Dangling Modifiers
See? Dogs bark, not people. Usually, anyways.
Let's be clear and say modifiers are great. Modifers help make otherwise boring and bland writing into detailed, exciting reads. However, we must make sure modifiers (phrases that describe words) are actually talking about the word they are describing.
Example of the Grammar Mistake: Barking like a stranger was coming in, she checked on the dog.
My response to seeing this sentence would be the following: "Now, Sweetie, I told you about barking while you check on the dog. It is scaring the neighbors."
Why did I respond this way? The modifier "Barking like a stranger was coming in" should be describing the dog. However, "she" comes before the dog. Thus, it makes "she" sound like the subject barking. This can be confusing for the reader, especially if you had left the word "dog" out of the phrase entirely.
Example of the Grammar Mistake: Barking like a stranger was coming in, she checked on the dog.
My response to seeing this sentence would be the following: "Now, Sweetie, I told you about barking while you check on the dog. It is scaring the neighbors."
Why did I respond this way? The modifier "Barking like a stranger was coming in" should be describing the dog. However, "she" comes before the dog. Thus, it makes "she" sound like the subject barking. This can be confusing for the reader, especially if you had left the word "dog" out of the phrase entirely.