Dangling Modifiers
Download Free PDF Worksheet
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Worksheet 1 explains the concept of dangling and misplaced modifiers, including suggestions for correcting them. It has 9 exercises. Worksheet 2 has 17 exercises. Exercises provide students with the opportunity of correcting dangling modifiers by rewriting the sentences.
| Worksheet 1, Misplaced and Dangling Participles, 9 Exercises |
| Worksheet 2, Misplaced and Dangling Participles, 17 Exercises |
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The Problem
In the rush of drafting articles and essays, writers sometimes compose sentences that do not have the intended meaning. Take, for example, "Eating strawberries beneath the oak tree, the butterfly came to a rest on Anna's nose." The intended meaning of this sentence is that while Anna ate strawberries under the oak tree, the butterfly came to a rest on her nose. However, the original sentence suggests that the butterfly, not Anna, was eating strawberries beneath the oak tree. The phrase "eating strawberries beneath the oak tree" is a dangling modifier, in this case, a dangling participle.
Gerunds and Participles
Let's examine the difference between a participle and a gerund. A gerund is a verb form used as a noun. It always ends in "ing." For example, "Running is a healthy activity; it promotes endurance and muscle strength." The word "Running" is a noun; notice that the pronoun "it" replaces thr noun "running" in the second clause. In this case, "Running" is a gerund. A gerund is rarely misplaced or misused.
A participle, on the other hand, is a verb form used as an adjective. Consider the following: "Running, James tripped over the tree stumps." In this construction, "Running" is a participle; it modifies James, the subject of the sentence. As modifiers, participles are often misused, and are thus called dangling or misplaced modifiers.
"Running recklessly through the forest, the tree stump tripped James." This sentence reads as if the tree stump was running recklessly through the forest, not James. This is an example of a dangling modifier. The introductory participial phrase does not have a noun in the subject position of the main clause to attach to. It dangles.
Examples of Dangling Modifiers
- Enclosed within the electrical fence, Susan saw the rhinoceros graze on the long grass.
- Beaten to a bloody pulp by a quicker and stronger opponent, the little girl hugged her downcast father after the boxing match.
- Singing "Amazing Grace" from the choir loft, his lost German Shepherd raced through the church as Joel looked on in disbelief.
These examples are funny or disturbing. In each case, the writer communicates an unintended meaning by using a dangling modifier.
Correcting Dangling Modifiers
There are many ways of correcting a dangling modifier or participle. Two are illustrated below.
- Turn the misplaced or dangling participle into a dependent clause.
This means that you take the "ing" word (the participle), give it a subject, turn the "ing" word into a verb, and attach it to the main clause.
"While Joel sang 'Amazing Grace' from the choir loft, his lost German Shepherd raced through the church as Joel looked on in disbelief."
- Make the thing being modified by the participle, the subject of the main clause.
This means we take what is being modified by the "ing" phrase and place it first in the sentence, right after the comma.
"Singing 'Amazing Grace' from the choir loft, Joel looked on in disbelief as his lost German Shepherd race through the church."
For additional ways of correcting misplaced or dangling participles, examine the pages in the following links and download the worksheet.
Links for Dangling Modifier or Dangling Participle
- Utah State University
A crisply-written article. The humor jumps out at you. "Flitting gaily from flower to flower, the football player watched the bee." One has to laugh.
- Tina Blue at grammartips.homestead.com
A heavily text-ladden article that further discusses the difference between a participle and a gerund. She offers good, and humorous, examples.
- The Purdue OWL
Clear, with good strategies for revising dangling modifiers.
- Towson State University
Provides and explanation of misplaced modifiers as well as dangling modifiers. The graphics help the explanations.
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