Dangling and Ce ite ol 4g Misplaced Modifiers Saat Cure el aie Ble EM View Hoty Gockel Took eb Harrvietts ‘Tomato sal fod, all the time oceonrs ain em 2005 2009 MONDAY, MAY 0, 2005 Beet, New Potato and Feta Salad ‘REEL MEWROTATO AND FETA SALAD 1 pound new poo dr tite Sen Bt ery ren) Seems eetee” | 1 pound cot faces ‘Va banca pe, Sealy chopped vig {ttnepoon on muard SUBSCRIBE | Weoprebwioeceaberyvong ABOUT WITH WIKIO | itepoimat Sa =D ‘patna ys years roe PUBLISHED WRITING & PHOTOGRAPH RECENT FOOD vipEos WITH pe lanka beset. artpasctoy ot gh [Link] lenges pee oe Tay theme rea aA modifier i A modifier isa word or word group that modifies (dentifiesordesribs) ina sentence. To avoid confusion, a modifier should be placed as close as possible to the word i i rd it it Rrectiv etter ts ord it modifies—ideally, directly before or Correcting Dangling Modifiers A dangling modifier “dangles” because the word it is supposed to modify does not appear in the sentence. Often, a dangling modifier comes at the es, ofa sentence and seems to modify the noun or pronoun that fol- lows it. ; aa Using my computer, the report was finished in two days. In the sentence above, the modifier Using my computer seems to be modifying the report. But this makes no sense. (How can the report use a computer?) The ‘word the modifier should logically modify is missing. To correct this sentence, you need to supply the missing word. ae i Using my computer | nished the report in two days ‘To correct a dangling modifier, supply the noun or pronoun that the dangling modifier should actually modify. arr Incorrect Moving the microscope’s mirror, the light can be directed onto the slide. (Did the light move the mirror?) oe a i. correct Moving the microscope’s mirror you can direct the light onto the slide.422 UNIT FIVE ® Solving Common Sentence Problems Incorrect Paid in Zavance, the furniture was delivered. (Was the eae furniture paid in advance?) correct Paid in Zdvance, the rioVeFS delivered the furniture @ Practice 25-1 Each of the following sentences contains a dangling modifier. To correct each sentence, add a noun or pronoun that the modifier can logically iden. tify or describe. Exampl Waiting inside, I missed my bus. | Waiting inside, my bus passed by. 1. Paid by the school, the books were sorted in the library. np Pushing on the brakes, my car would not stop for the red light. 3. Lacking money, my trip was canceled. 4. Working overtime, his salary almost doubled. s Angered by the noise, the concert was called off, 6. Using the correct formula, the problem was easily solved. Se. Exhausted and hungry, the assignment was finished by midnight Se Jogging through the park, the pigeons were fed. ~ a 2 Suvi in bed on Sunday, the newspaper was read from begin" to end. ee 10. Driving for a long time, my leg began to hurt, eeeSHAFTER 25 © Dangling and Misplaced Modifers EE 423 @ Practice 25-9 Complete the following sentences, making sure to include a noun or pro- noun that each modifier can logically identify or describe. i it Example: Dancing with the man of her dreams, She decided that it _ was time to wake up. . Begging for forgiveness, . Soaked by the rain, . Seeing a strange light in the sky, 1 2. 3. 4. Running down the steps at midnight, 5. Alerted by a sound from outside, 6. Senttofightinaforeignland, 7. Swinging from the chandelier, 8. Disgusted by the horrible meal, 9. Wanting desperately to go to the concert, ). Distrusting the advice he got from his friends, hback iting activity on page Look back at your response to the Focus on Writing ; 421. Do any of your sentences contain dangling modifiers? Rewrite any sentence that contains a dangling modifier, making sure to include a word that the modifier can logically identify or describe. Correcting Misplaced Modifiers ifier should be placed as close as possible to the word it modifies, A a See eather is a modifier that appears to modify the wrong word seit s placed incorrectly inthe sentence. To correct this problem, aes modifier so itis as close as possible to the word itis supposed me ‘nodify (usually directly before or after it),424 = ED eu unrrrive © Solving Common Sentence Problems a ae Incorrect Sarah fed the dog wearing her pajamas. (Was the dog wearing Sarah's pajamas?) Pa © Correct Wearing her pajamas, Sarah fed the dog. Incorrect Dressed in a raincoat and boots, | thought my son was prepared for the storm. (Who was dressed in a raincoat and boots?) eo Tt Correct _| thought my Son, dressed in a raincoat and boots, was prepared for the storm. =a Incorrect At the wedding, she danced with the groom in a beautiful white gown. (Was the groom wearing a white gown?) ee ee Correct At the wedding, she danced in a beautiful white gown with the groom. Practice 25-3 Rewrite the following sentences, which contain misplaced modifiers, so that each modifier clearly refers to the word it should actually modify. y a Example: | tried to remember my password sitting at the computer: Sitting at the computer, I tried fo remember my password. . My brother was surprised to see a bear driving to work on Interstate 5: es . I saw the dark shape approach frozen with fear. eee Tagged with metal bracelets, the volunteers easily identified the haw e My sister found a job with a degree in electrical engineering. a Molly went outside to look for her dog wearing her warmest coat. Se