Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers

Misplaced modifiers are words, phrases, and clauses that cause ambiguity or confusion because they are not close enough to the words they modify or because they seem to point to words before or after them.

Examples include the following:

• My parents bought a house from a man with no inside plumbing.
• The characters find a jewel in the story by Maupassant.
• My dog was hit by a truck running across the road.
• I heard my kid outside with the dog yelling and laughing.

Dangling Modifiers are words that modify something which does not appear in the sentence; therefore, they often seem to modify something that is suggested or implied but not actually present in the sentence. They frequently appear at the beginning of sentences.

Examples include the following:

• Leaking in several places, the scouts abandoned their tents.
• Dressed in a silk nightgown, he thought his wife looked sexy.
• After reading the article, the meaning became clear.
• While working for B&W business, writing is the most common communication.

Limiting Modifiers (only, almost, just, merely, simply, even) can also be placed ambiguously and confuse readers:

For Example:

People who use drugs frequently suffer health problems
Vs.
People who frequently use drugs suffer health problems

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