Name: _________________________________ Score: ______________

Year & Section: _________________________ Date: _______________

Misplaced or Dangling Modifiers

A misplaced modifier is in a modifier that is in the wrong place.

For example:

The pretty girl fast ran.

Fast is modifying girl, so it is misplaced.

A dangling modifier modifies something that never actually appears in the sentence.

For example:

Hoping it would rain, the umbrella was brought.

In this sentence, there isn't a single person mentioned who has the ability to hope it would rain. The
subject being modified is missing entirely and the modifier is left dangling all by itself.

A dangling modifier appears to modify either the wrong word or no word at all because the word it
should logically modify is missing from the sentence. To correct a dangling modifier, add the missing
word and rewrite the rest of the sentence as necessary.

A modifier should be placed as close as possible to the word it modifies.

Let’s practice:

A. Recognizing Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers Exercise: Indicate whether the modifier is
misplaced, dangling, or correct.

____________1. F lying over the countryside, the cars and houses looked like toys.

____________2. The messenger spoke to the receptionist who delivered the package.

____________3. The golfer made a hole-in-one with the green-and-white umbrella.

____________4. Without thinking what might be on the menu, Hugh told his hostess that he hated

broccoli.

____________5. After studying hard, the test was a breeze.

____________6. With my small allowance, the tickets were too expensive.

____________7. The right belongs to every American to vote in elections.

____________8. The house was rebuilt by the new owners destroyed by the fire.

____________9. At camp, home seemed very far away.

____________10. After finishing the dishes, we were ready to relax for the evening.
B. Correcting Misplaced Modifiers Exercises: Rewrite the following sentences to correct the misplaced
modifiers.

1. A man leaped into the water over the ship’s rail.

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2. Smashed beyond repair, Rob saw his watch lying on the court.

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3. A banana split was served to each guest, dripping with chocolate sauce.

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4. Ric realized the mistake he had made a moment too late.

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5. The boys were spoken to sharply about loitering in dean’s office.

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6. We saved the scrap of meat for the dog that had been left on our plates.

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7. Michelle bought an umbrella from a salesman with red and yellow panels.

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8. The hunter crouched behind a tree waiting for a bear to come along with a bow and arrow.

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9. We saw many picturesque plantation homes driving through the South.

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10. Wilma kept her trophies in a bookcase that she had won in golf tournaments.

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C. Correcting Dangling Modifiers Exercises: Rewrite the following sentences to correct the dangling
modifiers.

1. To get to town quickly, the highway is best.

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2. While jogging one morning, the solution was suddenly obvious.

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3. At the age of five, Paul’s uncle took him to the circus.

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4. Wandering aimlessly in the woods, the first sight of camp was welcome.

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5. After hearing of the refugees’ plight, emergency funds were made available.

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6. Getting up much earlier than usual, the house seemed strangely quiet.

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7. To receive the free booklet, a stamped, self-addressed envelope must be enclosed.

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8. Absorbed in the puzzle, the time passed very quickly.

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9. To keep up with the news, a daily paper is a must.

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10. Sailing far out from shore, a squall suddenly arose.

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D. Dangling modifiers

From the following pairs of sentences, select the one which is correct. Put a check mark on the space
provided before each sentence.

1. _______

Piled up next to the washer, I began doing the laundry.

_______I began doing the laundry piled up next to the washer.

2. _______

While John was talking on the phone, the doorbell rang.

_______While talking on the phone, the doorbell rang.

3. _______

Standing on the balcony, the ocean view was magnificent.

_______Standing on the balcony, we had a magnificent ocean view.

4._______ As I was running across the floor, the rug slipped and I lost my balance,
_______Running across the floor, the rug slipped and I lost my balance.

5. _______While taking out the trash, the sack broke.

______While Jamie was taking out the trash, the sack broke.

E. Misplaced modifiers

1. ______I almost listened to the whole album.

______I listened to almost the whole album.

2. ______He was staring at the girl wearing dark glasses by the vending machine.
______He was staring at the girl by the vending machine wearing dark glasses.

3. ______We read that Janet was married in her last letter.

______In her last letter, we read that Janet was married.

4. ______The faulty alarm nearly sounded five times yesterday.

______The faulty alarm system sounded nearly five times yesterday.
5. ______On the evening news, I heard that there was a revolution.
______I heard that there was a revolution on the evening news.