The most frequent mistakes that occur with modifiers are misplaced modifiers and dangling modifiers. A dangling modifier has no concrete or logical referent in the sentence to which it can attach itself and therefore is said to dangle it has nothing to modify. Exchange papers with a classmate, and rewrite your classmates sentences to correct any misplaced modifiers. Both terms refer to modifiers that are connected to the wrong thing in a sentence. Now customize the name of a clipboard to store your clips. Modifiers can be a word, phrase or clause that describes another word or group of words in your sentence. Paragraph correction read about steven spielberg, director of indiana jones, and on a separate sheet of paper, edit the following paragraphs to eliminate misplaced and dangling modifiers.
A modifier a word or phrase that qualifies the meaning of another element in a sentence. A dangling modifier is a word or phrase often a participle or participial phrase that doesnt actually modify the word its intended to modify. On july 20, 1969, american astronauts neil armstrong and edwin buzz aldrin landed on the moon, watched by nearly a fifth of the worlds population. The modifier should be placed as close as possible to the word it is describing. I held the ticket that my friend gave me tightly in my hand. These can be hard to notice if youre not looking carefully at the structur. Correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers pdf documents. Underline the subject and rewrite the sentence, making the modifier apply clearly to the word it modifies. Correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers pdf documents for students 7th standards. Sometimes writers use modifiers incorrectly, leading to strange and unintentionally humorous sentences. So now we have the critter following the modifier that its supposed to be modified by. First, a brief explanation about english word order.
In all of the following sentences, there are modifiers that do not apply clearly to the word they modify. In one story, rip van winkle slept through the whole american revolution that irving wrote. Dangling modifiers are also called dangling participles what is a dangling modifier. The purpose of this activity is to encourage students to become so familiar with the concepts of misplaced and dangling modifiers. Sitting in the dentists chair, the sound of thedrill made larry sweat. Too hungry to wait for brendas return from the restroom, the bowl of egg drop soup quickly disappeared. Misplaced modifiers a misplaced modifier is a modifying word, phrase, or clause that does not point clearly and directly to what it is supposed to modify. See how creative and humorous you can get by writing ten sentences with misplaced and dangling modifiers. They keep sentences from expressing clear, straightforward ideas.
Drooling in anticipation of the treat, gizmo waited for sylvia to reward him with. Watched by nearly a fifth of the worlds population, american astronauts neil armstrong and edwin buzz aldrin landed on the moon on july 20, 1969. Check your answers with the interactive version of the exercise. It is important to be very clear which words modifiers describe.
A modifier is a word or phrase that describes another word or phrase. A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that is located incorrectly in relation to the word or words it modifies. In some cases, a dangling modifier refers to a word that doesnt even appear in the sentence. As students answer the task cards, they are given le. This bundle includes three resources to add to your misplaced and dangling modifiers unit. Modifiers should be placed as close as possible to the. A dangling modifier is a phrase or clause that is not clearly and logically related to the word or words it modifies i.
Keep in mind everything you know about dangling and misplaced modifiers. A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that is improperly separated from the word it modifies describes. A dangling modifier is a type of misplaced modifier. Jul 04, 2015 misplaced modifiers, for example, can create some pretty funny double meanings.
Misplacedanddanglingmodifiers 1 misplaced and dangling modifiers a misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that is improperly separated from the word or clause it modifies or describes. Given the infinite combinations and permutations available in the english language, we have several ways of correcting a misplaced or dangling participle. Misplaced modifiers can alter the meaning of a sentence, and take away from a writers intended message. Sentences with dangling or misplaced modifiers are often unintentionally funny. When you discover a misplaced or dangling modifier in a sentence, you will need to rearrange andor revise the sentence parts to untangle the idea the sentence wants to express. Sisters reunited after 18 years in checkout counter miners refuse to work after death. The children attended the public school wearing uniforms. Dangling and misplaced modifiers dangling modifiers a dangling modifier is a phrase or clause that does not logically modify any word in the sentence in which it appears. Misplaced modifiers are one of the most common grammatical errors and cause of humor. Some of the worksheets for this concept are dangling and misplaced modifiers, misplaced modifiers, 7 misplaced and dangling modifiers, grammar work misplaced and dangling participles, name date misplaced and dangling m e 1, misplaced modifiers, misplaced modifiers introductory project, name date misplaced modifiers. Modifiers should be placed as closely as possible to the words they modify in order to keep the meaning clear harris 120. Rules for finding and fixing misplaced and dangling modifiers.
In this lesson plan, adaptable for grades 312, students explore brainpop features and resources to learn about misplaced modifiers, including dangling and squinting modifiers. Dangling and misplaced modifiers dangling modifiers are words or phrases that do not have a clear term to modify in a sentence. There are several hilarious newspaper headlines that perfectly illustrate this. A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that clarifies or describes another word, phrase, or clause. Misplaced, dangling, and squinting modifiers gramlee blog.
Grammargrounds grammar education is a free, comprehensive site with instruction, videos, quizzes, and more. The most common modifier mistakes are dangling modifiers and misplaced modifiers. Often, they can be found at the beginning of sentences, though they can also appear at a sentences end. Both adults and teenagers have the privilege of earning their drivers licenses before driving for the first time, drivers education classes are important when learning to drive, one must be very cautious and alert after getting a drivers license, all drivers must remain. Learning about modifiers, especially if you are out of. Sitting in the dentists chair, larry sweated at the soundof the drill. If you find a misplaced modifier, try rewriting the sentence by putting the modifiers closer to the subjects they modify. Rewrite the following paragraph, correcting all misplaced or dangling modifiers. Because of this separation, the meaning of the sentence is.
Misplaced and dangling modifiers appear most commonly in journalistic writing and advertisements, but they are also common in academic writing as well. Dangling modifiers a dangling modifier is a phrase or clause that either modifies no word in the sentence or refers to the wrong word. For example, to clarify the word dog, a writer might use the modifier brown. Literacy education online the best misplaced and dangling modifiers of all time misplaced and dangling modifiers dangling modifiers dangling and misplaced modifiers think you understand dangling and misplaced modifiers. Having finished is a participle expressing action, but the doer is not the tv set the subject of the main clause. Students select the incorrect sentences and then rewrite them so that the meaning is clear.
A javascript box will appear to tell you that your choice is correct or incorrect. If youve had problems with dangling modifiers in your writing, heres a handout to help you eliminate them. Students will learn what a modifier is and what common mistakes are often made with modifiers in writing. Dangling and misplaced modifiers austin peay state university. Clipping is a handy way to collect important slides you want to go back to later. Learning proper grammar and usage rules for the english language can be a complex and confusing task which can often end in frustration. To keep track of your answers, print the accompanying handout. Remember that most modifiers come as close to their targets as possible. Nov 15, 2012 in this video, we will discuss misplaced and dangling modifiers in english. Voiceover yeah so like, that is dangling modifiers, and how you get rid of them. View each sentence and see if you think there is a problem with either a dangling modifier or a misplaced modifer you may use your notes to help. Misplaced and dangling modifiers worksheet by yourdictionary a modifier is a wonderful tool.
A dangling modifier is misplaced because it does not have anything to modify. Running out of breath under the water, my lungs were bursting. The two common types of modifier errors are called misplaced modifiers and dangling modifiers. Turn the misplaced or dangling participle into a dependent.
Recognize and correct the following kinds of misplacement. A dangling modifier is a phrase or clause that does not logically modify any word in the sentence in which it appears. Wishing on a star, we felt that the night was magical. Fixing misplaced modifiers rearranging sentence parts will often fix a misplaced modifier. Misplaced modifiers can change the meaning of sentences. When a modifier is too far from the word it is describing, the sentence becomes confusing. Modifiers are words, phrases, or clauses that modify, and they qualify or limit the meaning of other words. How to fix dangling and misplaced modifiers with examples. Use your mouse to choose the most logical sentence with no misplaced or dangling modifier. Arial default design misplaced and dangling modifiers slide 2 slide 3 q. Refer to discovery, 320324, for additional practice. In the following sentences, identify and correct the misplaced and dangling modifiers. This correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers pdf documents worksheet is suitable for 7th grade. View this course and get bonus materials free here.
Displaying top 8 worksheets found for misplaced modifier. Misplaced and dangling modifiers towson university. In the following sentence, the words in bold modify woman. A misplaced modifier is too far away from the thing its supposed to modify, while a dangling modifier s intended subject is missing from the sentence altogether. Using what they learn, students will create misplaced modifier cartoons. Choose the option that has no misplaced or dangling modifier. The majority of dangling modifiers are verb phrases that are not attached to the intended subject, if any. A modifier is a word or group of words that describes another word or group of words in a sentence.
We still have running around on his little hamster wheel at the beginning, but then we sort of, switched around the order of albert and his pet. Misplaced modifiers a misplaced modifier is a word or word group placed so far away from what it refers to or modifies that the reader may be confused. Both dangling modifiers and misplaced modifiers lead to sentences that do not mean what their writers intended. Free practice questions for sat writing correcting dangling modifier errors. A dangling modifier is an introductory word groupparticiple, gerund, infinitive, or elliptical. Misplaced modifiers a modifier that is placed too far away from the word it describes is called a misplaced modifier. When modifiers adjectives and adverbs are out of place, too far away from the word they modify, the sentence will be awkward or. Get a good laugh with misplaced modifiers bka content. How do we correct a misplaced or dangling participle.
It is also called a dangling participle, hanging modifier, floater, floating modifier, or misrelated participle. Unlike a misplaced modifier, a dangling modifier cannot be corrected by simply moving it to a different place in a sentence. In each case, see if you can explain both the intended meaning and the unintended meaning. What is the difference between misplaced and dangling modifiers. A dangling modifier is a type of misplaced modifier that modifies a word or phrase that is not clearly stated in a sentence. Although dangling and misplaced modifiers can pose some serious problems in writing, they can be fun to read. Watch out for the words only, just, merely, nearly, and almost. If you are unsure which choice to make, consult the rules choose carefully. Misplaced, squinting and dangling the issue the function of modifiers, adjectives and adverbs, is to enable you to express your ideas clearly and precisely by making some aspect of a statement more specific, to define it more precisely.
From real good grammar, too by mamie webb hixon created by april turner. Modifiers should be placed as close as possible to the word or words they describe in order to avoid confusion. Misplaced and dangling modifiers can be difficult to detect since we have a tendency to make sense out of what is really not sensible. Each exercise in this set includes ten sentences, only five of them with dangling or misplaced modifiers. Recognize the following types of dangling modifiers and their corrections. Even worse, these people think they can cover up their ambiguity with a sentence structure that sounds nice. Then they will exchange cartoons with a partner, and identify the intended and unintended meanings. The point is that the introductory participial phrase modifies the first noun it gets to in the base sentence, so running corresponds to i. Because of this separation, the meaning of the sentence is often awkward, ridiculous, illogical, or confusing.
This is a deceptively simple task, but rise to the challenge. Oct 24, 2016 misplaced modifiers are common errors in english often made by writers who have no idea what they want to say. Although most commonly found at the beginning of the sentence, the dangling modifier may be. Without modifiers, you could never say that a pretty girl took home a happy dog or that a nice boy bought a y ummy popsicle. Please have a writing counselor check the remaining exercises. Quia practice quiz dangling and misplaced modifiers. Misplacement of adverbs can sometimes change the meaning of a sentence. For our purposes, dangling and misplaced are equivalent. Since the doer of the action expressed in the participle has not been clearly stated, the participial phrase is said to be a dangling modifier. Refer to discovery, 324327, for additional practice.
Misplaced, dangling, and squinting modifiers overview. This is a practice quiz over problems with modifiers. I held the ticket tightly in my hand that my friend gave me. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Washington irvings stories often contain elements of fantasy. In this light, place modifiers only in sentences where. The best way to recognize them is to practice finding and correcting them. Misplaced modifiers are words, phrases, or clauses that are separated from the word they modify. A modifier is a word or group of words that explains another word or group of words in a sentence. Dangling modifiers cause the sentence to lack coherence. Modifiers are words or word groups that describe other words in a sentence. Because of their dangling modifiers, these sentences wrongly imply that the hill rollerbladed frantically, that p. After clicking ok within the javascript alert, you may try another answer or proceed to. A dangling modifier is a phrase or clause that is not clearly and logically related to.
This lesson shows the definition of a modifier and a clause, as well as the difference between a misplaced modifier and a dangling modifier. The powerpoint provides several examples for mastery and later for students to identify. Middle schoolers identify modifiers in sentences and label them as either dangling or misplaced. Dangling and misplaced modifiers in written english, every modifier should clearly modify something. Our mission is to provide a free, worldclass education to. The issue with these is that the reader could misinterpret the sentence. A dangling modifier fails to refer logically to any word in the sentence. Your writing will become clearer when you learn how to spot and correct misplaced, dangling and squinting modifiers. Use the reference sheet and activity to show middle schoolers how to edit confusing sentences with misplaced modifiers. Misplaced and dangling modifiers utah valley university. The author forgot to tell us who was wishing on a star.