Dangling Modifiers

Last month, I overheard a conversation about dangling modifiers. Lots of laughter. Lots of confusion. Lots of questions.

“What’s a dangling modifier?” “Wait. What’s a modifier?”

Let me explain.

A modifier adds description to a sentence. A modifier can be a word, a phrase, or a clause. In English, the modifier usually appears right before the noun it’s describing, but sometimes we find the modifier right after the word it describes.

Terrified, Penny prayed during the bumpy flight, which passed through a thunderstorm.

In the above sentence, terrified comes before Penny and describes her state of mind. Bumpy precedes flight. Which passed through a thunderstorm comes after flight.

In a dangling modifier situation, the modifier is placed near the wrong word. The construction makes the sentence confusing. Because the modifier doesn’t have a word to hang onto, it dangles, not attached to anything in the sentence.

Crushed by the Dear John text, the chocolate cake beckoned to Nancy from the countertop.

Crushed by the Dear John text comes before chocolate cake. Cake is the noun it’s supposed to modify, but cakes can’t be crushed by a Dear John text.

Here’s a correct way of writing the sentence: Crushed by the Dear John text, Nancy ate the chocolate cake that beckoned to her from the countertop.

Nancy is a person who can by crushed by a text, so the modifier is describing the correct word.

Try another one.

Thrilled by the letter of acceptance, the party plans commenced right away.

Plans can’t be thrilled. Thrilled by the letter of acceptance is dangling.

Write instead:

Thrilled by the letter of acceptance, Jordan commenced planning his party.

How about a one-word dangling modifier?

Sleepy, the bed looked inviting.

Do you see the problem? Bed can’t be sleepy.

A correct version would be—Sleepy, I crawled into the comfy bed.

When you start looking for dangling modifiers, you can find them easily, and a lot of times, they make for some funny sentences.

Have you found a dangling modifier lately that you can share in the comments? Please do!