Which one of these options completes the sentence in a way that makes the most sense? When you write a formal essay, you should always follow the steps of the writing process, including prewriting to gather your ideas, drafting to organize your ideas, and making revisions to make sure your ideas are logical. 3) I suggest that if people want to do well, he should try studying, too. Purdue OWL is a registered trademark. Do you really want to submit? Published on Living in southern Ontario, her condominium was affected by the recent power shortages. I cut the sandwich in half with a knife turning on the radio. J'adore le marche ___________ Ville! A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that is separated from the word it describes, creating confusion and ambiguity. Garner, B. You should be aware that textbook requirements might change for this course while processing your order. Scrubbing the tile grout with bleach and an old toothbrush, the mildew stains began to fade. The modifier "vegetarian" gives extra information about what kind of burger it is. They can make a sentences meaning clearer, make a sentence more specific, or simply make it more engaging. She seems logically to be the one doing the action ("having finished"), and this sentence therefore does not have a dangling modifier. In the example above, the first sentence fails to clarify whose hand was injured it does not state the subject of the introductory modifier phrase. interested (in) (participle) Dangling his legs over the water, Tommy sat on the pier Photovoltaic cells convert light energy from the sun and store this energy in batteries for easy use. As we mentioned above, modifiers are words that modify their sentences meanings. to use conditioner, for example, the sun and salt water soon damaged Tommys Then decide whether the sentence Modifiers - Grammar - Academic Guides at Walden University Theres nothing like a cone of chocolate ice cream on a hot day. 3. Turn your sentences into tag questions (sentences that end with a questioning phrase at the very endlook at our examples below). A few examples of single words that may be used as modifiers are: Modifier phrases, which can be adverbial or adjectival phrases, are phrases like: Sometimes, clauses act as modifiers. The sentence "John wants to really do well on this exam" contains which of the following errors? The word or words a dangling modifier should modify have been omitted from the sentence. The first is Usage and Mechanics (including punctuation, grammar, usage, and sentence structure). Then decide whether the sentence is correct or contains a misplaced or dangling modifier. This sentence has a misplaced or dangling modifier! Which of the following sentences contains a dangling participial phrase? Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers | Exercise 2 | Grammar Bytes! How do you specify what somebody looks like? Underline the first noun that follows it: Painting for three hours at night, the kitchen was finally finished by Maggie. Does it modify "Dolger" or "civilization"? Which of the following sentences contains a dangling modifier? A modifier describes or qualifies another part of a sentence. They frequently include an -ing word (gerund) and to + verb (infinitive) phrase near the start of a sentence. Relieved of your responsibilities at your job, not having studied the lab manual carefully, Writing Letters of Recommendation for Students, Higher Order Concerns (HOCs) and Lower Order Concerns (LOCs), Dangling Modifiers and How To Correct Them, Overview of Two-Part (Phrasal) Verbs (Idioms), Comparing Gerunds, Participles, and Infinitives. This will make your readers either laugh or scratch their heads, neither of . c) comes at the end of a sentence and is separated from the word it modifies. When a modifier is not modifying a specific word, we call it a dangling modifier. The revision might look something like this: INCORRECT: After reading the original study, the article remains unconvincing. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Directions: Read the sentence below. Check our our FAQ. The term verbal indicates that a participle, like the other two kinds of verbals, is based on a verb and therefore expresses action or a state of being. Moving slowly, Bowie stalked the rabbits. All rights reserved. However, if we place the modifying phrase next to the word it describes, the sentence becomes correct. You guessed itwith modifiers. Which sentence contains a dangling modifier? (5 points - Brainly As we mentioned above, modifiers can be single words, phrases, or clauses. Now, lets look at a similar misplaced modifier example: Happy that school was over, the afternoon was quite relaxing for the students. 5.3: Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers - Humanities LibreTexts See APA 7, Section 4.23 for more explanation and examples. A dangling modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that modifies an element that is missing from a sentence. Dangling Modifiers 2 Flashcards | Quizlet Sentence 2. Return to The Concise Canadian Writer's Handbook 3e Student Resources. When a sentence does not clearly state the subject being modified, the introductory phrase becomes a dangling modifier. Misplaced Modifiers: Definition and Examples | Grammarly However, since they function as adjectives, participles modify nouns or pronouns. without realizing it. Want to create or adapt books like this? If they do not, it is very likely you have a dangling modifier. Wanting to make a delicious sandwich, the mayonnaise was thickly spread. And like adjectival phrases, adverbial phrases are often used by writers to make descriptions more vivid: Writers also modify sentences with adverbial clauses like: Prepositional phrases can also be used as modifiers. These, too, are generally either adverbial or adjectival and can look like: Typically, modifiers are placed right beside the. Not sure what a modifier is? in the water. ACT English tests two broad content areas. Have a human editor polish your writing to ensure your arguments are judged on merit, not grammar errors. Sentence 1 Directions: Read the highlighted item in the passage below. Understanding Participial Phrases - ThoughtCo (Painting is the -ing modifier.). In the corrected sentence, the subject, John, appears immediately after the modifier phrase. This modifier placement makes it clear that the "civilization" used astronavigation. There are several effective ways to identify and correct misplaced and dangling modifiers. Google Classroom. With the misplaced modifier, the word it describes is there, but in the wrong place. Shop Sometimes writers use modifiers incorrectly, leading to strange and unintentionally humorous sentences. Handouts Rules Didn't find what you need? C) Several students walk home together in the evening. Henry learned that, aside from writing books, Charles Dickens also travelled and read his stories to eager audiences in his English literature lecture. These details, depending on how this sentence fits into a larger conversation, could serve as foreshadowing, clarification, distinction between this and another statement, or a means to hook the listeners attention. Modifiers include descriptive words such as adjectives and adverbs: She always listened attentively in class. To revise, decide who actually arrived late. Read our website accessibility and accommodation statement. The teacher served cookies to the children wrapped in aluminum foil. Which of the following sentences has a misplaced modifier? (2016). Take a look at these examples: , the kids who played at the playground bought ice cream. Dangling modifiers describe a word or phrase that is not included in the sentence. Did they previously live in bricks? For example, in the following sentence, the word "burger" is modified by the word "vegetarian": Example: I'm going to the Saturn Caf for a vegetarian burger. Placing the cold cuts on the bread, the lettuce was placed on top. On a separate sheet of paper, rewrite the following sentences to correct the misplaced modifiers. a curt goodbye, Marinas tail slapped the surface dismissively as What is a Dangling Modifier? Definition, Examples of Dangling Modifiers My studies have been focused on the social sciences, having taken two political science courses and one sociology course. The clown at the party was very nice. Misplaced modifiers describe a word or phrase that is in the sentence, but in the wrong place. (a) After the dogs had obedience training, the brothers let them play in the park. Chapter 8: The Writing Process: How Do I Begin? Fundamentally, modifiers purpose is to make sentences more descriptive or detailed. Some animals, such as male frogs, only use their vocal organs to attract a mate. Go beyond words when generative AI comes to Grammarly, Grammarly helps you communicate confidently. Correct: They bought a kitten they call Shadow for my brother. or dangling modifier. Present participles end in -ing. After finishing the team's presentation at the board meeting, the president complimented us. cat surprised us by accepting the new kitten. How he got in my pajamas, I dont know.Groucho Marx. Which of the following sentences contains a dangling modifier? Often this error is a result of a main clause written in the passive voice. Watching the game with her friends, her favourite soccer team won the championship. With no intelligible written dialect of this ancient civilization, the story of Easter Island remains a matter of speculation. | Examples & How to Eliminate. Now the subject in the sentence I matches the modifier after consulting a selection of current publications., Now the modifier according to the selection of current publications matches the subject research.. This is known as a. Dangling modifiers (practice) | Khan Academy For example, if you say purple womens shoes, it sounds like the women are purple, not the shoes. How do you describe how an action is being performed? The Problem With Phrases One method of fixing a dangling modifier is to leave the modifier as it is and rewrite the main clause so that it begins with the subject being modified. Take a look at these examples to see a variety of ways modifiers operate in sentences: Before school starts, the teachers all drink, Modifiers work by adding descriptive language to sentences, either just before or just after the words they are modifying. With the dangling modifier, the word students isnt in the sentence. Correct: The trees looked like spooky aliens as Jonas was walking home at night. Incorrect: The patient was referred to the physician with stomach pains. Correct: As Jane was riding in the sports car . Incorrect: Riding in the sports car, the world whizzed by rapidly. What is a misplaced modifier - towson.edu A dangling modifier is a word or phrase that modifies a word not clearly stated in the sentence. After identifying the error (if there is one), fix the sentence. Doctoral Capstone Preproposal Starter Kit, Sentence Structure and Types of Sentences, Relative, Restrictive, and Nonrestrictive Clauses, Verb Forms: "-ing," Infinitives, and Past Participles, Mastering the Mechanics: Modifiers (video transcript), Structuring Sentences: Dangling Modifiers (video transcript), Structuring Sentences: Misplaced Modifiers (video transcript), website accessibility and accommodation statement, Walden Departments, Centers, and Resources. document.write([location.protocol, '//', location.host, location.pathname].join('')); Both of the example sentences above are complete sentences, but only one provides additional details about the train ride. Dangling modifiers. My uncle had to see a doctor with indigestion. A participial phrase is a group of words consisting of a participle and the modifier(s) and/or (pro)noun(s) or noun phrase(s) that function as the direct object(s), indirect object(s), or complement(s) of the action or state expressed in the participle, such as: The participial phrase functions as an adjective modifying Jack. A dangling modifier (or simply a dangler) is a word, phrase, or clause that describes something that has been left out of the sentence. The passage continues claiming . DANGLING MODIFIER: When we begin a sentence with a modifying word, phrase, or clause, we must make sure the next thing that comes along can, in fact, be modified by that modifier. Here are a few examples of misplaced modifiers: One type of misplaced modifier is known as a. . In a correct sentence, the subject (or doer) that is modified should immediately follow the comma after the modifier. Mr. Fernandez is teaching us about great world leaders. In English sentences, the doer must be the subject of the main clause that follows. The adverb "carefully" is the modifier in this exampleit modifies the verb "proofread," giving important details about how the proofreading was conducted. (a) mockery, (b) derision, (c) decision, (d) contempt. Home A dangling modifier is a modifier that doesnt modify any specific word in the sentence. Dangling modifiers make unclear the meaning of a sentence. Problem. A dangling modifier is a word or phrase that modifies a word not clearly stated in the sentence. Robust, real-time communication assistance, Write, rewrite, get ideas, and quickly reply with GrammarlyGO, Features to polish, grammar, tone, clarity, team consistency, and more, Writing assistance on 500,000+ apps and sites across your devices, For desktop apps and websites like Word and Gmail, For sites like Google Docs, Gmail, and LinkedIn, Check for grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes, Format citations in APA, MLA, and Chicago, Modifiers, as their name implies, are words that modify. In the second, did they run out of bricks? Punctuation: When a participial phrase begins a sentence, a comma should be placed after the phrase. While swimming the mile back to shore as a. du b. au c. de la 3. Since a person must be doing the carrying for the sentence to make sense, a noun or pronoun that refers to a person must be in the place immediately after the participial phrase, as in the second sentence.