THE DANGLING MODIFIER

Recognize a dangling modifier when you see one.

Mrs. Lee
7th Grade Language Arts
What is a modifier?

Modifiers are words, phrases, or clauses that add description.

In clear, logical sentences, you will often find modifiers right next to—
either in front of or behind—the target words they logically describe.

Read this example:

Horrified, Mom snatched the deviled eggs from Jack, whose fingers
were covered in cat hair.

Notice that horrified precedes Mom, its target, just as deviled sits right
before eggs. Whose fingers were covered in cat hair follows Jack, its
target.
Why do modifiers “dangle” sometime?

Sometimes, however, an inexperienced writer will include a

modifier but forget the target. The modifier thus dangles because
the missing target word leaves nothing for the modifier to describe.

Dangling modifiers are errors. Their poor construction confuses

readers. Look at the sample below:

Hungry, the leftover pizza was devoured.

Hungry is a single-word adjective. Notice that there is no one in the

sentence for this modifier to describe.
Now look at these…

• Rummaging in her giant handbag, the sunglasses escaped detection.

• Rummaging in her giant handbag is a participle phrase. In the current

sentence, no word exists for this phrase to modify.

• Neither sunglasses nor detection has fingers to make rummaging

possible!

• With a sigh of disappointment, the expensive dress was returned to the

rack.

• With a sigh of disappointment is a string of prepositional phrases. If

you look carefully, you do not find anyone in the sentence capable of
feeling disappointed. Neither dress nor rack has emotions!
Know how to fix a dangling modifier:

Fixing a dangling modifier will require more than rearranging the

words in the sentence. You will often need to add something new so
that the modifier finally has a target word to describe:

Hungry, we devoured the leftover pizza.

Rummaging in her giant handbag, Frieda failed to find her
sunglasses.

With a sigh of disappointment, Charlene returned the expensive

dress to the rack.
Now you try it….

1. Scrubbing the tile grout with bleach and an old toothbrush, the mildew stains began to
fade.

2. Rapping the pencil on the edge of the desk, the fourth cause of the French Revolution
would not come to mind.

3. Slathering the popcorn with melted butter, the calorie count skyrocketed.

4. Struggling with the tight jeans, the zipper would not budge.

5. Closing the hotel room door and pulling the heavy suitcase to the elevator, the relaxing
beach vacation came to an end.
Let’s check it…. (This is only one way. There are several
correct ways to fix these errors.)

1. As Jackie scrubbed the tile grout with bleach and an old toothbrush, the mildew stains
began to fade.

2. As Tom rapped the pencil on the edge of the desk, the fourth cause of the French
Revolution would not come to his mind.

3. The calorie count skyrocketed because Jill slathered the popcorn with melted butter.

4. Struggling with the tight jeans, Cindy could not make the zipper budge.

5. The relaxing beach vacation came to an end when Bob closed the hotel room door and
pulled the heavy suitcase to the elevator.
Now try on your own…

1. After centuries of lying on the ocean floor, the treasure hunters

found the Spanish galleon.

2. Watching carefully for hours, the flock of butterflies never

arrived.

3. Thirsty, the glass of water was swallowed in one gulp.

4. Driving down the street, the park came into view.

5. Resolving to study more, the textbooks seemed more interesting.