Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
A dangling participle is simply a type of dangling modifier; a participle is a type of verb, such as having in this sentence: “Having known this man for seven years, I would like to think that you have had a chance to observe him in many situations.”
"Having finished" is a participle expressing action, but the doer is not the TV set (the subject of the main clause): TV sets don't finish assignments. Since the doer of the action expressed in the participle has not been clearly stated, the participial phrase is said to be a dangling modifier.
A dangling modifier is a modifier that has nothing to modify. In other words, a dangling modifier is an error caused by failing to use the word that the modifier is meant to be modifying.
A dangling modifier occurs when the intended subject of the modifier is missing from the sentence, and instead another subject appears in its place. Dangling modifiers often take the form of an introductory phrase that is connected to the wrong thing.
A dangling participle is a modifier that doesn't seem to modify anything. It occurs when the word being modified is either left out of the sentence or isn't located near the modifier. Put another way, a dangling participle is a modifier in search of a word to modify.
Both terms refer to modifiers that are connected to the wrong thing in a sentence. A misplaced modifier is too far away from the thing it’s supposed to modify, while a dangling modifier’s intended subject is missing from the sentence altogether.
By understanding what a dangling modifier is and how it differs from a misplaced modifier, you can improve the clarity and precision of your writing. Correcting dangling modifiers involves ensuring that every modifier is clearly and logically connected to the word it’s intended to describe.
A dangling participle modifies an unintended subject. In all three of those examples, the subject that was being modified by the participial phrase came right after the phrase. It was sticking close to the modifier so you couldn’t miss it.
A participle, on the other hand, is a verb form used as an adjective. Consider the following: "Running, James tripped over the tree stumps." In this construction, "Running" is a participle; it modifies James, the subject of the sentence. As modifiers, participles are often misused, and are thus called dangling or misplaced modifiers.
A 'dangling participle' is a particular type of misplaced modifier that occurs when the word or phrase a participle is intended to modify is not clearly stated in the text. The participle, as a result, appears to be modifying an incorrect subject, causing confusion for the reader.