A dangling participle is a participle that is written in such a way that it appears to modify a noun or noun phrase that is not the intended subject of the sentence.

This can create confusion or ambiguity in the sentence and make it difficult for the reader to understand the intended meaning.

To avoid dangling participles, make sure the noun or pronoun being modified is the subject of the sentence.

Dangling participles are sometimes called “misrelated participles,” “hanging participles,” or “misplaced participles.” 

Example:

“Walking to the store, the ice cream truck drove by.” (In this example, the participle “walking” is modifying the ice cream truck, which is not the intended subject.) The correct sentence is , “As I was walking to the store, the ice cream truck drove by.”

Dangling participles can be used for comedic effect.

They are commonly found at the beginning of a sentence.

Dangling participles can be corrected by rephrasing the sentence.

Proofreading can help you avoid dangling participles and other grammatical errors.

Example 1:

Incorrect: “Driving to work, the traffic was heavy.” Corrected: “When I was driving to work, the traffic was heavy.”

Example 2:

Incorrect: “Walking in the park, the flowers were in bloom.” Corrected: “While I was walking in the park, the flowers were in bloom.”

Thank you for reading!