Grade 7 Fall — Research Process, MLA Citation, Source Evaluation, and Multi-Source Synthesis
English · GR G7 eng.g7.f.gr.misplaced_dangling_modifiers

Recognize and correct misplaced and dangling modifiers (CCSS L.7.1.c)

Identify a misplaced modifier (modifies the wrong word in the sentence — 'Walking down the street, the building caught my eye') and a dangling modifier (modifies nothing in the sentence — 'After reading the book, the plot was confusing'). Apply the 3-step repair: find the modifier; find what it should modify; place adjacent and rephrase.

Mastery threshold
85%
Min instances
10
Typical minutes
45
Spaced intervals (days)
1, 3, 7, 14, 30, 60
Prereqs
Successors
Common misconceptions
  • Confuses misplaced (modifies wrong word) with dangling (modifies nothing) — both are errors but the repair differs.
  • Fixes dangling modifier by adding a comma rather than restructuring the sentence.

Exercise pool (2)

Diff Stem Type
3 Fix these 5 misplaced or dangling modifier errors. Apply the 3-step repair, numbering each step. (1) 'Walking down the street, the... fix modifier errors
4 Audit your own research-paper draft for modifier errors. Identify at least 2 sentences starting with descriptive phrases. Verify the... audit own draft