A dangling modifier is a word or phrase that is not clearly connected to the word it is intended to modify, causing confusion or ambiguity. Dangling modifiers occur when the modifier is separated from the word it intends to describe. The document provides examples of dangling modifiers and how they can be corrected by restructuring the sentence to place the modifier physically closer to the word it intends to modify.

1. Dangling Modifiers

2. What is a Modifier? A word or phrase that adds on and gives extra details to other words, sentences, or clauses. Modifiers should be physically close to the word or phrase that it is modifying.

3. Definition A dangling modifier is when the added detail is stated unclearly and confuses the reader. These are unclear because they are not close to the word or phrase they are modifying.

4. Purpose It gives clarification when the sentence conveys a meaning to the reader that the writer did not intend.

5. Examples Dangling Modifier Having been smashed into pieces , he picked up the glass. Correctly Modified When the glass was smashed into pieces , he picked it up. The way the first sentence is phrased, it sounds confusing because the modifier isn’t near the phrase it’s supposed to modify. In the second sentence, the phrase being modified was moved right next to the modifier making the sentence correct.

6. More Examples After reading the study, the article remains unconvincing After reading the study, I find the article unconvincing The first sentence is phrased as if the article read the study and was unconvinced which is confusing to the reader because the correct phrase isn’t present. The corrected sentence is phrased with the modifier next to the subject it pertains to casing the sentence to make sense. Dangling Modifier Correctly Modified

7. Different ways to fix a Dangling Modifier This Dangling Modifier: Having been thrown in the air, the dog caught the ball. Can be corrected in the following ways: When the ball was thrown in the air, the dog caught it. The dog caught the ball after it was thrown in the air. The ball was thrown and the dog caught it.

8. Works Cited http://aliscot.com/bigdog/dangling.htm http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_dangmod.html http:// www.fictionfactor.com/articles/dangling.html