The most frequent mistakes that occur with modifiers are misplaced modifiers and dangling modifiers. This activity challenges students to identify dangling or misplaced modifiers in incorrect sentences and fix them. A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that doesnt clearly relate to the word or phrase it is intended to modify. Dangling modifiers describe this correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers pdf documents worksheet is suitable for 7th grade. Dangling modifiers dangling modifiers almost always include action verbs. If youve had problems with dangling modifiers in your writing, heres a handout to help you eliminate them. A modifying word or phrase dangles when it doesnt apply to the word its supposed to modify. The 4 english sentence types simple, compound, complex, compound. Mark lester and larry beason point out that misplaced modifiers do not make sentences ungrammatical. Recognize and correct the following kinds of misplacement.
File type pdf dangling modifiers exercises with answer modifiers are words. Refer to discovery, 324327, for additional practice. A dangling modifier is a phrase or clause that does not logically modify any word in the sentence in. On july 20, 1969, american astronauts neil armstrong and edwin buzz aldrin landed on the moon, watched by nearly a fifth of the worlds population. These can be hard to notice if youre not looking carefully at the structur. Both adults and teenagers have the privilege of earning their drivers licenses before driving for the first time, drivers education classes are important when learning to drive, one must be very cautious and alert after getting a drivers license, all drivers must remain. Given the infinite combinations and permutations available in the english language, we have several ways of correcting a misplaced or dangling participle.
Rewrite the following paragraph, correcting all misplaced or dangling modifiers. Drooling in anticipation of the treat, gizmo waited for sylvia to reward him with. For example, to clarify the word dog, a writer might use the modifier brown. A dangling modifier has no concrete or logical referent in the sentence to which it can attach itself and therefore is said to dangle it has nothing to modify.
As a result, sentences with dangling or misplaced modifiers frequently sound odd or amusing. Middle schoolers identify modifiers in sentences and label them as either dangling or misplaced. Misplaced modifiers a modifier that is placed too far away from the word it describes is called a misplaced modifier. A dangling modifier is a phrase or clause that either modifies no word in the sentence or refers to the wrong word. Pdf learning proper grammar and usage rules for the english language can be a complex and. In the previous examples, one modifier includes the word driving, and the other includes the verb asked. Misplaced modifiers a misplaced modifier is a modifying word, phrase, or clause that does not point clearly and directly to what it is supposed to modify. Dangling and misplaced modifiers in written english, every modifier should clearly modify something. Not all dangling modifiers occur at the beginnings of sentences, but many of them do. Dangling and misplaced modifiers dangling modifiers a dangling modifier is a phrase or clause that does not logically modify any word in the sentence in which it appears. Both terms refer to modifiers that are connected to the wrong thing in a sentence. A modifier a word or phrase that qualifies the meaning of another element in a sentence. This was originally created for 7th grade language arts class.
Sitting in the dentists chair, larry sweated at the soundof the drill. Misplacedanddanglingmodifiers 1 misplaced and dangling modifiers a misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that is improperly separated from the word or clause it modifies or describes. Swinging from a giant tire, the tourists were delighted by the gorilla. Usually, a dangling modifier is found near the beginning of the sentence and starts. Correcting misplaced and dangling modifiers pdf documents for students 7th standards. Unlike a misplaced modifier, a dangling modifier cannot be.
Although dangling and misplaced modifiers can pose some serious problems in writing, they can be fun to read. In the blank beside each sentence, indicate whether that sentence contains a dangling modifier dm or a misplaced modifier mm. Determine whether the sentences below contain misplaced or dangling modifiers. When a sentence opens with such a modifier, readers expect the following clause to name the actor. Because of this separation, the meaning of the sentence is often awkward, ridiculous, illogical, or confusing. The two common types of modifier errors are called misplaced modifiers and dangling modifiers. A dangling modifier is a word or phrase often a participle or participial phrase that doesnt actually modify the word its intended to modify. The most common modifier mistakes are dangling modifiers and misplaced modifiers. Our mission is to provide a free, worldclass education to anyone, anywhere.
Choose the option that has no misplaced or dangling modifier. Choose the most logical way to complete each sentence. Misplaced, squinting and dangling the issue the function of modifiers, adjectives and adverbs, is to enable you to express your ideas clearly and precisely by making some aspect of a statement more specific, to define it more precisely. Pdf learning proper grammar and usage rules for the english language can be a complex and confusing task which can often end in frustration.
Check your answers with the interactive version of the exercise. Misplaced and dangling modifiers part 2 watch shauns. In written english, every modifier should clearly modify something. A dangling modifier is a phrase or clause that is not clearly and logically related to. I held the ticket tightly in my hand that my friend gave me. Sitting in the dentists chair, the sound of thedrill made larry sweat. It is also called a dangling participle, hanging modifier, floater, floating modifier, or misrelated participle. The majority of dangling modifiers are verb phrases that are not attached to the intended subject, if any. How do we correct a misplaced or dangling participle.
Misplaced modifiers a misplaced modifier is a descriptive part of the sentence that is in the wrong place. The modifier should be placed as close as possible to the word it is describing. A misplaced modifier is too far away from the thing its supposed to modify, while a dangling modifier s intended subject is missing from the sentence altogether. Paragraph correction read about steven spielberg, director of indiana jones, and on a separate sheet of paper, edit the following paragraphs to eliminate misplaced and dangling modifiers. A modifier is a word or phrase that describes another word or phrase. Misplaced, dangling, and squinting modifiers overview. Washington irvings stories often contain elements of fantasy. Misplaced and dangling modifiers utah valley university. Misplaced and dangling modifiers towson university. From real good grammar, too by mamie webb hixon created by april turner. A dangling modifier fails to refer logically to any word in the sentence.
Authors need to be responsible for writing with proper literary style and tone. Sometimes writers use modifiers incorrectly, leading to strange and unintentionally humorous sentences. In prescriptive grammar, misplaced modifiers are usually regarded as errors. Rules for finding and fixing misplaced and dangling modifiers. A modifier is a word or group of words that explains another word or group of words in a sentence. Worksheets relating to misplaced and dangling modifiers. Displaying top 8 worksheets found for misplaced modifier. Sometimes to correct a misplaced or dangling modifier and clarify the meaning, the writer must change the words in a sentence. The best misplaced and dangling modifiers of all time misplaced and dangling modifiers dangling modifiers. I held the ticket that my friend gave me tightly in my hand. First, a brief explanation about english word order. Dangling modifiers cause the sentence to lack coherence. In some cases, a dangling modifier refers to a word that doesnt even appear in the sentence. Both dangling modifiers and misplaced modifiers lead to sentences that do not mean what their writers intended.
The point is that the introductory participial phrase modifies the first noun it gets to in the base sentence, so running corresponds to i. It was not the alarm clock that was sleeping soundly. A dangling modifier is a phrase or clause that is not clearly and logically related to the word or words it modifies i. In one story, rip van winkle slept through the whole american revolution that irving wrote. Because of this separation, the meaning of the sentence is. The issue with these is that the reader could misinterpret the sentence. Misplaced and dangling modifiers exercise 1 answers pdf.
Although most commonly found at the beginning of the sentence, the dangling modifier may be. That sparkled in the afternoon sun, a relative clause, describes glass, the noun in front. A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that clarifies or describes another word, phrase, or clause. A dangling modifier is a modifier that lacks a word or group of words to modify. Recognize the following types of dangling modifiers and their corrections. Both dangling modifiers and misplaced modifiers lead to sentences that do not mean what. As students answer the task cards, they are given le. Adding michael to the sentence lets the reader know who is scrubbing the tile grout. What is the difference between misplaced and dangling modifiers. A dangling modifier is an introductory word groupparticiple, gerund, infinitive, or elliptical.
Some of the worksheets for this concept are dangling and misplaced modifiers, misplaced modifiers, 7 misplaced and dangling modifiers, grammar work misplaced and dangling participles, name date misplaced and dangling m e 1, misplaced modifiers, misplaced modifiers introductory project, name date misplaced modifiers. So when your comp instructor marks a dangling or misplaced modifier, it means the verbal adjective phrase has nothing to modify or is too far away from the word it modifies. The waiter served a dinner roll that was well buttered to the woman. Make sure that you do not dangle or misplace a modifier. Misplaced and dangling modifiers can be difficult to detect since we have a tendency to make sense out of what is really not sensible. Misplaced modifiers are words or phrases that do not clearly point to the word or phrase they modify, in this way obscuring meaning. This bundle includes three resources to add to your misplaced and dangling modifiers unit. Watched by nearly a fifth of the worlds population, american astronauts neil armstrong and edwin buzz aldrin landed on the moon on july 20, 1969. Dangling modifiers are usually introductory word groups such as verbal phrases that suggest but do not name an actor. Unlike a misplaced modifier, a dangling modifier cannot be corrected by simply moving it to a different place in a sentence.
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