DANGLING AND MISPLACED MODIFIERS

Mrs. Dianne Cline

Oak Mountain Middle School

Shelby County, AL

7th grade GRC ELA

Dangling Modifiers

are words or phrases which “dangle” because they have no word in the sentence to describe:

While taking a shower, the doorbell rang.

The doorbell was taking a shower?

Revise dangling modifiers

by adding a headword—a noun or pronoun that is described:

While I was taking a shower, the doorbell rang.

OR While taking a shower, I heard the doorbell

ring.

Practice Dangling Modifiers

Directions: Read each sentence carefully. If the sentence contains a dangling modifier, write DM. If the sentence is correct, write C.

1. After painting all day, the bright new watercolor was drying in the sunshine.

2. Running around the track, the hurdle was jumped over. 3. Before going to church, I made sure my clothes were ironed. 4. Cement was used, pouring the foundation. 5. Working in the sun, the farmers developed bright red skin. 6. Falling to his knees, the athlete wept over the loss. 7. Feeling under the weather, school was missed. 8. At the age of four, my mother sang hymns to me. 9. Working day and night, the house was built in less than three months. 10. When we were kids, we played hide-and-seek in the park.

A Misplaced Modifier

is placed too close to some other word that it does not intend to modify:

I only speak one language.

All you ever do is speak one language?

Revise misplaced modifiers

by placing the modifier next to its headword:

I speak only one language.

Practice: Misplaced Modifiers 1. Floating in my lemonade, I saw an ice cube. 2. Rolling down the hill, John was afraid that the boulders would injure someone. 3. Decorated with bright red icing, Janice admired the cake. 4. Barking at the moon, the man watched his dog. 5. I saw a beautiful purse shopping with Lisa today. 6. The jacket was too small in the store. 7. I love running at the park in my new shoes. 8. The computer was stolen by a robber worth thousands of dollars. 9. You should ask the girl to go on a date with blonde hair. 10. The couch was ugly in the furniture store.

Split Infinitives

are misplaced modifiers which are placed between the preposition to and the verb in an infinitive--a grammatical unit consisting of the word to plus a verb (to eat, to sleep, etc.):

Dentists encourage children to regularly brush their teeth.

The modifier regularly is splitting the infinitive to brush.

Revise split infinitives

by moving the modifier to another part of the sentence:

Dentists encourage children to brush their teeth regularly.

Squinting Modifiers

are misplaced modifiers which seem to modify two words:

Patty who was walking quickly reached the club.

Is Patty walking quickly, or is she quickly reaching the club?

Revise squinting modifiers

by changing the word order so there is no ambiguity:

Patty, who was quickly walking, reached the club.

OR Patty who was walking reached the club

quickly.

LET’S PRACTICE!!!

Having encountered this problem many times before, the flat tire was easy for me to fix.

Having encountered this problem many times before, I could fix the flat tire easily.

I only have classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

I have classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays only.

LET’S PRACTICE A LITTLE MORE!!!

In group situations, the people who participate sometimes can be annoying when they don’t know what they are doing.

…who participate can sometimes be annoying…

It is the citizens’ right to openly criticize the government without fear of being harassed. …right to criticize the government openly

without fear of being harassed.