Basic Writing Course Materials Four

Dangling Modifier
A dangling modifier is writing mistake which the modifier does not have anything to modify.
The word or words a dangling modifier should modify have been omitted from the sentence.
Dangling modifiers make unclear the meaning of a sentence.
“Running to the bus, the backpack (bag) fell in the mud.” Why is this sentence strange? This
sentence states that the backpack (subject) was running to the bus, rather than the person (implied
actor or agent) carrying the backpack. The implied actor is not mentioned in the sentence at all. This
type of error is called a dangling modifier, and it presents a problem in your writing since it makes
your intended meaning unclear. Dangling modifiers usually occur at the beginning of a sentence,
though they can also be found at the end of a sentence.
Strategies to Fix Dangling Modifiers
There are two strategies to fix a dangling modifier. The first is to name the actor or agent as the subject
of the sentence.
Example: Walking toward the forest, the sun began to set.
(In this example, “walking toward the forest” is a dangling modifier since it sounds as if
the sun is walking toward the forest.)
Revision: Walking toward the forest, I watched as the sun began to set.
(The actor, I, is named as the subject of the sentence.)
The second strategy to fix a dangling modifier is to name the actor or agent in the modifier itself.
Example: Walking toward the forest, the sun began to set.
Revision: As I walked toward the forest, the sun began to set.
(The actor, I, is added to the modifier.)
Activity
Underline the dangling modifier in each sentence. Choose a strategy and revise the sentence.
Note which strategy you used in your revision.
1. Having completed her finals, a summer road trip was planned.
2. After writing the paper, the thesis remains unsupported.
3. Given praise by his teachers, his attitude became obnoxious.
4. Not having followed the recipe closely, the cake was a disaster.
5. Having finished dinner, the plate was emptied.
A score of 90% or better on this test indicates mastery of the skills for which this test
has been designed.
DIRECTIONS: In the blank to the left of the sentence, write C if the sentence is correct
and DM if the sentence contains a dangling modifier.
EXAMPLE: DM Working on the car, the hood fell on my hand.
__ 1. Studying the assignment carefully, several problems became obvious.
__ 2. Written in secret code, Ted had to decipher the message before he could
understand it.

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__ 3. Intended to provide relaxation, the music seemed to distract my attention when
I took a test.
__ 4. As a child, my parents gave me many elaborate and expensive gifts.
__ 5. Hampered by strong winds, I was unable to row the boat to shore.
__ 6. Walking home from the store, the grocery bag broke and slipped from my arms.
__ 7. To prepare this meal, only a few ingredients are needed.
__ 8. While driving down the highway, a deer jumped in front of the car.
__ 9. My cat slept in my lap while writing my essay for English.
__ 10. Having cleaned the kitchen, the house was in order again.
Dangling modifiers are phrases or clauses which do not clearly relate to the word or
words modified. In most instances, the modifier appears at the beginning of the
sentence, although it can also appear at the end of the sentence.
In the following examples, the dangling modifiers are underlined and arrows point to
the words modified.
EXAMPLE:
1. As a child, my parents gave me many elaborate and expensive gifts.
The meaning of the sentence is inaccurate and ludicrous.
REVISONS: When I was a child, my parents gave me many elaborate and expensive
gifts. OR As a child, I received many elaborate and expensive gifts from my parents.
EXAMPLE:
2. Written in secret code, Ted had to decipher the message before he could
understand it.
Was Ted written in code? Again, the meaning of the sentence is ludicrous.
REVISONS: Written in secret code, the message had to be deciphered before Ted
could read it. OR
Before Ted could read the message written in secret code, he had to decipher it.
EXAMPLE:
3. My cat slept in my lap while writing my essay for English.
REVISON: My cat slept in my lap while I wrote my essay for English.
EXAMPLE: To prepare this meal, only a few ingredients are needed.
Did the ingredients prepare the meal?
REVISON: To prepare this meal, a person needs only a few ingredients.
DIRECTIONS: In the blank to the left of the sentence, write C if the sentence is correct
and DM if the sentence contains a dangling modifier.
EXAMPLE: DM While playing the piano, my dog bowled to accompany me.
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__ 1. Lost in a dense forest, my head began to ache, and I felt absolutely alone.
__ 2. Crouched to be the first runner out of the pack, the gun sounded, and the race
had begun.
__ 3. To be hired for this job, an application must be submitted to Mr. J.B.Boomerang.
__ 4. Emily saw a policeman following her in the rear-view mirror.
__ 5. While placing the patient into the ambulance, the oil on the highway caused the
medics to lose their footing.
__ 6. Tagging along behind me, the child cried all the way home.
__ 7. Destroyed in a raging fire, the wind whistled through the charred remains of the
house.
__ 8. Speeding on the highway in a convertible with her top down, Mrs. Kelsey was
oblivious to the wind blowing through her hair.
__ 9. While driving through Yosemite, the mountains seemed especially high.
__ 10.As the president of Cooney & Company, Responsibilities were overwhelming.

Parallel Structure
PARALLELISM
Parallelism refers to the use of identical grammatical structures for related words,
phrases, or clauses in a sentence or a paragraph.
Parallelism can make your writing more forceful, interesting, and clear. It helps to
link related ideas and to emphasize the relationships between them. Once a
grammatical pattern has been established, the reader doesn’t have to strain to
understand your meaning and ideas. Faulty parallelism refers to the absence of
parallel structure and the subsequent loss of clarity.
Achieving Parallel Structure
Parallelism ensures that similar clauses or phrases are uniform in expression and
function. To achieve parallelism, you must use the same verb, noun, adverb, or
adjective forms consistently throughout a sentence.
Consider the following examples:
Paul likes dancing, swimming, and running.
Paul likes to dance, swimming, and run.
In the sentence “Paul likes dancing, swimming, and running,” all of the activities
Paul enjoys are consistently presented as gerunds (verbs in their –ing form that act as
a noun), which retains parallelism. On the other hand, in the sentence “Paul likes to
dance, swimming, and run,” the activities Paul enjoys are presented in inconsistent

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forms, resulting in a sentence that is not parallel. This results in a decreased flow, an
awkward sentence, and an increased amount of work for the reader.
Situations that Require Parallel Structure
You will encounter many instances where you will need to make sure your sentence
is parallel.The most common situations are listed below:
Lists or Series
All lists of things, qualities, or actions should take the same grammatical form.
Faulty:
e.g., Cassandra loves reading the newspaper, taking long walks, and to dance the
tango.
Parallel:
e.g., Cassandra loves reading the newspaper, taking long walks, and dancing the
tango.
When a list begins with a preposition, either include the preposition only at the
beginning of the list or include it before every item:
Incorrect: Dictionaries are useful for learning to spell correctly and to prop open
windows.
Correct: Dictionaries are useful for learning to spell correctly and propping open
windows.
Note that you can create parallel structure in various ways:
e.g., For opera to take root in Great Britain, infrastructure was required: the building
of financial support, the training of singers, and the education of audiences.
e.g., For opera to take root in Great Britain, three things were required: building
financial support, training singers, and educating audiences.
e.g., For opera to take root in Great Britain, it was necessary to build financial
support, train singers, and educate audiences.
Nouns Joined by Coordinating Conjunctions
Faulty:
e.g., Among many cultures, rites of passage can involve feats of courage and
sometimes even doing dangerous things.
The addition of the verb doing before the second noun disrupts the balance of the
sentence.
Parallel:
e.g., Among many cultures, rites of passage can involve feats of courage and
sometimes even dangerous things.

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Phrases Joined by Correlative Conjunctions
(either...or, neither...nor, both...and, not only...but also, whether...or, etc.)
Faulty:
e.g., Idrees is not only fluent in Urdu but also in English.
Parallel:
e.g., Idrees is fluent not only in Urdu but also in English.
Since both nouns are modified by a single adjective (fluent), the adjective should be
placed before the first correlative conjunction (not only).
Where each correlative conjunction has its own verb, the correlative conjunction
comes before the verb:
Faulty:
e.g., Idrees speaks not only two languages fluently but also plays cricket very well.
Parallel:
e.g., Idrees not only speaks two languages fluently but also plays cricket very well.
Sentences that Explain Chronological Events
Sentences must use verb tenses that are consistent and reflect the chronological order
of events.
Faulty:
e.g., Kevin stopped asking for directions and starts using a map.
Parallel:
e.g., Kevin stopped asking for directions and started using a map.
Because this sentence describes an event that happened in the past, both verbs need
to be in the past tense.
Parallelism in Proofreading
Using Parallelism to Remove Repetition
Repetitive words can often be removed from a sentence if their removal does not
detract from your clarity.
Faulty:
e.g., Alan picked up his computer. Alan picked up his books. Alan picked up his
phone.
Parallel:
e.g., Alan picked up his computer, books, and phone.
Faulty:
e.g., In the morning, afternoon, and the evening...
Parallel:

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e.g., In the morning, afternoon, and evening...
Using Parallelism for Clarity
Faulty:
e.g., Sandra is interested in Canadian art and poetry.
In this example, we’re not sure if Sandra is interested in Canadian poetry specifically
or poetry in general. To ensure your meaning is clear, repeat ‘Canadian’ and retain
parallelism.
Parallel:
e.g., Sandra is interested in Canadian art and Canadian poetry.
Exercise
Practice 1: Edit these sentences to create parallel structure.
1. Mike likes to listen to rock music and reading mystery novels.
2. Julia is in charge of stocking the shelves, writing orders, and to sell computers.
3. My grandfather’s favorite pastime is to eat in trendy restaurants and visiting art
galleries.
4. While in France, my nephew spent his time studying French, working in a
restaurant, and he jogged along the Seine River every morning.
5. Joan decided to paint her office, to add some new curtains, and that the rug needs
dry cleaning.
Practice 2: Complete the sentences with parallel structure.
1. With no job, money or ______, the student had to drop out of school.
2. Because I used a computer to write my research paper, I could easily correct
spelling errors, move paragraphs and ______.
3. While I was in college, I worked as a waitress, as a typist, and ______.
4. The professor walked through the door, looked at the students, and ______.
5. I was surprised to learn that, in person, the lead singer of 2PM was warm, friendly
and ______.
Practice 3: Rewrite the sentences and fix non-parallel elements. Combine sentences, if
necessary.
1. He was handsome, brave, and the sort of person who would do anything for you.
2. I was afraid of the river. It had a fast current, big waves and it was cold.
3. That high school has many rules. Students need to wear uniforms, arrive before
8am and they cannot bring their Smartphone to school.
4. The room was beautiful, the service was impeccable, and I've never tasted better
food in my entire life.

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5. Being a nurse is a good career because of the high salary, vacations and schedules.
6. It is dangerous to be living in this world today because of war, unemployment and
not enough money.
7. Cooking and eating at home is a good idea for students because it is saves time,
money and it is easy to do.

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