dangling modifier

English

Pronunciation

  • Audio (Southern England):(file)

Noun

Examples
  • Being over two hundred years old, I had difficulty reading the document.
    (it is the document that is old, not the reader)
  • I know a man with a wooden leg called Smith.
    (Smith is the man, not the leg)
  • A hangover often occurs after drinking too much.
    (The hangover isn't drinking too much. Rather, a hangover often occurs after someone drinks too much.)
  • The house sits on a lake but has some issues. Weatherworn, aging, and needing repairs, Kelly thinks this house could be turned into a gem by someone willing to put in the work.
    (The TV voiceover script intended the modifier to apply to the house, but mediocre writing and editing left it dangling; to people with an ear for noticing danglers, it is comically noticeable that Kelly (the estate agent) is being described as weatherworn, aging, and needing repairs.)

dangling modifier (plural dangling modifiers)

  2. (grammar) A word or clause that qualifies another word or clause ambiguously, sometimes causing confusion (as to which meaning was intended) or (more often) causing unintended humorousness.
    Synonym: dangler
    Hyponym: dangling participle
    • 2004, Wynford Hicks, Quite Literally: Problem Words and how to Use Them, Psychology Press, →ISBN, page 45:
      The dangling modifier is a curse of modern writing, particularly obituaries.

Translations

Further reading

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