Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
What is a dangling modifier?
How to fix dangling modifiers
Review A
Review B
Correcting Dangling Modifiers
Who or what is rowing on the lake?
?
Modifier
A modifier should clearly and sensibly describe another word or word group.
What is a dangling modifier?
Look at this sentence:
Rowing on the lake, strange bugs were seen.
Bugs?
Dressed in warm clothing, the cold was no problem.Hurrying, the ski lift stopped, and the boys got on.
A dangling modifier is a modifier that doesn’t clearly and sensibly modify another word or word group.
??
What is a dangling modifier?
Was the ski lift hurrying?Was the cold dressed in warm clothing?
What is a dangling modifier?
Dangling modifiers often occur at the beginning of a sentence. When a sentence begins with a participial phrase, use these steps to see if the phrase is dangling.
Making the bed, my cat crawled under the covers.Making the bed, my cat crawled under the covers.
Participial phrase
Step 1: Look at the word or word group right after the comma.
No, it doesn’t make sense for the participial phrase to modify cat.
What is a dangling modifier?
Step 2: Ask, “Does it make sense for the phrase to modify the word after the comma?”
?Making the bed, my cat crawled under the covers.
If the modifying phrase doesn’t sensibly modify the word or word group after the comma, you probably have a dangling modifier.
Was the cat making the bed?
Participial phraseDangling modifier
Dangling modifier
What is a dangling modifier?
Try it out with this sentence:
Listening to music, the doorbell could not be heard.
Which word or word group follows the comma?
Does it make sense that the doorbell is listening to music?
doorbell
?
The phrase is a dangling modifier.No.
What is a dangling modifier?
Dangling modifiers can occur in other places in a sentence as well.
The smells, approaching the bakery, were inviting.
My head immediately hit the pillow, exhausted.
Was the pillow exhausted?
Did the smells approach the bakery?
No.
Dangling modifier
Dangling modifier
No.
Circle the word or word group that appears to be modified by the underlined phrase. Then, determine whether the underlined phrase is a dangling modifier. Write D for a dangling modifier or C if the modifier is not dangling.
___ 1. Riding our bikes in the mountains, the scenery was great.
___ 2. Maya’s phone rang returning home.
___ 3. Checking the shelves, Judy found all the books she needed.
___ 4. Filled with daisies, the two girls strolled through the field.
On Your Own
[End of Section]
What is a dangling modifier?
Now the modifier cleaning the attic logically and clearly modifies the subject we.
Strategy 1: Revise the word group that follows the dangling participial phrase.
Was the trunk cleaning the attic?
No. A logical subject—such as we—needs to follow the comma.
When you find a participial phrase that is a dangling modifier, fix the sentence by making the meaning logical and clear.
How to fix dangling modifiersParticipial phrases
Cleaning the attic, an old trunk was found.
Dangling modifier
Cleaning the attic, we found an old trunk.
?
Strategy 2: Change the dangling participial phrase into a clause.
Cleaning the attic, an old trunk was found.
Dangling modifier
Changing the dangling modifier into a clause makes the meaning clear. The clause modifies was found. It tells when the trunk was found.
While we were cleaning the attic, an old trunk was found.
How to fix dangling modifiersParticipial phrases
[End of Section]
How to fix dangling modifiers
On Your Own
Revise each sentence to correct the dangling modifier.
1. My father gave me a puppy at the age of ten.
2. Seated near the fifty-yard line, the game was easy to see.
3. Running hard, the shoelace came untied.
4. Walking into the pet shop, the squawking of parrots could be heard.
[End of Section]
Identify the dangling modifier in each sentence.
1. Reaching the top of the mountain, the view of the city was amazing.
2. The stillness, entering the museum, made us uncomfortable.
3. Discovered under a bush in the backyard, we took in the kitten and cared for it.
4. Caring for a puppy, patience is needed.
5. Discouraged, no more races were run by him for a while.
Review A
[End of Section]
Revise each sentence to correct the dangling modifier.
Review B
1. Using the vacuum cleaner frequently, the carpets stayed clean.
2. His helmet, wanting to be safe, was worn at all times.
3. Awakened by the garbage truck, it was hard to get back to sleep.
4. Stored in the basement, I put the old books to good use.
5. The perfect quilt was found searching on the Internet.
The End
