Here is a little grammar mischief that has produced some of the funniest sentences ever written. A dangling modifier happens when a describing phrase accidentally attaches itself to the wrong subject, and the results can be delightfully absurd. Say "Walking down the street, the trees looked lovely," and you have somehow set the trees strolling along the sidewalk. These slippery errors trip up even careful writers, yet once you learn to spot them, you will notice them everywhere. In this quiz, we will test your eye for the dreaded dangler. Read closely, and let us begin!
A dangling modifier is a describing phrase that accidentally seems to modify the wrong what?
Verb
Subject
Adjective
Preposition
In "Walking down the street, the trees looked beautiful," what does the sentence seem to say?
The trees were walking down the street
The street was beautiful
The narrator planted the trees
The trees were very tall
Which sentence is correct, with no dangling modifier?
Walking down the street, the trees looked beautiful.
Walking down the street, I saw the beautiful trees.
Walking down the street, the beauty of the trees was clear.
Walking down the street, it was a beautiful day.
Which sentence correctly fixes "After finishing dinner, the dishes were washed"?
After finishing dinner, we washed the dishes.
After finishing dinner, the dishes got washed.
After finishing dinner, the washing of dishes began.
The dishes, after finishing dinner, were washed.
A dangling modifier most often appears where in a sentence?
At the very end
At the beginning
Only in the middle
It never appears at the start
Which sentence has NO dangling modifier?
Excited about the trip, packing began early.
Excited about the trip, the bags were packed.
Excited about the trip, it was hard to sleep.
Excited about the trip, Sarah packed her bags.
Which of these sentences contains a dangling modifier?
Hoping to win, José entered the contest.
Hoping to win, the contest seemed worth entering.
José entered the contest, hoping to win.
Hoping to win, José practiced every day.
Which is the best correction of "At the age of five, my grandmother taught me to bake"?
When I was five, my grandmother taught me to bake
My grandmother, at the age of five, taught me to bake.
At the age of five, baking was taught to me by my grandmother
At the age of five, I was taught by my grandmother's teaching.
Which sentence is correct, with no dangling modifier?
After reviewing the report, several errors were found.
After reviewing the report, the manager found several errors.
After reviewing the report, errors became apparent.
After reviewing the report, it was clear there were errors.
A dangling modifier differs from a misplaced modifier in that a misplaced modifier...
Is a word or phrase set too far from the word it actually describes.
Always appears at the start of a sentence
Has no word at all for it to describe
Is never considered an error.
Which sentence contains a misplaced modifier rather than a dangling one?
She served sandwiches to the children on paper plates.
Walking home, the rain began to fall.
Tired and hungry, dinner was very welcome.
To win the race, daily training is required.
"Rushing to finish the report, several mistakes were made." Which correction removes the dangling modifier?
Rushing to finish the report, the intern made several mistakes.
Rushing to finish the report, several mistakes happened.
Several mistakes were made rushing to finish the report.
Rushing to finish the report, mistakes were unavoidable.
Which sentence correctly avoids a dangling modifier?
When only six, my family moved to Canada
When only six, moving to Canada happened.
When I was only six, my family moved to Canada.
When only six, Canada became our home.
Which revision best fixes "Flying over the city, the tall buildings were impressive"?
Flying over the city, we admired the tall buildings.
Flying over the city, the buildings looked tall.
Flying over the city, impressiveness filled the view.
The tall buildings, flying over the city, were impressive.
A Few Danglers Got Loose
Well, it seems a few of these sneaky modifiers slipped right past you, and honestly, that is no surprise at all. Dangling modifiers are among the trickiest errors in the language, precisely because the sentences often sound perfectly fine until you stop and picture what they actually say. The good news is that once your eye is trained, you will spot them everywhere. Why not review the rule and give this quiz another try? You may catch every one next time. Thanks for playing along with us today!
Nicely done! You have a sharp eye and a good feel for when a sentence has quietly gone astray. You could tell when a phrase had wandered off and attached itself to the wrong subject, and most of these tricky sentences did not fool you. A few of the harder ones slipped through, but that is no shame at all, as some danglers are very well disguised. With a little more practice, not one would escape you. A splendid result to be proud of!
Outstanding! You are a true grammar detective, and it shows. From walking trees to five-year-old grandmothers, not a single dangling modifier managed to slip past your watchful eye. You read each sentence with care, pictured exactly what it really said, and caught every error hiding in plain sight. That is precisely the sort of sharp, careful reading that separates a good editor from a great one. Take a well earned bow, because this was a flawless performance worthy of the finest wordsmith!
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