{"id":881,"date":"2022-11-08T07:48:07","date_gmt":"2022-11-08T07:48:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.paperpal.com\/blog\/?p=881"},"modified":"2024-03-11T10:17:27","modified_gmt":"2024-03-11T10:17:27","slug":"dangling-modifiers-and-how-to-avoid-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paperpal.com\/blog\/academic-writing-guides\/dangling-modifiers-and-how-to-avoid-them","title":{"rendered":"Dangling Modifiers and How to Avoid Them in Your Writing\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
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What is a dangling modifier? <\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The term “dangling” means hanging or swinging loosely. A modifier is used to describe or qualify another part of a sentence. Dangling modifiers is a common grammar mistake in writing <\/strong>that make for illogical sentence constructions, usually by leaving a phrase to hang precariously at the beginning of a sentence.1<\/sup> According to English Grammar, a dangling modifier is a word or phrase that modifies a word not clearly stated in the sentence. In other words, if a modifier (word or phrase) modifies (changes the meaning) a different noun or pronoun rather than the targeted one, it will be called a dangling modifier. The worst offender is a dangling modifier that modifies no subject, leaving the reader wondering who performed the action in the sentence.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Incorrect:<\/strong> To increase individual access to medical services, user experiential feedback should be fully considered. <\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Correct<\/strong>: To increase individual access to medical services, the program developers should fully consider user experiential feedback. <\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
In the first sentence, it is not clear who should consider the user’s experiential feedback. This is because the word that is being modified is not actually included in the sentence. The second sentence correctly states the subject, making the sentence clear. Another example is as follows: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Incorrect<\/strong>: Requiring more data for the study,\u202finterviews\u202fwere conducted with additional 20 experts. <\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Correct<\/strong>: Because we required more data for the study,\u202fwe interviewed an additional 20 experts. <\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
The beginning phrase in these sentences can be a subordinate clause, a dependent clause, a modifying phrase, a participial phrase, or a dangling participle, which follows a prepositional, past participle, present participle, or adverbial phrases. But in all cases, it modifies something in the sentence that is missing, leading to grammatical errors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Identifying dangling modifiers in your academic writing<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The following steps can help you easily recognize dangling modifiers  <\/p>\n\n\n\n
  1. Check each sentence individually<\/strong>: Look out for introductory phrases that come before the subject of the main clause. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    1. Find the noun or pronoun that the introductory phrase modifies<\/strong>: Identify the noun\/pronoun in the sentence that the introductory phrase is supposed to modify. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
      1. Verify that the modified noun\/pronoun is correct<\/strong>. Check to see if the first noun phrase after the comma is the intended word\/phrase that the introductory phrase is supposed to modify. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
        1. Use of expletive\u202f<\/strong>it<\/em><\/strong>: Dangling modifiers are often followed by the expletive\u202fit<\/em>. Expletives often make sentences wordy and vague.2<\/sup> <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
          Incorrect<\/strong>: Even when the institution is confident in its teaching program, it's difficult for some students to follow that. <\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
          Correct:<\/strong> Even when the institution is confident in its teaching program, some students find it difficult to follow. <\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
          Rules to avoid dangling modifiers in your writing<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
          You can follow the tips given below to remove dangling modifiers and make your writing clearer: <\/p>\n\n\n\n