“Dangling modifiers” happen when a sentence has a modifier that does not logically apply to any other word in the sentence. When this occurs, we often get a sentence that makes no sense, seems strange, or even makes a joke!
- Riding on the sidewalk, a taxi cab turned and almost struck me.
- (So, the taxi cab was riding on the sidewalk?)
- Following a good night’s sleep, my professor was surprised by my alertness.
- (So, the teacher had a good night’s sleep?)
Dangling modifiers are more difficult to correct than misplaced modifiers because you can’t fix them just by moving them to another part of the sentence. There are two methods to correct them.
Method #1
Rule: “A modifier modifies the subject of a sentence when it comes at the beginning of that sentence.”
The most common reason for a dangling modifier to be in a sentence is that the writer forgot to place the subject properly in the sentence (or forgot it completely!).
- Riding on the sidewalk, a taxi cab turned and almost struck me.
- Riding on the sidewalk, I was almost struck when a taxi cab turned.
- Following a good night’s sleep, my professor was surprised by my alertness.
- Following a good night’s sleep, I surprised my professor by my alertness.
Method #2
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