Dangling modifiers

An opening phrase describes whoever comes right after the comma. When that is the wrong person or thing, the modifier "dangles": Walking to school, the rain soaked me. (The rain was not walking.)

See it work

Who is doing the action in the opening phrase?

Walking to school, the rain soaked me.

✗ The first noun after the comma is "the rain", so the sentence says the rain was walking to school.

Another classic:

Having finished the exam, the bell rang.

✗ The bell did not finish the exam.

The test

After an introductory phrase, ask "who is doing this?" The answer must be the first noun after the comma.

Two fixes

Name the doer right after the comma (Walking to school, I got soaked), or put the doer inside the phrase (As I walked to school, the rain soaked me).

Misplaced modifiers

A related error puts a describing word next to the wrong thing: She almost drove her kids to school every day (did she nearly drive?) vs She drove her kids to school almost every day.

Frequently asked

Dangling vs misplaced modifier?

A dangling modifier has nothing correct to attach to in the sentence; a misplaced one has the right target but sits in the wrong spot.