Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by samwestdev 1251 days ago
Can you please explain how that is considered a misplaced modifier?
2 comments

Sure. To be more precise, it's a "dangling modifier" [1]. The modifying clause "As a non-native English speaker" intends to refer to the narrator, who is using ChatGPT to improve their text. But the sentence as constructed, where this clause is followed by the subject "ChatGPT", might be read as implying that ChatGPT is a non-native English speaker. The original beginning "I am not a native English speaker..." was clearer.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dangling_modifier

The modified version is saying that ChatGPT is the non-native speaker, not the original poster. It is a different meaning.

It is probably wrong too. ChatGPT is a native English speaker as far as I can tell.