Dangling and Misplaced Modifiers
PROGRAM: “IN A WORD”
EPISODE: DANGLING AND MISPLACED MODIFIERS
[5 TO 10 SEC OF MUSIC]
[FADE MUSIC]
I’m Candace Schaefer with “In a Word,” your weekly communication tip.
Have you ever misplaced or dangled your modifier? It’s easy to do.
Modfiers are words, phrases, and clauses that act as adjectives and adverbs. They often add rich and important detail to your sentences. Sometimes, however, they wander off from their proper place in the sentence and cause confusion or vagueness in your writing.
Perhaps you’ve heard this famous example of a misplaced modifier: When loaded, hunters shouldn’t carry guns. Although this could stand as it is as a public service announcement, the placement of the modifier when loaded makes it seem that the danger comes from hunters being loaded. This is an example of a misplaced modifier.
Correcting this sentence is fairly easy. You just place the modifier closer to the word it modifies, in this case, hunters. The corrected sentence reads, “Hunters shouldn’t carry loaded guns.”
If you haven’t misplaced a modifier, you might have dangled one. A modifier dangles when the word it describes is missing. It’s not uncommon in speech, for modifiers to dangle because the speaker implies but doesn’t name the noun a phrase modifies. It often happens when the noun is clear from the context, as in this sentence: “Pen in hand, my draft was ready for revision.”
It’s obvious that the writer is saying that her pen was in her own hand, but grammatically, the sentence isn’t logical. To get rid of the dangling modifier, put the noun it describes back into the sentence, like this: “Pen in hand, I was ready to revise my draft.”
Often, revising a dangling modifier will help you clarify your own meaning. Consider a sentence like this: “Before adopting the panel’s recommendation, further research needs to be conducted.” Who’s going to adopt the recommendation? Further research? Probably not? If you’re hazy on exactly who or what entity is going to take an action, you might inadvertently let your modifier dangle.
Sometimes, though, a dangling modifier works fine, especially in speech or informal writing. If it’s clear what’s being described by the modifier, don’t worry about a bit of dangling. However, in formal writing, identifying and revising misplaced or dangling modifiers will add clarity to your prose.
Make sure that the word, phrase, or clause being modified is present in the sentence, and be sure that the modifier is close to what’s being modified or described. That should take care of any dangling.
This has been “In a Word,” a program made possible by the Texas A&M University Writing Center and a production of KAMU FM on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station. For more writing and speaking tips, visit our website at writingcenter.tamu.edu. I’m Candace Schaefer, helping you make every word count.
[5 TO 10 SEC OF MUSIC]
EPISODE: DANGLING AND MISPLACED MODIFIERS
[5 TO 10 SEC OF MUSIC]
[FADE MUSIC]
I’m Candace Schaefer with “In a Word,” your weekly communication tip.
Have you ever misplaced or dangled your modifier? It’s easy to do.
Modfiers are words, phrases, and clauses that act as adjectives and adverbs. They often add rich and important detail to your sentences. Sometimes, however, they wander off from their proper place in the sentence and cause confusion or vagueness in your writing.
Perhaps you’ve heard this famous example of a misplaced modifier: When loaded, hunters shouldn’t carry guns. Although this could stand as it is as a public service announcement, the placement of the modifier when loaded makes it seem that the danger comes from hunters being loaded. This is an example of a misplaced modifier.
Correcting this sentence is fairly easy. You just place the modifier closer to the word it modifies, in this case, hunters. The corrected sentence reads, “Hunters shouldn’t carry loaded guns.”
If you haven’t misplaced a modifier, you might have dangled one. A modifier dangles when the word it describes is missing. It’s not uncommon in speech, for modifiers to dangle because the speaker implies but doesn’t name the noun a phrase modifies. It often happens when the noun is clear from the context, as in this sentence: “Pen in hand, my draft was ready for revision.”
It’s obvious that the writer is saying that her pen was in her own hand, but grammatically, the sentence isn’t logical. To get rid of the dangling modifier, put the noun it describes back into the sentence, like this: “Pen in hand, I was ready to revise my draft.”
Often, revising a dangling modifier will help you clarify your own meaning. Consider a sentence like this: “Before adopting the panel’s recommendation, further research needs to be conducted.” Who’s going to adopt the recommendation? Further research? Probably not? If you’re hazy on exactly who or what entity is going to take an action, you might inadvertently let your modifier dangle.
Sometimes, though, a dangling modifier works fine, especially in speech or informal writing. If it’s clear what’s being described by the modifier, don’t worry about a bit of dangling. However, in formal writing, identifying and revising misplaced or dangling modifiers will add clarity to your prose.
Make sure that the word, phrase, or clause being modified is present in the sentence, and be sure that the modifier is close to what’s being modified or described. That should take care of any dangling.
This has been “In a Word,” a program made possible by the Texas A&M University Writing Center and a production of KAMU FM on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station. For more writing and speaking tips, visit our website at writingcenter.tamu.edu. I’m Candace Schaefer, helping you make every word count.
[5 TO 10 SEC OF MUSIC]