Having finished the assignment ,Jillturned on the TV.
3.
"Having finished"states an action butdoes not name the doerof
that action.
In English sentences, the doer must be the subject of the main
clause that follows.
In this sentence, it is Jill. She seems logically to be the one
doing the action ("having finished"), and this sentence
thereforedoes not have a dangling modifier.
4. Now consider this sentence:
Having finished the assignment ,the TVwas turned on.
5.
Having finishedis a participle expressing action, but the doer
is not the TV set (the subject of the main clause):
TV sets don't finish assignments. Since the doer of the action
expressed in the participle has not been clearly stated, the
participial phrase is said to be adangling modifier.
6. Examples of dangling modifiers and revisions:
with dangling modifier:
After reading the original study ,the articleremains
convincing.
7. possible revisions:
After reading the original study ,Ifind the article
unconvincing.
8.
with dangling modifier:
Relieved of our responsibilities at your job ,your homeshould
be a place to relax.
9.
possible revision:
Relieved of your responsibilities at your job ,youshould be
able to relax at home.
10. Characteristics of dangling modifiers:
They most frequently occur at thebeginningof sentences (often
as introductory clauses or phrases) but can alsoappear at the end
.
Example of dangling modifier:
The experiment was a failure, not having studiedthe lab manual
carefully.
(The experiment--the subject of the main clause--is not
supposed to study the lab manual.)
11.
possible revision:
Theyfailed the experiment,not having studiedthe lab manual
carefully.
[They often have an -ing word (gerund) or a to+verb
(infinitive) phrase near the start of the sentence.]
12. Strategies for revising dangling modifiers:
1. Name the appropriate or logical doer of the action as the
subject of the main clause:
Having arrived late for practice ,a written excusewas
needed.
(Who arrived late? This sentence says that the written excuse
arrived late. To revise, decide who actually arrived late.)
13.
2. Change the phrase that dangles into a complete introductory
clause by naming the doer of the actionin that clause :
Without knowing his name ,itwas difficult to introduce
him.
(Who didn't know his name? This sentence says that "it" didn't
know his name. To revise, decide who was trying to introduce
him.)
14. possible revision
Because Maria did not know his name, it was difficult to
introduce him.
(The phrase is now a complete introductory clause; it does not
modify any other part of the sentence, so is not considered
"dangling.")
15.
3. Combine the phrase and main clause into one:
With dangling modifier:
To improve his results ,the experimentwas done again.
(Who wanted to improve results? This sentence says that the
experiment was trying to improve its own results. To revise,
combine the phrase and the main clause into one sentence.)
He improved his results by doing the experiment again.
16. Basic Principle:
Modifiers are like teenagers: they fall in love with whatever
they're next to. Make sure they're next to something they ought to
modify!
17. DANGLING MODIFIER
When we begin a sentence with a modifying word, phrase, or
clause, we must make sure the next thing that comes along can, in
fact, be modified by that modifier. When a modifier improperly
modifies something, it is called a "dangling modifier." This often
happens with beginningparticipial phrases , making "dangling
participles" an all too common phenomenon. In the sentence below,
we can't have a car changing its own oil.
18.
ConfusionChanging the oil every 3,000 miles, the car seemed to
run better.
Repair WorkChanging the oil every 3,000 miles, Fred found he
could get much better gas mileage.
19. Another example..
ConfusionChanging the oil every 3,000 miles, there is an easy
way to keep your car running smoothly.
Repair WorkIf we change the oil every 3,000 miles, we can keep
our car running smoothly.
20. What to do?
This faulty sentence can be remedied by changing the
participial phrase into a full-fledged clause with a subject and
verb.
21. But wait theres more
A participial phrase followed by aPassive Verbis also apt to be
a dangler because the real actor of the sentence will be
disguised.
22.
ConfusionChanging the oil every 3,000 miles, the car was kept
in excellent condition.
Repair WorkChanging the oil every 3,000 miles, we kept the car
in excellent condition.
23. And more
An infinitive phrase can also "dangle." The infinitive phrase
below should probably modify the person(s) who set up the exercise
program.
24.
An infinitive phrase can also "dangle." The infinitive phrase
below should probably modify the person(s) who set up the exercise
program.
25.
ConfusionTo keep the young recruits interested in getting in
shape, an exercise program was set up for the summer months.
Repair WorkTo keep the young recruits interested in getting in
shape, the coaching staff set up an exercise program for the summer
months.
26. What about MISPLACED MODIFIER?
Some modifiers, especially simple modifiers only, just, nearly,
barely have a bad habit of slipping into the wrong place in a
sentence. (In the sentence below, what does it mean to "barely
kick" something?)
27. Take a look at these examples
Confusion He barely kicked that ball twenty yards.
Repair Work He kicked that ball barely twenty yards.
A DANGLING MODIFIER is a word or phrase that modifies a word
NOT CLEARLY STATED in the sentence. A modifier describes,
clarifies, or gives more detail about a concept.