dangling modifier

1. 1.

   a word or phrase apparently modifying an unintended word because of its placement in a sentence: e.g., `when young' in `when young, circuses appeal to all of us'

   Synonymsmisplaced modifier

   Broadermodifier

   Narrowerdangling participle

Questions about dangling modifier

What does dangling modifier mean?

dangling modifier means "a word or phrase apparently modifying an unintended word because of its placement in a sentence: e.g., `when young' in `when young, circuses appeal to all of us'".

What is another word for dangling modifier?

Close synonyms include misplaced modifier. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is dangling modifier a common word?

dangling modifier is banded "Rare" — specialist or archaic — most readers will not have met it. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.