Dangling Modifiers Solution

A dangling modifier error occurs when the sentence does not contain the word modified.

Look at these examples:

• Slamming on the brakes, the car skidded into the guardrail.

  Who is slamming on the brakes? Since the car can't slam on its own brakes, we'll have to provide this sentence with a driver:

  As Richard slammed on the brakes, the car skidded into the guardrail.

• While pouring the eggnog, her dog bounded into the room and smashed into her, causing her to splatter all over the guests.

  Even though the pronoun her puts a female presence in the sentence, the modifier while pouring the eggnog is still left dangling. After all, her can't pour eggnog--she must pour it. Even though the female presence is implied, the modifier must have a specific noun to modify.

  While she was pouring the eggnog, her dog bounded into the room and smashed into her, causing her to splatter all over the guests.

• The waiter finally served us after sitting at the table for nearly an hour.

  We can probably assume that we--not the waiter-- were sitting at the table for nearly an hour. Since the pronoun we does not appear in the sentence, the modifier is left dangling. Sometimes, correcting a dangling modifier requires that you reword the sentence.

  After we had been sitting at the table for nearly an hour, the waiter finally served us.

  OR The waiter finally served us after we had been sitting at the table for nearly an hour.

To solve a dangling modifier error, supply the specific word the the modifier describes.