How to Fix Dangling and Misplaced Modifiers

When you are writing, modifiers can help you add substance to your ideas and clarify your points. But modifiers can be tricky to use, and you should watch out for two troubling errors: dangling modifiers and misplaced modifiers. Both can pop up in your writing without your consent or intention, and they can be difficult to spot. With a little sleuthing, however, you can not only find them in your work--you can fix them. Read on to learn how to fix dangling and misplaced modifiers.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Understand what dangling modifiers and misplaced modifiers are. A “dangling modifier” just dangles at the beginning of the sentence, unconnected to any logical subject. A “misplaced modifier” is just that--out of place. The thing it’s describing is there, but the two are not properly linked.
2. Watch out for “-ing” words at the beginning of a sentence--these often signal a dangling modifier. Take a look at this sentence: "When writing, modifiers can help you clarify your points." The first part of the sentence--“When writing”--is a dangling modifier. Why? Because the word that follows it--“modifiers”--doesn’t make any sense. Modifiers write? Really? Think about what the writer really wants to say: “When you are writing, modifiers can help you clarify your points.”
3. Fix dangling modifiers in two ways: by adding a subject into the modifier itself, or by adding the logical subject immediately after the modifier. Try both ways to see what works for your sentence; sometimes, both methods will work. We saw the first fix in Step 2. Here’s another: “When writing, you can use modifiers to help you clarify your points.”
4. Beware passive verbs--they can lead to dangling modifiers. Passive verbs occur when you use a form of “to be” plus the past participle form of a verb, such as “was killed” or “were purchased.” Passive voice eliminates the actor in a sentence. Check out what happens when you use a modifier with passive verb: “Screaming wildly, the pumpkins were thrown by the boys.” Maybe in a Halloween movie, but in real life, perhaps not. The passive verb “were thrown” gives the modifier “Screaming wildly” nothing to modify. Fix it by changing the passive verb to active, clarifying who’s doing the action: “Screaming wildly, the boys threw the pumpkins.”
5. Watch out for words like “only,” “almost,” “even” and “nearly,” because these modifiers are frequently misplaced. Make sure they appear directly before what they describe. Take a look at this sentence: “Annette only ate two cookies.” The modifier, “only,” appears before “ate,” which suggests that the writer expected Annette to devour, crush or demolish two cookies--not just eat them. Logic tells us that the writer intended to clarify the number of cookies Annette ate. Fixing a misplaced modifier is easy--just move it before what it modifies: “Annette ate only two cookies.”

Tips & Warnings

• In everyday conversation, modifiers like “only” are almost always misplaced--the wrong way just sounds better. But in your writing, make sure to use them properly.
• Revise and edit your work with modifiers in mind. It’s helpful to go through your work with a red pen and circle all the modifiers you see, then double-check to be sure they refer to what they’re supposed to. Circling passive verbs can help you pick out dangling modifiers too.