Dangling Participle

Participles are adjectives that end in -ing (and sometimes -ed). Participles modify nouns. The antecedent, the noun to which the participle refers, must be clear to readers in order for them to understand what is being stated. If it is unclear then the action might be mistakenly attributed to the wrong player.

Example: The child ran from the teacher, still holding the marbles in his hands.

In the sentence above holding is the participle and it is unclear who is holding the marbles in his hands, the child or the teacher. This is a dangling participle because there is no clear antecendent. 

Dangling participles are considered unacceptable in writing and should be avoided. Modify the sentence so that the subject is clearer. 

Example: The child, still holding the marbles in his hands, ran from the teacher.