We’ve all seen rushed, un-edited student writing (maybe during that last round of essays?). So, chances are you’ve come across your fair share of dangling participles. But, even if your students can tell something is “off” in their writing, they probably struggle to identify their own participle errors–especially if they’ve never been explicitly shown examples of dangling participles.

Teaching students how to spot and fix a dangling participle, or any dangling modifier, can feel tricky at first—but it’s so worth it once they see how a misplaced participial phrase can completely change the meaning of their writing.

In this post, you’ll get clear examples of dangling participles, tips for explaining them, and ideas for helping students write a corrected sentence every time. 

But if you’re looking for a lesson you can use right now, grab my done-for-you Fixing Dangling Participles Lesson here, complete with lesson, worksheets, exit tickets, student handout, and more!

What Is a Dangling Participle?

First, let’s break down what’s happening grammatically. 

Remember the participle? It’s a type of verbal; it’s an adjective that’s formed from a verb.

A dangling participle is a type of dangling modifier—a group of words (usually a participial phrase) that’s meant to modify the subject of the sentence, but ends up describing the wrong thing or nothing at all.

A participial phrase often begins with a present participle (the -ing form of a verb) or a past participle (often ending in -ed or irregular forms). These phrases add detail about an ongoing action, a perfect tense, or a subordinate clause idea. But when they dangle, they’re not attached to the proper subject—leaving readers confused. 

Basically, a dangling participle is what happens when a participial phrase is placed too far away from the noun its meant to modify.

Examples of Dangling Participles in Action

Here’s an example of a dangling participle:

First sentence: Walking to the school bus, my book bag fell in the mud.

In this first sentence, the participial phrase “Walking to the school bus” is supposed to describe who was walking. But the subject of the main clause is my book bag. Unless you’ve seen a backpack grow legs, this is probably not what the writer intended!

Dangling participles can really make sentences confusing and awkward. 

How to Correct a Dangling Participle

Students need to match the modifying phrase with the doer of the action. In the above example, the subject of the sentence should be the person who was walking:

Corrected sentence: Walking to the school bus, I dropped my book bag in the mud.

Now the participial phrase “walking to the school bus” is correctly located next to its subject, “I.”

Another solution is to rewrite it entirely:

As I was walking to the school bus, my book bag fell in the mud.

Either way, the participial phrase is now modifying the proper subject—the person who’s actually doing the walking.

Why It Matters: Verb Forms and Clarity

Often, students can tell that there’s something “off” about their writing. They can sense that there’s something confusing or awkward about a sentence. But they don’t know exactly why. They might not even have the basic understanding of parts of speech, phrases, or sentence structure to figure it out. 

By explicitly showing them the common mistake of having a dangling participle and how to fix it, you add one more tool to their writer’s toolbox. 

Now, when students feel that their writing is “off,” they’ll have an action step to try and correct it–before that essay winds up on your desk.

Prerequisites for Teaching About Dangling Participles

Before attempting to teach your students about dangling participles, I recommend making sure they have the necessary grammatical background. At a minimum, I recommend making sure students already understand the following grammatical topics:

• Sentence structure
• Verbals (especially participles)

Definitely make sure students are comfortable identifying subjects, verbs, and, of course, participles before teaching them how to correct dangling participles.

Steps for Your Dangling Participles Lesson

First, review subjects, verbs, and participles with your students–especially if it’s been awhile since you’ve done some grammar work with them.

Before any grammar lesson, I like to do a pre-thinking activity. (I include a quick one in all of my grammar lessons, including in my Dangling Participles Lesson.) Consider showing students a collection of sentences–some with dangling participles and some with correctly used participial phrases. Ask them what they notice and what stands out to them. This should provide a good transition into your lesson.

Lesson Contents

During your lesson, point out that participle phrases rely on students’ understanding of verb forms, perfect participles, and even auxiliary verbs. A present participle shows an ongoing action (like walking), while a past participle can describe a completed action or something in the passive voice.

Your lesson should review participles, review participial phrases, explain “dangling participles,” and show students various ways of fixing the error. Include plenty of dangling participle examples.

Students should also recognize that a misplaced modifier, a squinting modifier, or an awkward prepositional phrase can make their writing unclear—because the groups of words aren’t connected to the doer of the action.

(It’s always a good idea to explain to students why they should care about these grammar lessons and how they can impact their writing.)

Then, give students plenty of time to practice.

Student Practice

In my Fixing Dangling Participles Lesson, I teach a few slides before having students practice on a worksheet. Once they understand one idea, I go back to the lesson and present the next idea. Then, they immediately practice the new idea on a worksheet. We go back and forth–new idea and immediate practice–throughout the lesson. 

In my Fixing Dangling Participles Lesson, I also include exit tickets for each major idea. This way, you can quickly and easily check in with students’ understanding. 

I also include a student handout that students can use and keep as a reference for the whole year!

However you structure your lesson, be sure to build in lots of examples, practice, and quick assessments.

(If you want to skip the work, you can grab my complete Dangling Participles Lesson here.)

More Examples of Dangling Participles and Corrections

Need some more examples for your lesson? Try the following sentences with your students:

Original: Having finished the assignment, the TV was turned on.
Problem: The TV didn’t do the homework!
Correct version: Having finished the assignment, Jamal turned on the TV.

Original: Covered in chocolate, my sister ate the cupcake.
Problem: Was your sister covered in chocolate, or was it the cupcake?
Correct version: Covered in chocolate, the cupcake was eaten by my sister. Or: My sister ate the cupcake, which was covered in chocolate.

Original: To improve her score, the practice test was taken again.
Problem: The practice test didn’t decide to improve its own score!
Correct version: To improve her score, Lila took the practice test again.

Examples really help students see the difference between a dangling element and a clear subject of the sentence. You can never use too many!

Conclusion 

One final tip: Check for a proper subject. Always remind students: if they start with a participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence, the subject of the main clause must be the doer of the action in the modifying phrase. If not, it’s time to rewrite!

With clear examples of dangling participles, fun practice, and a bit of humor, your students will master this tricky concept in no time.

Want more ready-to-go practice? My Fixing Dangling Participles Lesson includes editable exercises, student-friendly explanations, and lots of practice activities. Lessons and exercises are scaffolded and student supports are built in. It’s perfect for helping students fix those dangles and keep every part of the sentence in line!