College Writing Skills / CWS with Readings, 5E 2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc

Dangling ModifiersDangling Modifiers

College Writing SkillsCollege Writing Skills, 5E , 5E and and College College Writing Skills with ReadingsWriting Skills with Readings, 5E, 5E

John LanganJohn Langan

Chapter Thirty-Three

College Writing Skills / CWS with Readings, 5E 2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc

Dangling Modifiers

A modifier that opens a sentence must be followed immediately by the word it is meant to describe.

Otherwise, the result is a

College Writing Skills / CWS with Readings, 5E 2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc

Dangling Modifiers

Here’s an example:

Jumping from limb to limb, the spectators at the zoo were delighted by the monkeys.

(The spectators weren’t jumping, were they?)

College Writing Skills / CWS with Readings, 5E 2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc

Dangling Modifiers

That’s the trouble with

Your sentences take on an unintended meaning.

Let’s correct the sentence about the monkeys.

College Writing Skills / CWS with Readings, 5E 2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc

Dangling Modifiers

Incorrect:

Jumping from limb to limb, the spectators at the zoo were delighted by the monkeys.

Correct:Correct:

Jumping from limb to limb, the monkeys delighted the spectators at the zoo.

How did the sentence change?

College Writing Skills / CWS with Readings, 5E 2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc

Dangling Modifiers

We put the subject right after the opening word group.

Jumping from limb to Jumping from limb to limb, the limb, the delighted the delighted the spectators at the zoo.spectators at the zoo.

Can we fix the sentence another way?

College Writing Skills / CWS with Readings, 5E 2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc

Dangling Modifiers

Yes! We can place the subject within the opening word group.

While the were While the were jumping from limb jumping from limb to limb, they to limb, they delighted the delighted the spectators at the zoo.spectators at the zoo.

Let’s review. . .

College Writing Skills / CWS with Readings, 5E 2000 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc

Correcting Dangling Modifiers

Decide on a logical subject, and do one of the following:

1. Place the subject right after the opening word group.

OROR

2. Place the subject within the opening word group.