You are probably asking, "What on earth is a modifier?"

Well, a modifier is a word or phrase used to clarify or give context to a concept in a paragraph. A.K.A, a modifier tells you who is speaking or doing the action within a sentence.

A dangling modifier consists of a word or phrase that modifies a subject that is not clearly stated within a paragraph. A.K.A, a dangling modifier does not tell you who or what is doing the action.

Dangling modifiers are easy mistakes to make in writing; let’s explore proper and improper uses of modifiers.

Example 1:

Having finished the report, the movie was on. Dangling Modifier/ Wrong

Notice, this sentence contains a dangling modifier because Having finished the report is improperly modifying the movie.

Why?

Well, when you think about it, the movie cannot be the actual subject of the sentence because a movie is inanimate--- it does not have the ability to finish a report and turn itself on. So, the actual subject is hidden from the sentence. The subject, in this context, can only be a person.

Let’s see a correct example of a properly used modifier.

Example 2:

Having finished the report, he turned on the movie. Modified/ Correct

Notice, in this sentence the phrase correctly modifies the real subject which is he.

Sometimes, we forget to identify the real subject of a sentence, leaving readers confused about the context of the situation. So, it is important that we clearly identify a person or object properly within a sentence.

Tips for revising dangling modifiers:

Below are a list of a few tips that may help you identify and fix dangling modifiers.

What is the subject? Who is your sentence going to refer to?
Establish a main clause; In other words, what is the main idea, that you will use to modify your subject? The main clause should contain the subject or noun.