Tips on Fixing Dangling Modifiers

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.

1. What is the subject? Who is your sentence going to refer to?

2. 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.

Welcoming our New Author!

We welcome one of our newest author, Shaterra Gentry to J. Kenkade Publishing!

We are excited to have the opportunity to publish a new life changing story.

"Hood Chick Delivered", is a novel about a young lady named Sasha who is deeply involved in gang violence. When her friend is shot and put into a coma, Sasha begins her journey with God in the hopes to save herself and her friend from the entangled grasp of Satan's clutches. Join us in Sasha's journey as she shows us how God moved in her life to make a huge change. This is a fiction novel we feel will inspire and give back spiritually to the people of God.

We are proud of Shaterra for placing faith in us and submitting her story. Congratulations Shaterra!

~Love, Your family at J. Kenkade Publishing

Using Visuals Ethically

Visuals are a form of design that help maintain interest and comprehension during presentations. They usually contribute strong support and credibility within most forms of communication.

Ethical visuals convey and interpret statistical information and other types of data, products and equipment, locations, and even individuals without misinterpretation. This includes the following:

• accuracy

• honesty

• complete

• appropriateness

• legible

• labled

• uncluttered

Remember to check your visuals!

Contact J. Kenkade Publishing for our free manuscript writing assistance services.

Phone: (501) 482-JKEN

Before You Write A Manuscript

There are a few steps you should consider before submitting a manuscript. 

Proofreading Your Work

• It’s very common for an editor to ask you to revise your own work, as well as read other writer's material. In the writing world, it's imperative that you diligently proofread your work in order to discover mistakes and improper formatting issues. Reading other successful writer's material can further develop your editing skills.

UnderStanding Your Style

• Use your knowledge from reading in the marketplace to determine if your style of writing fits the criteria for prospective job opportunities. Knowing your audience is everything. Are you writing a drama? Perhaps you are writing a comedy? Whatever you write, must be marketable to that  genre. In other words, if you are writing a comedy, do not attempt to market to action or drama. Pick a style that is unique to your work and begin to write for that market.

Knowing Your Audience

• Knowing your market is one of the most important things you can do before sending in a manuscript. This may sound redundant, however knowing your market is critical. Perhaps you are writing material about a topic related to your audience's genre, however the topic is a little dated. For example, if spaceships and aliens were a bookseller fad last year but are not this year, consider writing new, original material aside from that idea. Knowing what books are selling better than others will help you understand what it is your audience craves.

Contact J. Kenkade Publishing for our free manuscript writing assistance services.

Phone: (501) 482-JKEN

Creative Editing Tips

1. Take on the task of daily writing to organize your work.

In a lot of creative “How To” books, the author often begins by explaining how to find a genre of literature that suits your writing. Some will introduce you to a wide variety of styles associated with Mystery, Action, Adventure, etc in order for you to customize your own work into a common template for that style. But in actuality, you may already have a good idea of what you want your story to be about, but do not know how to organize what will happen next. This may be because you want your themes to be more unique than the author next door to you.

You should definitely allow yourself to jot down all the ideas and character models that come to mind daily. Try carrying a spare notebook around so when an idea appears, you have something on hand to organize your ideas. Just like creating a draft document of an essay, you want to to write down all your ideas, main points and background behind characters as you see them currently.

2. Don’t Edit Prematurely

I know it is very tempting to edit your ideas as you go along writing them. After all, the creative mind is always thinking of an infinite amount of possibilities, and it can be hard not to change an original idea for a better one. However, you do not want edit your work while you are brainstorming; Instead, list all the possible characteristics, outcomes and climaxes that could come into effect. Doing so will keep your options open to how each character and scenes can actually develop. Eventually, you may find a few of those ideas will actually fit together sequentially, and you can edit the unnecessary storylines out.

Lets discover the best ways to edit our drafts.

Contact J. Kenkade Publishing for our free manuscript writing assistance services.

Phone: (501) 482-JKEN

Welcoming our New Children's Author

We welcome Pastor Regina Moore to the J. Kenkade Publishing family! Her children's books have already inspired many children around the southern U.S. & we await to see how God will continue to move! We're excited to be publishing "Grandma's Lap!"

Welcome Aboard!

A STORY OF REJECTION TO ROYALTY

We welcome one of our newest authors, Tyneisha Renai Collins to J. Kenkade Publishing! We are honored to have the opportunity to publish such a life changing story!

"I AM QUEEN" tells the story of a little girl whose mother continuously rejected and abandoned her, which resulted in making decisions that were unfavorable in her relationships and other parts of her life. She experienced abusive relationships and low-self esteem throughout many years of her life; but with the help of other family members and a relationship with God, she discovered that she was royalty; and indeed, a queen.

Tyneisha sings praises to God saying, "She Turned Her Cant's Into Cans & Her Dreams Into Plans" by signing her Publishing Contract for her first book, I AM QUEEN!

We are proud of Tyneisha for overcoming so many dark trials. Congratulations Queen!

~Love, Your family at J. Kenkade Publishing