a dangling modifier is a.
Modifiers are, quite simply, any word or group of words that modifies (describes or elaborates upon) another element in a sentence. Modifiers can either be adjectives, which modify nouns (or sometimes pronouns), or adverbs, which modify pretty much everything else (usually verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs). Whether a modifier is an adjective or adverb depends on what it modifies and how it functions in a sentence. Let's review. A modifier is any word or phrase that changes the meaning of (or modifies) another word or phrase. Because modifiers often appear in introductory clauses (phrases that appear before the main clause of a sentence), dangling modifiers are most commonly found in this part of the sentence. This situation is called a dangling modifier. In the case of adverbs, adverbs should modify the nearest verb or the subsequent adverb or adjective in the same sentence. If not, it also is a dangling modifier. Examples of Dangling Modifiers: Modifiers are just what they sound like—words or phrases that modify something else. Misplaced modifiers are modifiers that modify something you didn't intend them to modify. For example, the word only is a modifier that's easy to misplace. These two sentences mean different things: I ate only vegetables. First things first, a modifier is any word or phrase that changes (or modifies) the meaning of another word or phrase. It is important to note that adjectives (such as 'red') and adverbs (such as 'quickly') aren't the only kinds of modifiers out there. Dangling modifier. A dangling modifier is an ambiguous grammatical construct, whereby a grammatical modifier could be misinterpreted as being associated with a word other than the one intended or with no particular word at all. For example, a writer may have meant to modify the subject, but word order makes the modifier seem to modify an object instead. Modifiers are just what they sound like—words or phrases that modify something else. Misplaced modifiers are modifiers that modify something you didn't intend them to modify. For example, the word only is a modifier that's easy to misplace. I ate only vegetables. Any short descriptive phrase in a sentence conventionally modifies the closest noun in that sentence. Your writing will confuse the reader if that phrase is positioned unclearly--even if the right word does appear in the same sentence. This is a subtype of the dangling modifier called a misplaced modifier. Know the solution. Misplaced and dangling modifiers make sentences awkward and inelegant. They keep sentences from expressing clear, straightforward ideas. When you discover a misplaced or dangling modifier in a sentence, you will need to rearrange and/or revise the sentence parts to untangle the idea the sentence wants to express. Rules for Finding and Fixing Misplaced and Dangling Modifiers. Understand the problem. Think of modifiers as arrows shot from a bow and the words they describe as bull's-eyes. For clear, logical sentences, writers aim modifiers so that they strike as close to the intended targets as possible.
An ambiguous grammatical construct, whereby a grammatical modifier could be misinterpreted as being associated with a word other than the one intended or with no particular word at all.