Lexic.us

Definition of Dangling modifier

1. Noun. A word or phrase apparently modifying an unintended word because of its placement in a sentence: e.g., 'when young' in 'when young, circuses appeal to all of us'.

Definition of Dangling modifier

1. Noun. (grammar) A word or clause that modifies another word or clause ambiguously, possibly causing confusion with regard to the speaker's intended meaning. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Lexicographical Neighbors of Dangling Modifier

Literary usage of Dangling modifier

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage by Inc. Merriam-Webster (1994)
"Who has censured the dangling modifier in these lines from Pope? ... The dangling modifier is a venial sin at most, but if you commit an unintentional ..."

2. Mechanically Inclined: Building Grammar, Usage, and Style Into Writer's Workshopby Jeff Anderson by Jeff Anderson (2005)
"Placing a modifier in the wrong place, or not modifying the subject of the sentence, which confuses the meaning of the message, is a dangling modifier. ..."

3. Composition for College Students by Joseph Morris Thomas, Frederick Alexander Manchester, Frank William Scott (1922)
"... either of them into a dangling modifier by using it to express cause when there is no noun present in the sentence which thr ..."

4. The Century Handbook of Writing by Garland Greever, Easley Stephen Jones (1922)
"Two other kinds of dangling modifier, treated elsewhere in this book, may be briefly mentioned here. A phrase beginning with the adjective due should refer ..."

5. The Composition of technical papers: By Homer Andrew Watt by Homer Andrew Watt (1917)
"dangling modifierS Three types of dangling modifier will be considered: (A) the dangling participial phrase; (B) the dangling gerund phrase; ..."

6. Written and Spoken English: A Course in Composition and Rhetoric by Erle Elsworth Clippinger (1918)
"A similar lack of unity of purpose exists in a sentence that contains a dangling modifier (see rule 54); for example, " Our meal was eaten with ravenous ..."

7. The Study and Practice of Writing English by Gerhard Richard Lomer, Margaret Ashmun (1914)
"The phrase in talking refers absurdly to the subject^sA, and is obviously a dangling modifier. In talking may in reason be associated with the pronoun / ..."

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