How can I identify a misplaced modifier?

To identify a misplaced modifier, it is important to understand which word(s) in a sentence a modifier is describing. If the modifier is far away from those words, it likely needs to be moved closer.

Example:
“Running away with its tail between his legs, the child laughed after frightening the dog.”

In this sentence, the subject of the modifying clause “Running away with his tail between his legs” clearly refers to the dog, but another subject, “the child” is squeezed between the clause and what it describes.

Better phrasings would be as follows:

  • “The child laughed after frightening the dog, which ran away with its tail between its legs.”
  • “Running away with its tail between its legs, the dog had been frightened by the child, who laughed afterward.”