Reader's Digest

Misplaced Modifiers: The Grammar Mistake You Didn’t Know You Were Making

Why are misplaced modifiers such a common grammatical error? Plus, what's the difference between a misplaced modifier and a dangling modifier? “A popular destination for cruise ships, tourists flock ...
Santa Clara University

Dangling and Misplaced Modifiers

A dangling modifier is a word or phrase describing a subject that is missing from the sentence. This can lead the reader to misinterpret what the author means and apply the modifier to the wrong ...
Los Angeles Times

A Word, Please: Don’t leave your participles dangling

Now that I have your attention, I’d like to talk about dangling participles. This most famous of danglers is must-know stuff for any self-respecting smarty-pants. Not because the concept will help ...
San Diego Union-Tribune

Be careful to avoid dangling your participles in public

DEAR RICHARD: In a recent edition of the Union-Tribune, I read the following sentence: “Santee leaders passed an ordinance banning children under age 12 from riding e-bikes inDecember.” Why only in ...
Los Angeles Times

A Word, Please: Left dangling, a participle can lose its logic

Danglers are an extremely important language concept. Not so much for writers as for jokesters. Danglers in writing and speech don’t necessarily hurt the reader ...