Dangling and Misplaced Modifiers

Downloadable version (Microsoft Word document)

Modifiers, whether words or word groups, are supposed to make writing clearer. For example, to clarify the word “Kool-Aid,” a writer might use the modifier “Strawberry.” Word groups can also act as modifiers: Strawberry is the fla­vor that I like best.  That I like best is modifying the flavor by providing additional information.

Dangling Modifiers

A dangling modifier is a phrase or a clause that is not clearly attached to any word in the sentence.

Dangling: Playing checkers, a dog sauntered past the porch.

It is fairly obvious that a dog was not sauntering across the porch and playing checkers (let alone playing checkers while he sauntered). Playing checkers should refer to a subject that is doing the action, but it does not; the subject is not in the sentence at all. To clarifiy the sentence, make sure the modifying phrase attaches to a specific subject.

Correct: Playing checkers, Norbert and Grandpa watched a dog saunter past the porch.
While Norbert and Grandpa played checkers, a dog sauntered past the porch.

Here is another example.

Dangling: While shifting gears, the tire went flat.

This example would suggest that the tires of the car were shifting gears. The modifier while shifting gears is missing its real subject.

Correct: While I was shifting gears, the tire went flat.

Misplaced Modifiers

As a result of being placed in the wrong part of a sentence, some modifiers attach themselves to the wrong subject.

Misplaced: Having rotted in the damp cellar, my little brother couldn’t sell his potatoes.

The little brother didn’t rot in the damp cellar—the potatoes did. Because my little brother immediately follows the modifying phrase having rotted in the damp cellar, the modifying phrase naturally attached itself to my little brother. In order to clarify what exactly is rotting, rewrite the sentence and place the modifer next to the object it modifies.

Correct: My little brother couldn’t sell his potatoes because they had rotted in the damp cellar.

Here is another example.

Misplaced: The car was advertised in last night’s paper which is only two years old and is in excellent condition.

In this example it is the car that is only two years old, not the paper, but the modifier is misplaced.

Correct: The car, which is only two years old and is in excellent condition, was advertised in last night’s paper.

James Gunter, spring 2005
Based on a handout by Sunny Tollestrup, Feb. 1993