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Tasks: Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers

Sketch of three people working on a computer and reading books.
Bilde: Siren Halvorsen / CC BY-SA 4.0

Task 1:

Rewrite the following sentences to correct the misplaced modifiers.

  1. I heard that there was a robbery on the evening news.
  2. Uncle Louie bought a running stroller for the baby that he called 'Speed Racer'.
  3. We are looking for a babysitter for our precious six-year-old who doesn’t drink or smoke.
  4. The teacher served biscuits to the children wrapped in aluminium foil.
  5. The mysterious woman walked towards the car holding an umbrella.
  6. We returned the wine to the waiter that was sour.
  7. Charlie spotted a stray puppy driving home from work.
  8. When you call the apartment manager, tell him that you won’t pay any more rent until he fixes your toilet firmly.
  9. She saw the dark rain clouds on the way to the park.

  10. I went to see a movie with my friend, which was really boring.


Suggested key:
  1. I heard on the evening news that there was a robbery.
  2. Uncle Louie bought a running stroller that he called 'Speed Racer' for the baby.
  3. We are looking for a babysitter who doesn’t drink or smoke for our precious six-year-old.
  4. The teacher served biscuits wrapped in aluminium foil to the children.
  5. Holding an umbrella, the mysterious woman walked towards the car.
  6. We returned the wine that was sour to the waiter.
  7. Driving home from work, Charlie spotted a stray puppy.
  8. When you call the apartment manager, firmly tell him that you won’t pay any more rent until he fixes your toilet.
  9. On the way to the park, she saw the rain clouds.
  10. I went to see a movie, which was really boring, with my friend.

Task 2:

Rewrite the following sentences to correct the dangling modifiers. Feel free to add any necessary words.

  1. Walking into the room, the smell was overpowering.
  2. Having been fixed the week before, Phillip could use the car.
  3. After consulting a number of scholars, research in this area has been sparse.
  4. Playing a guitar in the bedroom, the mouse was seen under the bed.
  5. Packing for a trip, a cockroach scurried down the hallway.
  6. While looking in the mirror, the towel swayed in the breeze.
  7. While driving to the vet, the dog nervously whined.
  8. Piled up next to the bookshelf, I chose a romance novel.
  9. While driving to work, a car accident caused a traffic jam on the main road.

  10. Covered in dirt, he didn't want to eat the apple.


Suggested key

  1. Walking into the room, they encountered an overpowering smell.

  2. Since the car had been fixed the week before, Phillip could use the car.

  3. After consulting a number of scholars, I determined that research in this area has been sparse.

  4. While playing the guitar in the bedroom, Mary saw the mouse under the bed.

  5. While walking to school, John was drenched by the cloudburst.

  6. While we were packing for a trip, a cockroach scurried down the hallway.

  7. While John was looking in the mirror, the towel swayed in the breeze.

  8. While dad was driving to the vet, the dog whined nervously.

  9. I chose a romance novel from the books that were piled up next to the bookshelf.

  10. While my sister was driving to work, a car accident caused a traffic jam on the main road.

  11. He didn't want to eat the apple that was covered in dirt.

Task 3:

Rewrite the following paragraph correcting all the misplaced and dangling modifiers.

I bought a fresh loaf of bread for my sandwich shopping at the grocer's. Wanting to make a delicious sandwich, the mayonnaise was thickly spread. Placing the cold cuts on the bread, the lettuce was placed on top. I cut the sandwich in half with a knife turning on the radio. Biting into the sandwich, my favourite song blared loudly in my ears. Humming and chewing, my sandwich went down smoothly. Smilingly, my sandwich will be made again, but next time I will add cheese.

Suggested key:

While shopping at the grocer's, I bought a fresh loaf of bread for my sandwich. I wanted to make a delicious sandwich, so the mayonnaise was thickly spread. I first placed the cold cuts on the bread, and the lettuce was placed on top. While turning on the radio, I cut the sandwich in half with a knife. Just as I was biting into the sandwich, my favourite song blared loudly in my ears. While I was humming and chewing, my sandwich went down smoothly. Smilingly, I decided that my sandwich will be made again, but next time I will add cheese.

Source

Some examples and tasks are taken from:

Business Writing for Success. University of Minnesota. Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers. Retrieved from: https://pressbooks-dev.oer.hawaii.edu/cmchang/chapter/13-7-misplaced-and-dangling-modifiers/

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