3 Sentences with Dangling Modifiers

3 Sentences with Dangling Modifiers 3 Sentences with Dangling Modifiers 3 Sentences with Dangling Modifiers By Mark Nichol Coming from my inexhaustible supply of dangling modifiers, you will find this post a helpful exercise in how to spot this type of error. That lead sentence, of course, contains a dangling modifier, a phrase providing additional information about a sentence’s subject that does not associate directly with the subject. In this case, because the subject is you, the implication is that you, dear reader, rather than the contents of this post, are coming from the stated source. The sentence is better presented as follows: â€Å"You will find this post, coming from my inexhaustible supply of dangling modifiers, a helpful exercise in how to spot this type of error.† Here are a few sentences with the same class of mistake, followed by my suggested solutions: 1. â€Å"As the only one with a Muslim-sounding name in class, people turned to her on questions about Islam. This sentence refers to â€Å"people† representing a heretofore unmentioned individual’s classmates rather than that person, as â€Å"the only one with a Muslim-sounding name in class,† so the initial modifying phrase should be revised to clearly identify the person consulted as described: â€Å"Because she was the only person in the class with a Muslim-sounding name, people turned to her on questions about Islam. (Also, the statement contains not only a dangling modifier but also a misplaced modifier two distinct phenomena: The positioning of â€Å"in class† is not incorrect, but the phrase is best relocated earlier in the sentence, as I have done in my revision.) However, the person could also be explicitly introduced as the subject of the sentence: â€Å"As the only person in class with a Muslim-sounding name, she was the one people turned to on questions about Islam.† 2. â€Å"After leaving Chez Fez, this chef’s culinary talents have reached the highest level at his new restaurant.† The implication in this sentence, as constructed, is that the chef’s culinary talents somehow detached themselves from his being and found their zenith elsewhere. To reflect the writer’s true meaning, the modifier could be revised to refer to the actual subject (with an additional replacement of after with since): â€Å"Since this chef left Chez Fez, his culinary talents have reached the highest level at his new restaurant.† Alternatively, the subject of the sentence must be unequivocally altered to refer to the chef himself, not his talents, which did leave his previous place of employment but did so as part of him: â€Å"Since leaving Chez Fez, this chef has found that his culinary talents have reached the highest level at his new restaurant.† 3. â€Å"As the foundation of Western civilization, learning about ancient Greece provides students a solid grounding in many of the philosophies that shape modern life and thought in the Western world.† It is not learning about ancient Greece but ancient Greece itself that should be posited as the foundation of Western civilization. Begin the sentence with the reference to ancient Greece: â€Å"Ancient Greece is the foundation of Western civilization, and learning about it provides students a solid grounding in many of the philosophies that shape modern life and thought in the Western world.† Another option is to begin with the participial phrase â€Å"Learning about ancient Greece† and making the phrase â€Å"as the foundation of Western civilization† an interspersed parenthetical: â€Å"Learning about ancient Greece, the foundation of Western civilization, provides students a solid grounding in many of the philosophies that shape modern life and thought in the Western world.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:When to use "on" and when to use "in"Social vs. Societal7 Sound Techniques for Effective Writing