Don't put 'em in the wrong spot!
The meaning of the sentence shifts when you are not careful about where you place the modifier:
Only I ran two miles.
I ran only two miles.
Adverbs and adjective are the main type of problem words.
Prepositional phrases also causes trouble with words like at, with, by, or when.
The words like and unlike can be problems, too.
The solution?
Just be sure that you put the modifer near what it is modfiying!
Source: Mdae by me.
Dangling modifers modify something that is NOT even in your sentence:
Looking out the window, the tree swayed in the breeze.
(who is looking out the window? not the tree!)
Driving down the road, the White House came into view.
(who is driving down the road? not the White House!)
How do you avoid dangling modifiers?
Just put the item that is being modified into the sentence and be sure it is near the modifer!
When I looked out the window, the tree swayed in the breeze.
Driving down the road, I saw the White House come into view.
Source: Made by me.
Source: Made by me.
Click here for a full story on modfiers from columnist Stephen Wilbers.