Dangling Modifiers

Jared Aragona

Dangling modifiers: Don’t leave out the word or words you intend to modify, or your modifier will dangle ridiculously.

 

At four years old, my mother began architecture work on the Guggenheim Museum.

(Incorrect) — This reads as though the writer’s mother began working on the project at four years old.

 

When I was four years old, my mother began architecture work on the Guggenheim Museum.

(Correct) — Adding a noun to the dependent clause at the beginning of the sentence makes it clearer.

 

The MLCKRB (Master List Code Key and Rule Book): An English Grammar & Style Handbook by Jared Aragona, CC BY 4.0

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