A dangling modifier is a type of grammatical error where a modifier could be misinterpreted as being associated with a word other than the one intended. It occurs when a modifying word or phrase is attached to the wrong subject or where the subject is missing in a sentence. A modifier describes or qualifies another part of a sentence, and a dangling modifier occurs when the intended subject of the modifier is missing from the sentence, and instead, another subject appears in its place.

For example, in the sentence "Turning the corner, a handsome school building appeared," the modifying clause "Turning the corner" describes the behavior of the narrator, but the narrator is only implicit in the sentence. The sentence could be misread as the turning action attaching either to the handsome school building or to nothing at all. Another example is "At the age of eight, my family finally bought a dog," where the modifier "At the age of eight" is dangling. It is intended to specify the narrators age when the family bought the dog, but the narrator is again only implicitly a part of the sentence. It could be read as the family was eight years old when it bought the dog, or even that the dog was eight when it was bought.

To correct a dangling modifier, one can introduce a subject, a participial phrase, or convert the sentence to passive voice. One method of fixing a dangling modifier is to leave the modifier as it is and rewrite the main clause so that it begins with the subject being modified. Another method is to include the subject in the modifying phrase. For example, the sentence "Flashing lightning and thunder, the little bunny struggled through the storm" can be corrected to "The little bunny struggled through the storm, flashing lightning and thunder".