Dangling_Modifiers

Dangling Modifiers and How To Correct Them Summary: This resource explains what a dangling modifier is and how to correct the problem. Contributors:Chris Berry, Karl Stolley Last Edited: 2010-04-17 05:50:43 A dangling modifier is a word or phrase that modifies a word not clearly stated in the sentence. A modifier describes, clarifies, or gives more detail about a concept. Having finished the assignment, Jill turned on the TV. "Having finished" states an action but does not name the doer of that action. In English sentences, the doer must be the subject of the main clause that follows. In this sentence, it is Jill. She seems logically to be the one doing the action ("having finished"), and this sentence therefore does not have a dangling modifier. The following sentence has an incorrect usage: Having finished the assignment, the TV was turned on. "Having finished" is a participle expressing action, but the doer is not the TV set (the subject of the main clause): TV sets don't finish assignments. Since the doer of the action expressed in the participle has not been clearly stated, the participial phrase is said to be a dangling modifier. Strategies for revising dangling modifiers: 1. Name the appropriate or logical doer of the action as the subject of the main clause: Having arrived late for practice, a written excuse was needed. Who arrived late' This sentence says that the written excuse arrived late. To revise, decide who actually arrived late. The possible revision might look like this: Having arrived late for practice, the team captain needed a written excuse. The main clause now names the person (the captain) who did the action in the modifying phrase (arrived late). 2. Change the phrase that dangles into a complete introductory clause by naming the doer of the action in that clause: Without knowing his name, it was difficult to introduce him. Who didn't know his name' This sentence says that "it" didn't know his name. To revise, decide who was trying to introduce him. The revision might look something like this: Because Maria did not know his name, it was difficult to introduce him. The phrase is now a complete introductory clause; it does not modify any other part of the sentence, so is not considered "dangling." 3. Combine the phrase and main clause into one: To improve his results, the experiment was done again. Who wanted to improve results' This sentence says that the experiment was trying to improve its own results. To revise, combine the phrase and the main clause into one sentence. The revision might look something like this: He improved his results by doing the experiment again. Dangling Modifiers by Lee Masterson "Having been thrown into the air, the dog caught the ball." The only real way to describe a "dangling modifier" is to show you a really exaggerated example, like the one above. I'm sure the writer of this sentence did not mean that the dog was thrown into the air, but to a reader the meaning is not immediately clear. In this sentence, the subject (the dog) is the 'doer' of the main clause - or action - (caught the ball). In the modifing part of this sentence (having been thrown into the air) the 'doer' of the main clause is not clearly stated. It does not directly relate to the subject of the main clause, and so, it would be considered a dangling modifier. Revision 1: When the ball was thrown into the air, the dog caught it. The modifying phrase is now a dependant clause. The meaning is clear. Revision 2: The dog caught the ball that had been thrown into the air. Now the phrase and main clause have been turned into a simple sentence. Dangling Modifiers at the Beginning of Sentences Example 1: "Having finished eating, the dog stalked out the door." Having finished states an action, but does not name the 'doer' of that action. In this example, the dog is logically the subject doing the action of stalking out the door, so this sentence does not have a dangling modifier. Always try to find the first noun following the modifier. In this example, the dog is the first noun to follow the modifier. As the two logically fit together, a reader will be able to easily discern the meaning of this sentence. Dangling Modifiers at the End of Sentences Example: "The closet was empty, having packed everything into the suitcase." The closet - the subject of the main clause - is not supposed to have put anything in the suitcase. To revise this sentence, name the appropriate or logical doer of the action as the subject of the main clause. In this example, the closet is the subject. Then, change the phrase that dangles into a complete introductory clause by naming the doer of the action in that clause. Possible Revision: "Aydan emptied the closet, having packed everything into the suitcase." I admit this sentence does sound a little awkward, but it is technically correct. Let's combine the phrase and main clause into one. Possible Revision: "Aydan emptied the contents of his closet into the suitcase."