CC2040 English for Academic Studies (Health Care)

How to Identify and Correct Misplaced Modifiers and Dangling Modifiers

Step 1 Step 2
Which is the Is the element to be
modifier? modified present or
(usually an "add-on'' missing?
to the basic (identify who or what Type of
Problematic Sentence How to Fix It Correction Remarks
sentence) is to be modified) Mistake

Move the modifier

next to the element to
Your company will be
be modified. As a sponsor of our charity
offered ten complimentary
"as a sponsor of our Present, but in the Misplaced (Some parts of the show, your company will be
tickets to the Ocean Park,
charity show" wrong place Modifier sentence might need to offered ten complimentary
as a sponsor of our charity (1) Avoid altering
be re-written, although tickets to the Ocean Park.
show. the meaning of the
this should be kept to a
minimum.) original sentence;
(2) Remember to
check if the re-
written sentence is
Create an element to Standing at the entrance, I correct in both
be modified and add it could hear the music of the grammar and
Standing at the entrance, to the sentence. band. punctuation.
"Standing at the Missing, not in the Dangling
the music of the band could (Quite often, the OR
entrance" sentence Modifier
be heard. element to be added is As I was standing at the
already implied in the entrance, the music of the
original sentence.) band could be heard.

William Tsang 2009