Recognizing and Correcting Dangling Modifiers

Identify the dangling modifier:

Hungry for dinner, the surface is where Gert the goldfish waited in anticipation of food flakes.

• hungry for dinner

• Gert the goldfish

• food flakes

Identify the dangling modifier:

Scrubbing the tile grout with bleach and an old toothbrush, the mildew stains began to fade.

• scrubbing the tile grout with bleach and an old toothbrush

• mildew stains

• began to fade

Identify the dangling modifier:

To finish by the 3 p.m. deadline, the computer keyboard sang with Sylvia's flying fingers.

• to finish by the 3pm deadline

• computer keyboard sang

• Sylvia's flying fingers

Identify the dangling modifier:

Groaning on rusty springs, the trampoline tossed the children like clothes in a dryer.

• groaning on rusty springs

• trampoline tossed the children

• clothes in a dryer

Identify the dangling modifier:

Slathering the popcorn with melted butter, the calorie count skyrocketed.

• slathering the popcorn with melted butter

• the calorie count

• the calorie count skyrocketed

Identify the dangling modifier:

Driving up the rock-strewn mountain, the tire went flat.

• driving up the rock-strewn mountain

• tire

• tire went flat

Identify the dangling modifier:

Riding in a swiftly moving vehicle, the landscape becomes blurred.

• riding in a swiftly moving vehicle

• landscape

• landscape becomes blurred

Identify the dangling modifier:

Crashing on the shore, I could hear the waves.

• crashing on the shore

• I could hear

• the waves

Identify the dangling modifier:

Coming home late, the house was dark.

• coming home late

• the house

• the house was dark

Identify the dangling modifier:

To become a movie star, talent and luck must come into play.

• to become a movie star

• talent and luck

• must come into play