QT 14 – Video Transcript and Bonus Info
Hey, everyone, Cate here. Wait—didn’t we have an episode on modifiers? We sure did. You might remember our very first QuickTake with Cate, “Is Your Modifier Squinting?” Now that our modifiers are no longer squinting—or if they are, check out that episode again—we need to tackle another modifier problem: the dangling modifier. Let’s look at an example.
Shopping quickly through the mall, 12 pairs of shoes were bought.
The way this sentence is written, 12 pairs of shoes were shopping through the mall. The modifying phrase “shopping quickly through the mall” is not attached to the word it is meant to modify—it’s dangling. Also note that this sentence is in the passive voice—a topic for another QuickTake. Passive voice often sets of the dangling modifier error.
To correct the sentence, we need to rewrite it in the active voice.
Shopping quickly through the mall, I bought 12 pairs of shoes.
How about this sentence?
Arriving late to the game, the 49ers had already taken a 7-point lead.
The second sentence says that the 49ers arrived late to the game. We can correct this sentence one of two ways: (1) by following the opening phrase with the word to be modified or (2) by turning the phrase into a clause, that is, adding a subject and verb.
Arriving late to the game, we saw that the 49ers had already taken a 7-point lead.
By the time we arrived to the game, the 49ers had already taken a 7-point lead.
See if you can spot the problem in this third sentence:
To grow tall and leafy, you must fertilize the tree.
If you’ve been trying to grow tall and leafy, then keep on fertilizing that tree! We can correct this sentence in at least three ways. First, we can rewrite the sentence using the passive voice:
To grow tall and leafy, the tree must be fertilized.
Or, we can stay in active voice by writing it—uh oh, looks like we’re out of time! But you can check out the answer and the rest of the story at catetouryan.com/quicktakes.
The rest of the story:
Here are two active voice revisions of our sentence:
For the tree to grow tall and leafy, you must fertilize it.
You must fertilize the tree for it to grow tall and leafy.
Sometimes dangling modifiers create humorous sentences, like this one:
Running late for the dinner party, the potatoes and roast were shoved into the oven by the
flustered housewife.
Next time I go shopping, I’m buying speedier potatoes and roast!
But more often, dangling modifiers are subtle. They can slip right past you if you’re not careful.
For example:
Completing twenty years of service, a gold watch was presented to the director.
Now that’s an excellent brand of watch! See if you can correct the dangling modifier errors in the sentences below. Email me your answers if you like!
- After trying the combination several times the lock finally opened.
- Not seeing the potholes, the skateboard went flying.
- Forgetting to buy gas, the car wouldn’t start.
- Looking out the airplane window, the volcano seemed ready to erupt.