Grammar tip: Spot and fix dangling modifiers

Below is a transcript of the video.

For clearer writing, ditch those dangling modifiers!  

A modifier’s a word or phrase that modifies or explains something else in the sentence, and it’s dangling when there’s ambiguity about what it’s modifying.

As in this sentence:  

'Having browned nicely in the oven, allow the meat to rest before serving'.

Huh? Did the writer really intend to say the cook should brown himself in the oven? I doubt it!

Of course what they should have said was:

'Once the meat has browned nicely in the oven, allow it to rest before serving'. 

Now, most of us wouldn't be confused by that original sentence, but careful readers will judge you for dangling your modifiers.

And especially if it creates an unintentionally comic image like a cook trying to brown himself in an oven.

For more writing advice, enrol in my online course, Writing With Confidence, available at the Doris and Bertie Writing School.

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