1. Correcting Dangling Modifiers
What is a dangling modifier?
How to fix dangling modifiers
Review A
Review B

2. What is a dangling modifier?
A modifier should clearly and sensibly describe another word or word group.
Look at this sentence: ?
Rowing on the lake, strange bugs were seen.
Modifier
Who or what is rowing on the lake?
Bugs?

3. What is a dangling modifier?
A modifier gives more information about a word or word group.
Adjective
Adverb
The patient children waited quietly.
The patient children waited quietly.
The patient children waited quietly.
Noun
Verb
Patient tells “what kind” of children.
Quietly tells “how” the children waited.

4. What is a dangling modifier?
A dangling modifier is a modifier that doesn’t clearly and sensibly modify another word or word group. ? ?
Dressed in warm clothing, the cold was no problem.
Hurrying, the ski lift stopped, and the boys got on.
Was the cold dressed in warm clothing?
Was the ski lift hurrying?

5. What is a dangling modifier?
Dangling modifiers often occur at the beginning of a sentence. When a sentence begins with a participial phrase, use these steps to see if the phrase is dangling.
Step 1: Look at the word or word group right after the comma.
Participial phrase
Making the bed, my cat crawled under the covers.
Making the bed, my cat crawled under the covers.

6. What is a dangling modifier?
Participial phrases
A participial phrase is used as an adjective and consists of a participle (a verb form) and any complements or modifiers the participle has.
Participial phrase
Singing cheerfully, the birds landed in the tree.
The participial phrase modifies the noun birds.
Participial phrase
The slides shown by Mr. Yu were beautiful.
The participial phrase modifies the noun slides.

7. What is a dangling modifier?
Step 2: Ask, “Does it make sense for the phrase to modify the word after the comma?”
Participial phrase
Dangling modifier ?
Making the bed, my cat crawled under the covers.
Was the cat making the bed?
No, it doesn’t make sense for the participial phrase to modify cat.
If the modifying phrase doesn’t sensibly modify the word or word group after the comma, you probably have a dangling modifier.

8. What is a dangling modifier?
Try it out with this sentence: ?
Dangling modifier
Listening to music, the doorbell could not be heard.
Which word or word group follows the comma?
doorbell
Does it make sense that the doorbell is listening to music?
No.
The phrase is a dangling modifier.

9. What is a dangling modifier?
Dangling modifiers can occur in other places in a sentence as well.
Dangling modifier
My head immediately hit the pillow, exhausted.
Was the pillow exhausted?
No.
Dangling modifier
The smells, approaching the bakery, were inviting.
Did the smells approach the bakery?
No.

10. What is a dangling modifier?
Identify the dangling modifier in each of the following sentences.
1. Unexplored for years, scientists are now learning more about the ocean.
2. Walking, the morning was pleasant.
3. Her baseball bat was found looking in the closet.

11. What is a dangling modifier?
Identify the dangling modifier in each of the following sentences. ?
1. Unexplored for years, scientists are now learning more about the ocean.
Which word or word group follows the comma?
scientists
Does it make sense that the scientists were unexplored for years?
No.
The phrase is a dangling modifier.

12. What is a dangling modifier?
Identify the dangling modifier in each of the following sentences. ?
2. Walking, the morning was pleasant.
Which word or word group follows the comma?
morning
Does it make sense that the morning would be walking?
No.
The word is a dangling modifier.

13. What is a dangling modifier?
Identify the dangling modifier in each of the following sentences. ?
3. Her baseball bat was found looking in the closet.
Which word or word group is the subject?
baseball bat
Does it make sense that the baseball bat was looking in the closet?
No.
The phrase is a dangling modifier.

14. What is a dangling modifier?
On Your Own
Circle the word or word group that appears to be modified by the underlined phrase. Then, determine whether the underlined phrase is a dangling modifier. Write D for a dangling modifier or C if the modifier is not dangling.
___ 1. Riding our bikes in the mountains, the scenery was great.
___ 2. Maya’s phone rang returning home.
___ 3. Checking the shelves, Judy found all the books she needed.
___ 4. Filled with daisies, the two girls strolled through the field.
[End of Section]

15. What is a dangling modifier?
Answers
Circle the word or word group that appears to be modified by the underlined phrase. Then, determine whether the underlined phrase is a dangling modifier. Write D for a dangling modifier, or C if the modifier is not dangling.
___ 1. Riding our bikes in the mountains, the scenery was great.
___ 2. Maya’s phone rang returning home.
___ 3. Checking the shelves, Judy found all the books she needed.
___ 4. Filled with daisies, the two girls strolled through the field. D D C D

16. How to fix dangling modifiers Participial phrases
When you find a participial phrase that is a dangling modifier, fix the sentence by making the meaning logical and clear.
Strategy 1: Revise the word group that follows the dangling participial phrase. ?
Dangling modifier
Cleaning the attic, we found an old trunk.
Cleaning the attic, an old trunk was found.
Now the modifier cleaning the attic logically and clearly modifies the subject we.
Was the trunk cleaning the attic?
No. A logical subject—such as we—needs to follow the comma.

17. How to fix dangling modifiers Participial phrases
Strategy 2: Change the dangling participial phrase into a clause.
Dangling modifier
Cleaning the attic, an old trunk was found.
While we were cleaning the attic, an old trunk was found.
Changing the dangling modifier into a clause makes the meaning clear. The clause modifies was found. It tells when the trunk was found.

18. How to fix dangling modifiers
Clauses
A clause is a word group that contains a verb and its subject.
Subject
Verb
Subject
Verb
We will go to the park if the weather is nice.
We will go to the park.
We will go to the park
if the weather is nice
Independent clause
Subordinate clause
An independent clause expresses a complete thought and can stand by itself as a sentence.
A subordinate clause does not express a complete thought and cannot be a sentence. It must be attached to an independent clause.

19. How to fix dangling modifiers Participial phrases
Dangling modifiers often occur when the verb in a sentence is in the passive voice.
Grammar Guy Says...
Passive voice
A window was broken by me.
The action is done to the subject, window.
Active voice
I broke a window.
The action is done by the subject, I.

20. How to fix dangling modifiers Participial phrases
Changing a sentence from the passive voice to the active voice often eliminates a dangling modifier.
Grammar Guy Says...
Passive voice ?
Hitting the ball too hard, a window was broken.
Active voice
Hitting the ball too hard, I broke a window.

21. How to fix dangling modifiers
Revise each sentence to correct the underlined dangling modifier.
Driving on the back roads, the trip took us three hours.
Protected by the plastic ponchos, the light rain did not bother us.
3. Washing the dishes, the beautiful serving plate was broken.

22. How to fix dangling modifiers
Revise each sentence to correct the underlined dangling modifier.
Possible Answers
Driving on the back roads, we took three hours to make the trip.
In the original sentence the participial phrase seemed to modify trip. In this revision, a logical subject—we—has been added.
Because we were driving on the back roads, the trip took three hours.
In this revised sentence the clause modifies took and tells why the trip took three hours.

23. How to fix dangling modifiers
Revise each sentence to correct the underlined dangling modifier.
Possible Answers
Protected by the plastic ponchos, we were not bothered by the light rain.
In the original sentence the participial phrase seemed to modify rain. In this revision, a logical subject—we—has been added.
Because we were protected by the plastic ponchos, we were not bothered by the light rain.
In this revised sentence the clause modifies were bothered and tells why we were not bothered by the rain.

24. How to fix dangling modifiers
Revise each sentence to correct the underlined dangling modifier.
Possible Answers
3. Washing the dishes, Meg broke the beautiful serving plate.
In this revised sentence a logical subject—Meg—has been added.
3. While Meg was washing the dishes, the beautiful serving plate was broken.
In the original sentence the participial phrase seemed to modify plate. In this revised sentence, the clause modifies was broken and tells when the plate was broken.

25. How to fix dangling modifiers
On Your Own
Revise each sentence to correct the dangling modifier.
1. My father gave me a puppy at the age of ten.
2. Seated near the fifty-yard line, the game was easy to see.
3. Running hard, the shoelace came untied.
4. Walking into the pet shop, the squawking of parrots could be heard.
[End of Section]

26. How to fix dangling modifiers
Possible Answers
Revise each sentence to correct the dangling modifier.
My father gave me a puppy at the age of ten.
2. Seated near the fifty-yard line, the game was easy to see.
3. Running hard, the shoelace came untied.
4. Walking into the pet shop, the squawking of parrots could be heard.
1. My father gave me a puppy when I was ten.
2. Seated near the fifty-yard line, we could see the game easily.
3. While Staci was running hard, her shoelace came untied.
4. Walking into the pet shop, we could hear the squawking of parrots.

27. Review A Identify the dangling modifier in each sentence.
1. Reaching the top of the mountain, the view of the city was amazing.
2. The stillness, entering the museum, made us uncomfortable.
3. Discovered under a bush in the backyard, we took in the kitten and cared for it.
4. Caring for a puppy, patience is needed.
5. Discouraged, no more races were run by him for a while.
[End of Section]

28. Review A Identify the dangling modifier in each sentence.
1. Reaching the top of the mountain, the view of the city was amazing.
2. The stillness, entering the museum, made us uncomfortable.
3. Discovered under a bush in the backyard, we took in the kitten and cared for it.
4. Caring for a puppy, patience is needed.
5. Discouraged, no more races were run by him for a while.

29. Review B Revise each sentence to correct the dangling modifier.
1. Using the vacuum cleaner frequently, the carpets stayed clean.
2. His helmet, wanting to be safe, was worn at all times.
3. Awakened by the garbage truck, it was hard to get back to sleep.
4. Stored in the basement, I put the old books to good use.
5. The perfect quilt was found searching on the Internet.
[End of Section]

30. Review B Revise each sentence to correct the dangling modifier.
Possible Answers
Revise each sentence to correct the dangling modifier.
1. Using the vacuum cleaner frequently, the carpets stayed clean.
1. Using the vacuum cleaner frequently, we kept the carpets clean.
2. His helmet, wanting to be safe, was worn at all times.
2. Wanting to be safe, he wore his helmet at all times.
3. Awakened by the garbage truck, it was hard to get back to sleep.
3. After I was awakened by the garbage truck, it was hard to get back to sleep.
4. Stored in the basement, the books were put to good use.
4. Stored in the basement, I put the old books to good use.
5. Searching on the Internet, the perfect quilt was found.
5. Searching on the Internet, she found the perfect quilt.

31. The End