Sentence Fragments
The sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence punctuated as a sentence. To make it a complete sentence, join it to the main clause or rewrite it.
| Wrong: | She is a good friend. A person whom I trust and admire. |
| Right: | She is a good friend, a person whom I trust and admire. |
| Wrong: | In the workshop, we learned the value of discipline. Also how to take good notes. |
| Right: | In the workshop, we learned the value of discipline. We also learned how to take good notes. |
| Wrong: | The old aluminum boat sitting on its trailer |
| Right: | The old aluminum boat was sitting on its trailer. |
Misplaced or Dangling Modifiers
Misplaced or dangling modifiers are words, phrases, or clauses not clearly connected to the word they modify. Move a misplaced modifier closer to the word it describes, or revise a sentence to give a dangling modifier a word to modify.
| Wrong: | They could see the eagles swooping and diving with binoculars. |
| Right: | With binoculars, they could see the eagles swooping and diving. |
| Wrong: | Nixon told reporters that he planned to get out of politics after he lost the 1962 gubernatorial race. |
| Right: | After he lost the 1962 gubernatorial race, Nixon told reporters that he planned to get out of politics. |
| Wrong: | A rabbit’s teeth are never used for defense even when cornered. |
| Right: | Even when cornered, a rabbit never uses its teeth for defense. |
| Wrong: | As a young boy, his grandmother told stories of her years as a country schoolteacher. |
| Right: | As a young boy, he heard his grandmother tell stories of her years as a country schoolteacher. |
source: Writing Tutorial Services, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
