A dangling modifier is a descriptive phrase that does not clearly or logically modify the sentence’s subject. It often appears at the beginning of a sentence and accidentally describes the wrong person or thing.
How to fix it
Identify who or what is performing the action in the modifying phrase, then place that person or thing immediately after the phrase.
Dangling:
Walking to the station, the rain soaked my jacket.
This suggests that the rain was walking to the station.
Fixed:
Walking to the station, I had my jacket soaked by the rain.
A more natural revision is:
As I walked to the station, the rain soaked my jacket.
Reliable revision pattern
Use this structure:
While/After/Because + subject + action, subject + main action.
For example:
Dangling:
After reading the report, the recommendation seemed reasonable.
Who read the report? The sentence does not say.
Fixed:
After reading the report, the committee found the recommendation reasonable.
Or:
After the committee read the report, the recommendation seemed reasonable.
More examples
Dangling:
To improve customer satisfaction, the policy was revised.
A policy cannot intend to improve customer satisfaction.
Fixed:
To improve customer satisfaction, the management team revised the policy.
Dangling:
Driving through the city, the buildings looked enormous.
The buildings were not driving.
Fixed:
Driving through the city, we thought the buildings looked enormous.
Dangling:
Having completed the assignment, the television was turned on.
The television did not complete the assignment.
Fixed:
Having completed the assignment, the student turned on the television.
Dangling:
At six years old, my family moved to a new city.
This says that my family was six years old.
Fixed:
When I was six years old, my family moved to a new city.
Quick checklist
When checking a sentence for a dangling modifier:
- Find the introductory descriptive phrase.
- Ask who or what performs the action in that phrase.
- Look at the noun immediately following the comma.
- If that noun is not the performer, replace it with the correct subject or rewrite the phrase as a complete clause.
A concise editing prompt can also help:
Identify any dangling modifiers in the passage below. For each one, explain what it accidentally modifies and rewrite the sentence so the intended subject is explicit. Preserve the original meaning and tone.
[Paste passage]