Dangling modifier
A dangling modifier is a modifying phrase whose implied subject is not the subject of the clause it attaches to, so the sentence describes the wrong thing, as in 'walking to the station, the rain started'.
Walking to the station, the rain started. The phrase describes whoever was walking; the sentence supplies the rain. English attaches an opening modifier to the first subject it meets, so the rain is now on foot.
The error is easy to miss in your own draft because you know who is walking. The reader does not, and the joke arrives before the meaning does.
Dangling modifier examples and fixes
A participial phrase. Badly cracked, he replaced the windscreen. Fix: He replaced the badly cracked windscreen.
A gerund after a preposition. After searching the archive for three weeks, the letter finally turned up. Fix: After searching the archive for three weeks, I finally found the letter.
An infinitive phrase. To qualify for the grant, the forms must be filed by March. Fix: To qualify for the grant, you must file the forms by March.
A clause with its subject left out. While still a child, her father left. Fix: While she was still a child, her father left.
A possessive that looks like a subject. Walking into the kitchen, her eyes fell on the knife. Fix: Walking into the kitchen, she saw the knife. The subject was her eyes, and eyes do not walk.
A passive main clause. Having finished the chapter, the manuscript was sent to her editor. Fix: Having finished the chapter, she sent the manuscript to her editor. Passive voice often hides the person the modifier needs.
Three ways to fix a dangling modifier
- Change the subject of the main clause so it matches: Walking to the station, I was caught in the rain.
- Turn the modifier into a full clause that names its own subject: As I walked to the station, the rain started.
- Use an absolute phrase, which carries its own subject and so cannot dangle. Shaking badly, the key would not go in the lock becomes My hands shaking badly, I could not get the key in the lock, or even My hands shaking badly, the key would not go in.
How to find them in your draft
Most danglers are participial phrases in the opening position, so that is where to look first. A useful line edit habit: on any sentence beginning with an -ing or -ed phrase, or with to plus a verb, read only the phrase and the next two words. If those two words are not the thing the phrase describes, it dangles.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a dangling modifier and a misplaced modifier?
A dangling modifier has nothing in the sentence to belong to: the person doing the action is missing. A misplaced modifier has the right word in the sentence but sits next to the wrong one, as in 'She served sandwiches to the guests on paper plates.'
Are dangling modifiers always wrong?
A few fixed openers are accepted, such as 'Generally speaking', 'Considering the weather' and 'Judging by the queue', because they work almost like prepositions. Anything else that dangles is worth fixing, since readers will notice even when they cannot say why.