College Composition / Unit 6 CMP 0129 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Fixing a Dangling Modifier
The idea
A dangling modifier is fixed by naming the doer, either right after the opening phrase or inside it.
In practice
Take "Covered in syrup, Jamie ate the pancakes." Work in order. First, ask who or what the opening phrase describes: the pancakes, not Jamie. Second, choose a fix. One fix moves the target beside the phrase: "Jamie ate the pancakes that were covered in syrup." Another builds the description into the noun: "Jamie ate the syrup-covered pancakes." For a phrase describing an action, such as "Walking down the street, the rain started," either make the doer the subject, "Walking down the street, I felt the rain start," or turn the phrase into a clause, "As I walked down the street, the rain started." Third, reread to confirm that each describing phrase now touches its target.
Where people slip
Moving words around is not enough if the doer is still missing. "The rain started while walking down the street" still has no walker; the person has to appear in the sentence.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
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