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A misplaced or dangling modifier, is an error in sentence structure when a grammatical modifier is associated with a word other than the one intended, or with no particular word at all. For example, a writer may have meant to modify the subject, but word order makes the modifier seem to modify an object instead. Such ambiguities can lead to unintentional humor or difficulty in understanding a sentence.
A typical example of a dangling modifier is the sentence, "Turning the corner, a handsome school building appeared". The modifying clause Turning the corner is clearly supposed to describe the behavior of the narrator (or other observer), but grammatically it appears to apply to nothing in particular, or to the school building. Similarly, in the sentence , "At the age of eight, my family finally bought a dog", the modifier 'At the age of eight' "dangles" in mid-air, attaching to no named person or thing.
(According to Wikipedia)
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∙ 13y ago
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Typical sentence errors involving modifiers include?
misplaced and dangling modifiers
How do you correct dangling and misplaced modifiers?
Move the word or the phrase closer to the words modified. If this is not possible, make separate sentences or remove the modifier completely.
What are the three kinds of dangling modifiers?
There are actually a number of causes for dangling modifiers: some are dangling participles, dangling gerunds, dangling infinitives, and misplaced modifiers. In all cases, they result in sentences that are unintentionally funny. My favorites are: I heard it was going to rain on the radio. (Misplaced: "on the radio" should be next to "heard" unless you have a radio with a big rain cloud over it.) Sandy was walking her dog in a really short skirt. (Misplaced: this sentence seems to say the dog was wearing a really short skirt, rather than Sandy.) Having broken its leg, we took the dog to the hospital. (Dangling gerund-- did WE break the dog's leg?) A clean coffee pot is necessary to enjoy a good cup of coffee. (Dangling infinitive-- where's the subject in this sentence? Who is drinking the coffee-- the coffee pot?)
When they are fresh eating oranges can often keep away the cold virus. Is this a dangling modifiers?
Not really. "When they are fresh" is really a misplaced modifier, since it describes the oranges rather than describing "eating," which is present participle (functioning as a gerund) that is acting as the subject of the sentence. If it were a dangling modifier, it wouldn't modify anything in the sentence.
What are words or phrases that do not modify ANY word in the sentence?
Dangling Modifiers
Do foreign speakers often use dangling modifiers?
Only if their teachers do.
What is a strategy to avoid and correct misplaced modifiers?
To avoid misplaced modifiers, place them as close as possible to the word they are modifying in a sentence. To correct misplaced modifiers, rearrange the sentence so that the modifier is placed next to the word it is meant to describe. Additionally, make sure the meaning of the sentence is clear and logical.
Do foreign English speakers often use dangling modifiers?
Only if their teachers do.
What is rule for fixing misplaced modifiers?
b.The modifier should be placed as close as possible to the word it modifies
How can you avoid and correct misplaced modifiers?
Place the modifier and the word it modifies as close together as possible in the sentence.
What is a dangling and misplaced modifier?
A dangling modifier is a word or phrase that is not clearly connected to the word it is intended to modify in a sentence, causing confusion or ambiguity. A misplaced modifier, on the other hand, is a word or phrase placed in a sentence so that it modifies the wrong word, leading to misinterpretation of the intended meaning.
List the three kinds of dangling modifiers?
Misplaced modifier: This occurs when a modifier is not placed next to the word it is meant to modify, leading to confusion or ambiguity. Squinting modifier: This type of modifier can be interpreted as modifying either the word that comes before it or the word that comes after it, resulting in unclear meaning. Dangling modifier: This happens when a modifier does not have a clear word or phrase to modify in the sentence, leading to awkward or illogical constructions.
