Common Grammar Mistakes New Writers Make: Part 1 - The Dangling Participle

As an English teacher, I see these mistakes every day, but I was surprised to see these common grammar issues appearing in writing workshops and during my master’s degree. Therefore, I thought I’d do a mini-series of posts flagging some common issues.

Number 1 - the dangling participle.

This is when a participle refers to the wrong noun or has no logical noun to modify in the sentence.

Example 1: Tucked at the back of the shelf, she couldn’t reach the potion bottle.

This suggests SHE is tucked at the back of the shelf, not the potion bottle.

Correction: Tucked at the back of the shelf, the potion bottle was still out of reach.

Example 2: Sprinting down the corridor, the door loomed before him like a forgotten nightmare.

This suggests THE DOOR is sprinting down the corridoor.

Correction: Sprinting down the corridor, he saw the door loom before him like a forgotten nightmare.

Sense check: check your subject comes after the comma, not your object.

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