Errors we make while writing can become a cause for laughter, sometimes, a full-belly laughter! This is because the error will totally change the meaning of the sentence giving it a humorous turn. One such error is called ‘Dangling Modifier’. A modifier is a word or a phrase that gives additional information about the subject. For example, when I talk about ‘rose’ in a sentence, the phrase ‘’kept in a vase’ is a phrase that gives more information about the ‘rose’: example sentence, “Kept in a stone vase, the red rose looked pristine.”
We should remember that a modifier should be placed immediately before or after the subject it talks about. If the modifier is placed elsewhere, it usually modifies the nearest subject. If we misplace the modifier and let it dangle, we call it ‘Dangling Modifier’, and the result is a humorous sentence. You don’t believe me? Read the following:
Example 1: Buried underground, the police found the dead body.
Laugh? No? What does this sentence say?
Who is buried underground? This sentence says that the police who were buried underground found the dead body. And so the correct sentence would be:
Correct: The police found the dead body buried underground.
Example 2: The farmer sold all his goods along with his wife.
Ha-ha-ha!
Correct: The farmer along with his wife sold all his goods.
Example 3: Painted in black the tourist bought the pots.
Correct: The tourist bought the pots painted in black.
Well, there are other errors with modifiers such as ‘squinting modifiers’ and ‘misplaced modifiers’, and they too can end up in funny sentences. And, we will look at them in another post.
Dr KATE 
That was hilarious sir. 😂🤣Careful users of the language will ensure that the syntax is appropriate and the right meaning is conveyed. Otherwise their sentences could be the cause of much mirth and laughter.😀.
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