Misplaced and Dangling Modifier

​Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers

By Na Ba

Overview Slide

​A modifier describes a word or phrase in a sentence.

When it’s in the wrong place or has no clear word to describe, it can confuse the meaning.
Let’s learn how to fix them!

​Example Slide

❌ Driving down the road, the trees looked beautiful.
✅ Driving down the road, I saw the beautiful trees.

The phrase “Driving down the road” needs a clear subject“I.”

Multiple Choice

Which sentence contains a misplaced modifier?

• She wore a red scarf to the concert.
  
  

• Covered in icing, the cake looked delicious.

• The man gave a book to the girl with a blue cover.

• Smiling brightly, the teacher greeted her class.

Multiple Choice

What is the best correction for the sentence below?
Listening to the baseball game, he talked to his mother on the radio.

• He talked to his mother listening to the baseball game on the radio.

• Listening to the baseball game on the radio, he talked to his mother.

• Listening to his mother, he talked to the baseball game.

• 
  On the radio, listening to his mother, he talked to the game.

Multiple Choice

A dangling modifier occurs when:

• The modifier is too far from the word it modifies.

• The modifier describes the wrong word.

• The modifier has no word to describe.

• The modifier appears at the end of a sentence.

Multiple Choice

Choose the correctly written sentence:

• Smiling with relief, it arrived just before the deadline.

• It arrived smiling with relief just before the deadline.

• Smiling with relief, I delivered my report just before the deadline.

• The report smilingly arrived before the deadline.

Multiple Choice

How can a misplaced modifier be corrected?
a)
b)
c)
d)

• By removing the modifier.

• By moving it close to the word it modifies.

• By adding a comma before it.

• By replacing it with an adjective clause.

Multiple Choice

What is the best revision of this sentence?
Driving down the road, the trees looked beautiful.

• The trees looked beautiful when driving down the road.

• Driving down the road, I saw the beautiful trees.

• Driving down the road, the trees were beautiful.

• When the trees were driving down the road, they looked beautiful.

Multiple Choice

Which sentence contains a misplaced modifier?

• She wore a red scarf to the concert.

• Covered in icing, the cake looked delicious.

• The man gave a book to the girl with a blue cover.

• Smiling brightly, the teacher greeted her class.

Open Ended

Write about a dream you have for the future. (Use 3 modifiers.)

✨ Example:
Determined and hopeful, I will pursue my dream of teaching abroad, inspiring students with creative lessons and colourful stories.

Workbook completion

​Misplaced and Dangling modifiers

Misplaced Modifier-Occurs when the modifier is too far from the word it’s supposed to describe.
❌ Sue heard her favorite song on the radio hanging the laundry.
✅ Hanging the laundry, Sue heard her favorite song on the radio.

Fix: Move the modifier closer to the word it modifies.

​Workbook completion

Dangling Modifier

Happens when the modifier has no clear word to describe — it’s left “dangling.”

Example:
❌ Driving the car, the radio stopped playing.
✅ While Mom was driving the car, the radio stopped playing.

Fix: Add or clarify the noun the modifier is meant to describe.

​To Revise

• To fix a misplaced modifier → move it near the word it modifies.

• To fix a dangling modifier → add the missing noun or reword the sentence.

Workbook Completion

1. Identify and correct the misplaced modifier.

a. ❌ She was arguing with her friend about a plant in her garden with purple leaves.
✅ She was arguing with her friend about a plant with purple leaves in her garden.

✅ The woman’s flowers, filled with dirt, will live in the plant boxes.
—or—
Filled with dirt, the plant boxes will hold the woman’s flowers.

​Correction

b. ❌ Filled with dirt the woman’s flowers will live in the plant boxes.

​Qn

workbook

✅ Listening to the baseball game on the radio, he talked to his mother.

​Correction

❌ Listening to the baseball game he talked to his mother on the radio.

​Qn

workbook

b. ❌ The torn student’s paper was lying on the desk.
✅ The student’s torn paper was lying on the desk.

2

a. ❌ We saw a flock of birds flying on the way to the library.
✅ On the way to the library, we saw a flock of flying birds.

1

Rewrite each sentence to fix misplaced modifiers.

b. ❌ Smiling with relief, it arrived just before the deadline.
✅ Smiling with relief, I delivered my report just before the deadline.

2

a. ❌ Resting today, the sense of calm felt nice.
✅ Resting today, Fatima felt a nice sense of calm.

​1

Correct the dangling modifiers.

Na Ba ELT

How can misplaced or dangling modifiers change the meaning of what you write?