misplaced modifier• We found the dog walking

home from school.– In this sentence, the

participial phrase, walking home from school, is misplaced. The dog cannot walk home from school.

• Walking home from school, we found the dog.

7. Dangling Modifiers

• A dangling modifier is a modifier which does not have a word to describe.

• In order to correct these sentences, one must add words to the sentence.

7. Find the dangling modifier• Sitting in the back of the

theatre, the actors could hardly be heard.– In this sentence, the actors

are not the people sitting in the back of the theatre; the audience members would be sitting in the back of the theatre.

• Sitting in the back of the theatre, the audience members could not hear the actors.

8. Find the dangling modifier• Watching the auto race,

an accident occurred.– In this sentence, watching

the auto race has no word to modify. A person would have to be watching the race.

• Watching the auto race, I saw a terrible accident occur.

• I saw a terrible accident while I was watching the auto race.

9. Distinguishing between misplaced and dangling modifiers• Does this sentence

contain a misplaced or a dangling modifier?– After rehearsing for weeks,

the play was a success.

* Dangling!!!!!

More sentences

• While typing my report, the keys jammed.– Does this contain a

misplaced or a dangling modifier?

•Dangling!!!

More sentences

• At the age of seven, my grandfather took us to visit some relatives in Ohio.– Does this sentence contain a

misplaced or a dangling modifier?

* Dangling!!!

More sentences

• We borrowed an extension ladder from a neighbor 35 feet long.– Does this sentence contain

a misplaced or a dangling modifier?

•Misplaced!!!!

More sentences

• Bob slammed the door in a bad frame of mind.– Does this sentence contain

a misplaced or dangling modifier?

•Misplaced!!!