To raise a good dog, patience is useful. How do you describe how an action is being performed? The misplaced modifier is separated from the word its supposed to describe, so the meaning of the sentence is lost. The good news is that these errors can be easily overcome. a metallic green tail replaced Tommys legs! Modifiers work by adding descriptive language to sentences, either just before or just after the words they are modifying. Misplaced modifiers are a major grammar mistake writers should avoid. Now the subject in the sentence I matches the modifier after consulting a selection of current publications., Now the modifier according to the selection of current publications matches the subject research.. Watching the game with her friends, her favourite soccer team won the championship. Oxford University Press. Incorrect: To win the spelling bee, Luis and Gerard should join our team. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that clarifies or describes another word, phrase, or clause. The word or words a dangling modifier should modify have been omitted from the sentence. A dangling modifier occurs when the intendedsubject of the modifier is missing from the sentence, and instead another subject appears in its place. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice. How do you describe how an action is being performed? 1. Placing the cold cuts on the bread, the lettuce was placed on top. the tears hit the waves and attracted Marina, a beautiful mermaid. in the water. Privacy policy. A participle is a verbal ending in -ing (present) or -ed, -en, -d, -t, -n, or -ne (past) that functions as an adjective, modifying a noun or pronoun. Consider using more-specific words in your revision. a curt goodbye, Marinas tail slapped the surface dismissively as We are looking for a babysitter for our precious six-year-old who doesnt drink or smoke and owns a car. a regular human being, Tommy regretted the gift that he had squandered. On completing the grammar quiz, spiking your pencil is acceptable. , asked about the schools testing schedule. As we mentioned above, modifiers are words that modify their sentences meanings. The clown at the party was very nice. This is known as a misplaced modifier. Home Relieved of your responsibilities at your job, not having studied the lab manual carefully, Writing Letters of Recommendation for Students, Higher Order Concerns (HOCs) and Lower Order Concerns (LOCs), Dangling Modifiers and How To Correct Them, Overview of Two-Part (Phrasal) Verbs (Idioms), Comparing Gerunds, Participles, and Infinitives. 3. A participial phrase consists of a participle plus modifier (s), object (s), and/or complement (s). Note that these videos were created while APA 6 was the style guide edition in use. In this sentence, the intended target of the modifier, Jane, is missing. You might want to consult the rules before you make your choice! Also known as ambiguous modifiers or squinting modifiers, misplaced modifiers are a common mistake. There are two types of participles: present participles and past participles. See answers Advertisement WorldlyGlass49 Ecstatic about his new . Here are a few examples: , I watched a squirrel cross the sidewalk. hair, which became dry and brittle. This sentence says that the written excuse arrived late. Writing, grammar, and communication tips for your inbox. Writing, grammar, and communication tips for your inbox. abilities, the training and advice Marina offered went unheeded. A dangling modifier is a modifier that doesnt modify any specific word in the sentence. Present participles end in -ing. We quietly glued together the vase we broke. is a word that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb. Learn how to correct misplaced and dangling modifiers. The definition of Passage is a portion or section of a written work; a paragraph, verse, etc.. See additional meanings and similar words. , all rights reserved. Consider this sentence: Having finished the assignment, Jill turned on the TV. After identifying the dangling modifier, rewrite the sentence. Saying The teacher served cookies to the children wrapped in aluminum foil. Divide passage into syllables: pas-sage. Question: Dangling Modifiers are words or phrases that do not have a clear term to modify in a sentence. Modifiers include descriptive words such as adjectives and adverbs: She always listened attentively in class. Fundamentally, modifiers purpose is to make sentences more descriptive or detailed. Writing for Success by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. Correct: As Jane was riding in the sports car . On a separate sheet of paper, rewrite the following sentences to correct the misplaced modifiers. meanings. To raise a good dog, patience is useful. I recently went on a camping trip where I learned survival techniques, cooking skills, and general safety rules. Typically, modifiers are adjectives and adverbs, but they can also be prepositional phrases or even entire clauses. Wielding ancient ocean secrets with a snap of her fingers, With the dangling modifier, the word students isnt in the sentence. Rewrite the following paragraph correcting all the misplaced and dangling modifiers. Go beyond words when generative AI comes to Grammarly, Grammarly helps you communicate confidently. An adjective phrase can act as a modifier. See how creative and humorous you can get by writing ten sentences with misplaced and dangling modifiers. Modifiers, as their name implies, are words that modify. Placement: In order to prevent confusion, a participial phrase must be placed as close to the noun it modifies as possible, and the noun must be clearly stated. Making discoveries about new creatures, this is an interesting time to be a biologist. If they do not, it is very likely you have a dangling modifier. Since a person must be doing the carrying for the sentence to make sense, a noun or pronoun that refers to a person must be in the place immediately after the participial phrase, as in the second sentence. Living in southern Ontario, her condominium was affected by the recent power shortages. Henry learned that, aside from writing books, Charles Dickens also travelled and read his stories to eager audiences in his English literature lecture. A dangling modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that modifies an element that is missing from a sentence. Refusing Like the name suggests, dangling modifiers are also incorrectly used modifiers. Assessing his set as clumsy and inelegant, not a single compliment was received Correct Sentence? (a) mockery, (b) derision, (c) decision, (d) contempt. A healthy lifestyle can help reduce stress by simply staying active and allowing time to relax. The adverb "carefully" is the modifier in this exampleit modifies the verb "proofread," giving important details about how the proofreading was conducted. A problem arises when these modifying phrases aren't clearly attached to the subject of a sentence . INCORRECT: The experiment was a failure, not having studied the lab manual carefully. | Examples & How to Eliminate. Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct? Humming and chewing, my sandwich went down smoothly. I learned several rules to stay safe from bears in the woods: get off the trail by sundown, make lots of noise so bears know you're there, and __________. With modifiers. Past participles end in -ed, -en, -d, -t, -n, or -ne as in the words asked, eaten, saved, dealt, seen, and gone. Passage describes the act of passing or traveling from one place to the next. They can make a sentence's meaning clearer, make a sentence more specific, or simply make it more engaging. Incorrect. Tommy also insisted on head bumping the great white sharks that he encountered. A dangling modifier is a word or phrase that modifies a word not clearly stated in the sentence. 3) I suggest that if people want to do well, he should try studying, too. Modifiers should appear next to the words they describe. The revision might look something like this: The phrase is now a complete introductory clause; it does not modify any other part of the sentence, so is not considered "dangling.". Last Edited: 2013-01-07 12:05:23. Having finished the assignment, Jill turned on the TV. Heres an example of a dangling modifier: Happy that school was over, the afternoon was quite relaxing. After thoughtlessly There are several effective ways to identify and correct misplaced and dangling modifiers. What the writer means is that the patient has stomach pains. Didn't find what you need? (Ed.). After Tommy bemoaned his ineptitude on a surfboard, Marina You guessed itwith modifiers. In grammar, thats a misplaced modifier. "Having finished" states an action but does not name the doer of that action. Ideally, modifiers appear next to the word or phrase they describe, either directly before or after it. This website collects and publishes the ideas of individuals who have contributed those ideas in their capacities as faculty-mentored student scholars. Correct: The trees looked like spooky aliens as Jonas was walking home at night. Sheila surprised Helen with the gift of a puppy whose birthday was on Sunday. When you write a formal essay, you should always follow the steps of the writing process, including prewriting to gather your ideas, drafting to organize your ideas, and making revisions to make sure your ideas are logical. Chapter 7: Refining Your Writing: How Do I Improve My Writing Technique? Instead, they become stumped trying to figure out what the writer meant to say. A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that, because of its incorrect position within a sentence, modifies the wrong thing. Purdue OWL is a registered trademark. Which sentences combine the ideas correctly? A word or phrase that modifies a term that is not explicitly expressed in the sentence is known as a dangling modifier. Rei R. Noguchi, in his book Grammar and the Teaching of Writing, recommends two methods for testing your sentences. tail with two human legs. To fix a misplaced modifier in your writing, you simply have to rearrange the words in a sentence. Here, the phrase "in the library" gives us extra information about the verb, "studied, The modifier, "using astronavigation," is unclear in this sentence. Misplaced and dangling modifiers make sentences difficult to understand. One day The adjectival phrase tired after a long day at work is next to the word cat, not Mei like it should be. This is similar to how, are phrases that function as adjectives, noun phrases are phrases that function as nouns, and other grammatical phrases function as specific. Sentence 2. Sometimes, modifiers can get lost or misplaced in a sentence. The following three steps will help you quickly spot a dangling modifier: Look for an -ing modifier at the beginning of your sentence or another modifying phrase: Painting for three hours at night, the kitchen was finally finished by Maggie. Robust, real-time communication assistance, Write, rewrite, get ideas, and quickly reply with GrammarlyGO, Features to polish, grammar, tone, clarity, team consistency, and more, Writing assistance on 500,000+ apps and sites across your devices, For desktop apps and websites like Word and Gmail, For sites like Google Docs, Gmail, and LinkedIn, Check for grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes, Format citations in APA, MLA, and Chicago, Modifiers, as their name implies, are words that modify. Tommy explained that he had Thats because their modifiers arent actually modifying any nouns. The second is Rhetorical Skills (including strategy, organization, and style). document.write([location.protocol, '//', location.host, location.pathname].join('')); Chapter 9: Writing Essays: From Start to Finish. If the participle or participial phrase comes in the middle of a sentence, it should be set off with commas only if the information is not essential to the meaning of the sentence. Write one sentence that correctly combines the two sample sentences. Participles and participial phrases must be placed as close to the nouns or pronouns they modify . Arriving early to class, Leslie had time to finish her homework. See APA 7, Section 4.23 for more explanation and examples. A dangling modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that describes something that has been left out of the sentence. Modifiers are words, phrases, or clauses that describe other words and phrases. Which sentence contains a dangling modifier? On ne mange pas tres bien a la cantine _______ ecole! This sentence says that the experiment was trying to improve its own results. Naturally, theyre often used as modifiers: Adverbial phrases are a lot like adjectival phrases in that theyre phrases that perform the same functions as adverbs. A participle is a verbal that is used as an adjective and most often ends in -ing or -ed. Words that are often used as limiting modifiers include: You use modifiers in your everyday speech and. (a) After the dogs had obedience training, the brothers let them play in the park. Walking in the dark, the picture fell off the wall. All rights reserved. Scribbr. This kind of modifier is unclear because its placed in a way that makes it just as applicable to the word before it as it is to the word following it. For example, in the following sentence, the word "burger" is modified by the word "vegetarian": Example: I'm going to the Saturn Caf for a vegetarian burger. There are two simple ways to fix a dangling modifier. Not sure what a modifier is? This resource explains what a dangling modifier is and how to correct the problem. a. du b. au c. a la 6. A few examples of single words that may be used as modifiers are: Modifier phrases, which can be adverbial or adjectival phrases, are phrases like: Sometimes, clauses act as modifiers. Revised on Problem. Retrieved May 1, 2023, Correct: As Jane was riding in the sports car, the world whizzed by rapidly. Often this error is a result of a main clause written in the passive voice. This sentence has a misplaced or dangling modifier! Participles and participial phrases must be placed as close to the nouns or pronouns they modify as possible, and those nouns or pronouns must be clearly stated. Usually, this means right before or after the noun: This is also true when theyre modifying a verb or adjective: When a modifier isnt in this position, it can make the sentence confusing for a reader or listener. Place modifiers near the words they describe; be sure the modified words actually appear in the sentence. Then decide whether or not it contains a misplaced or dangling modifier. My mother asked me for two weeks to visit the family cottage. These, too, are generally either adverbial or adjectival and can look like: Here are a few examples of modifier phrases in action: And here are some examples of modifier clauses working in sentences: Typically, modifiers are placed right beside the noun theyre modifying. The following sentence has an incorrect usage: "Having finished" is a participle expressing action, but the doer is not the TV set (the subject of the main clause): TV sets don't finish assignments. When there is nothing that the word, phrase, or clause can modify, the modifier is said to dangle. A participial phrase is set off with commas when it: b) interrupts a sentence as a nonessential element. A modifier provides a concept's definition, clarification, or more information. For example, in the following sentence, the word "burger" is modified by the word "vegetarian": A modifier can be an adjective (a word that modifies a noun, like "burger"), but it can also be an adverb (a word that modifies a verb): A modifier can even be a phrase or clause, as in the following example: Modifiers can also be used for sentence variety. A dangling modifier is a modifier that doesnt modify any specific word in the sentence. The modifier "vegetarian" gives extra information about what . PowerPoint The word "address" in the passage, in both instances, is meant to express some way that a style of writing might relate to its contemporary world. And like adjectival phrases, adverbial phrases are often used by writers to make descriptions more vivid: Writers also modify sentences with adverbial clauses like: Prepositional phrases can also be used as modifiers. Change the phrase that dangles into a complete introductory clause by naming the doer of the action in that clause: Who didn't know his name? A. To fix a misplaced modifier, rearrange the words in a sentence. How do you specify what somebody looks like? In a correct sentence, the subject (or doer) that is modified should immediately follow the comma after the modifier. For one thing, they make the meaning of a sentence unclear and hinder communication. Dangling his legs over the water, Tommy sat on the pier In the example below, the introductory phrase modifies Jane, the subject of the main clause. A modifier describes, clarifies, or gives more detail about a concept. This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. Notice in the incorrect sentence it sounds as if her head was too large! A participial phrase or clause is a wonderful tool for writers because it gives color and action to a sentence. Incorrect: Riding in the sports car, the world whizzed by. January 17, 2020 REVISED: After reading the original study, I find the article unconvincing. A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that clarifies or describes another word, phrase, or clause. Simple modifiers like only, almost, just, nearly, and barely often get used incorrectly because writers often stick them in the wrong place. How to pronounce passage: pas-ij. Here are a few examples: You might be able to guess what these sentences are communicating, but they feel awkward and choppy. Decide if the underlined part of each sentence is an absolute phrase, an appositive phrase, a restrictive clause, or a nonrestrictive clause. This is an example of how dangling modifiers can result in nonsensical sentences. Handouts Rules The Problem With Phrases Theres nothing like a cone of chocolate ice cream on a hot day. Do you really want to submit? One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. 2) He uses these techniques at the same time. Which of the following sentences contains a dangling modifier? Certainly, foot can't be logically understood to function in this way. For a quick refresher on how to fit these components together to build sentences, read our post on sentence structure. We glued together the vase we broke quietly. While looking in the mirror, the towel swayed in the breeze. October 20, 2022. Which of the following sentences has a misplaced modifier? The priceless painting drew large crowds when walking into the museum. After finishing the team's presentation at the board meeting, the president complimented us. After being thoroughly cooked, we enjoyed a delicious lobster dinner. Correct: They bought a kitten they call Shadow for my brother. A. Instead, the modifier is incorrectly attached to a different person or thing. After completing the job, Jill turned on the television. This modifier placement makes it clear that "Dolger" is the one using astronavigation. La caissiere ___________ supermarche est tres sympa. Underline the first noun that follows it: Painting for three hours at night, the kitchen was finally finished by Maggie. Shop act as modifiers. Return to The Concise Canadian Writer's Handbook 3e Student Resources. Sinking under the waves, Tommys legs finally With no intelligible written dialect of this ancient civilization, the story of Easter Island remains a matter of speculation. a. de la b. des c.du 5. Wanting to make a delicious sandwich, the mayonnaise was thickly spread. Oxford University Press, 2023. Many readers objected to the newspaper's picture of a young man posed beside a dead whale wearing running shoes and holding a gun. Search our website or email us. Here are a few examples of misplaced modifiers: In the first sentence, who is Pumpkin? Correct How to say passage: pronounce syllables in passage. Writing Letters of Recommendation for Students, Comparing Gerunds, Participles, and Infinitives. While Marinas This will make your readers either laugh or scratch their heads, neither of . Twitter This website collects and publishes the ideas of individuals who have contributed those ideas in their capacities as faculty-mentored student scholars. Listening to music while walking home, Choose 1 answer: Choose 1 answer: (Choice A) I didn't notice my friend shouting "hello". Here are the same two sentences with their modifiers in the correct positions: One type of misplaced modifier is known as a dangling modifier. In a correct sentence, the subject (or doer) that is modified should immediately follow the comma after the modifier. Write PPP above each proper noun and CCC above each common noun. Some of the sentences contain a misplaced or dangling modifier. Robust, real-time communication assistance, Write, rewrite, get ideas, and quickly reply with GrammarlyGO, Features to polish, grammar, tone, clarity, team consistency, and more, Writing assistance on 500,000+ apps and sites across your devices, For desktop apps and websites like Word and Gmail, For sites like Google Docs, Gmail, and LinkedIn, Check for grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes, Format citations in APA, MLA, and Chicago, Demonstrative Pronouns: Definition and Examples, ten grammatical errors that make you look bad. Our food stayed in the bag while it was hot. Print Worksheet. C. After eating the cat food, Bowie belched. Example The example above suggests that a gold manowns a watch. Specifically, theyre words that modify their. Watching Disney movies, heroines are always long-legged, ample-breasted beauties. They frequently include an -ing word (gerund) and to + verb (infinitive) phrase near the start of a sentence. The mysterious woman walked toward the car holding an umbrella. Another method of fixing a dangling modifier is to include the subject in the introductory phrase, leaving the main clause as it is. Amy Luo. Misplaced 1.4 Introduction to Writing: End-of-Chapter Exercises, 2.8 Writing Basics: End-of-Chapter Exercises, 3.9 Punctuation: End-of-Chapter Exercises, 4.7 Working with Words: End-of-Chapter Exercises, 5.3 Count and Noncount Nouns and Articles, 5.9 Help for English Language Learners: End-of-Chapter Exercises, 6.2 Effective Means for Writing a Paragraph, 6.3 Writing Paragraphs: End-of-Chapter Exercises, 7.4 Refining Your Writing: End-of-Chapter Exercises, 8.5 The Writing Process: End-of-Chapter Exercises, 9.1 Developing a Strong, Clear Thesis Statement, 9.4 Writing Introductory and Concluding Paragraphs, 9.5 Writing Essays: End-of-Chapter Exercises, 10.10 Rhetorical Modes: End-of-Chapter Exercises, 11.2 Steps in Developing a Research Proposal, 11.4 Strategies for Gathering Reliable Information, 11.5 Critical Thinking and Research Applications, 11.6 Writing from Research: End-of-Chapter Exercises, 12.1 Creating a Rough Draft for a Research Paper, 12.2 Developing a Final Draft of a Research Paper, 12.3 Writing a Research Paper: End-of-Chapter Exercises, 13.4 Using Modern Language Association (MLA) Style, 13.5 APA and MLA Documentation and Formatting: End-of-Chapter Exercises, 14.2 Incorporating Effective Visuals into a Presentation, 14.4 Creating Presentations: End-of-Chapter Exercises. Everyone makes a mistake once in a while; no one is infallible. He improved his results by doing the experiment again. When writing a proposal, an original task is set for research. she asked poor Tommy the reason for his pain. Which of the following sentences contains a dangling gerund phrase? Copyright 2022 by The On-Campus Writing Lab& The OWL at Purdueand Purdue University. 2. After identifying the error (if there is one), fix the sentence. Ranging from mild to acute, UNICEF reports that 20 per cent of Iraq's 3.5 million children suffer from malnutrition. Crawling across the floor, the baby knocked over the blocks. For example, if you say purple womens shoes, it sounds like the women are purple, not the shoes. Click the card to flip 1 / 10 Flashcards The participial phrase contains a participle and the other words in the phrase that modify the noun or . How do you communicate where, when, or how something happened? Because a car accident appears where the subject should be, the sentence now suggests that a car accident was driving to work. a. d' b. la c. del'. Make sure the modifier and noun go together logically. Explanation: A dangling modifier is a grammatical structure where a modifier could be associated with the wrong word or subject, or it can be associated with no particular word at all. What is a dangling modifier? kicked him to the surface where he gulped a much-needed breath of air. Sentence 1: Change "you" to "they' Sentence 2: Change "me" to "I". Both of the example sentences above are complete sentences, but only one provides additional details about the train ride. made a proposal: She would turn him into a merman with the grace and athleticism These details, depending on how this sentence fits into a larger conversation, could serve as foreshadowing, clarification, distinction between this and another statement, or a means to hook the listeners attention. theyre modifying. The sentence "John wants to really do well on this exam" contains which of the following errors? Which sentence contains a dangling modifier? ACT English tests two broad content areas. or dangling modifier. Piled up next to the bookshelf, I chose a romance novel. In the corrected sentence, the dangling modifier is replaced with a complete clause that clearly states the subject who is doing the action. But the purpose of an adjective is to describe a noun, and an adjective phrase ultimately describes a noun by providing a more vivid description than a single adjective can. are phrases that function as adjectives, which means they describe nouns. Another type is known as a. walking (participle) (Painting is the -ing modifier.). she dove into the ocean depths. This is similar to how adjective phrases are phrases that function as adjectives, noun phrases are phrases that function as nouns, and other grammatical phrases function as specific parts of speech. 3. Choisis la preposition et l'article ou la contraction qui convient pour completer chaque phrase. Misplaced modifiers describe a word or phrase that is in the sentence, but in the wrong place. The warmhearted clown at the party was caring, but his performance was not very humorous. How do you communicate where, when, or how something happened? Contributors: Chris Berry, Karl Stolley The modifier "vegetarian" gives extra information about what kind of burger it is. DANGLING AND MISPLACED MODIFIERS Dangling Modifiers are words or phrases that do not have a clear term to modify in a sentence. Chapter 4: Working with Words: Which Word Is Right? Please share with a classmate and compare your answers. Take a look at these examples: , the kids who played at the playground bought ice cream. Incorrect: The patient was referred to the physician with stomach pains. early (adverb), The participial phrase functions as an adjective modifying Lynn. out of the ocean as sleek as a seal, Tommy gasped at the sight. Sentence 3: Change "he" to "they" Sentence 4: Change "it" to " a test." Which sentence contains a dangling modifier? They can make a sentences meaning clearer, make a sentence more specific, or simply make it more engaging. interested (in) (participle) To raise a good dog, patience is useful. My uncle with indigestion had to see a doctor. Putting straws up his nose and barking like a walrus did not make Tommy Or was the civilization he discovered using astronavigation?". The revision might look something like this: INCORRECT: After reading the original study, the article remains unconvincing.

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