What Are Dangling Participles?
2022-05-06
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1In today's Everyday Grammar, we will explore a common issue in grammar classes: dangling participles.
2These structures can reduce clarity in communication.
3You will learn about how to identify and correct dangling participles.
4Let's start with a few important terms and ideas.
5Imagine you walk into a small shop that sells sodas or sweet drinks.
6You see it has Coke, Pepsi, Sprite, among others.
7The drinks contain many of the same things - carbonated water, sugar, or high fructose corn syrup - but they also have different flavors and colors.
8Participles are in some ways like soda.
9But instead of carbonated water or sugar, participles have the verb as their raw ingredient.
10Because they come from verbs, participles are known as verbals.
11Much like our sodas, participles come in a few different flavors: present and past.
12The present participle is the verb with an -ing ending.
13The past has a few special flavors of its own such as the -ed or -en ending, among others.
14Participles are verbals, but they often act as adjectives.
15In other words, they give extra information about nouns or pronouns.
16Consider this example:
17The barking dog woke up the whole neighborhood.
18Here, the participle "barking" acts like an adjective that describes the noun "dog."
19Sometimes participles come in phrases - groups of words that act together in a sentence.
20One common way participial phrases appear is as an introduction to a sentence. Consider this example:
21Barking loudly, the dog woke up the whole neighborhood.
22In this case, the participial phrase is "barking loudly."
23The subject of the participial phrase is also the subject of the sentence: the noun "dog."
24But what happens when the subject of the participle and the subject of the sentence are different?
25Our earlier example would be something like this:
26Barking loudly, the whole neighborhood woke up.
27This example is known as a dangling participle. The subject of the participle "barking loudly" is missing.
28The subject of this sentence is "the whole neighborhood."
29But it is not the whole neighborhood that is barking - such a situation would be truly bizarre!
30So, a dangling participle is a kind of verb that does not have a stated subject.
31The dangling participle has lost its point of connection with the sentence.
32Our dangling participle is in some ways like a rock climber.
33Imagine a rock climber is going up a steep cliff.
34The rock climber needs points of connection - hands and feet - with the rock.
35If the rock climber loses these points of connection, he or she falls and hangs or dangles in space on a safety rope.
36Such a situation is uncomfortable for the climber, and for people watching.
37The same is true for a dangling participle.
38It has lost its points of connection with the sentence and is hanging in space.
39The reader or listener might not know what is being communicated.
40But our rock climbing comparison can also present an answer.
41To succeed in the climb, the rock climber must stay close to the rock and keep points of connection.
42Participial phrases - and other structures that act like adjectives -are generally clearest when they stay close to the noun they are describing.
43The greater the distance between the participial phrase and the noun, the greater the chance it will become a dangling participle.
44Common sources of dangling participles include sentences with "there" or "it" in the subject position, as well as sentences that use the passive voice.
45For example:
46Having moved the bookshelves and bed, there was no room for the desk.
47In such a case, one way to clarify the point is to expand the participial phrase into a full clause.
48The updated sentence could be something like this:
49After we moved the bookshelves and bed, there was no room for the desk.
50In today's report, you learned about a few images that connect with participles, participial phrases, and dangling participles: a soda shop, a barking dog, and a rock climber.
51While all of these comparisons have their limitations, they can help you imagine situations and connect grammar to life.
52Such connections are important for helping you remember information.
53But keep in mind, participles and participial phrases are a large subject.
54Today's report offered a few thoughts.
55There is much more that could be said.
56We will explore more details about participles and participial phrases in future reports.
57I'm John Russell.
1In today's Everyday Grammar, we will explore a common issue in grammar classes: dangling participles. These structures can reduce clarity in communication. 2You will learn about how to identify and correct dangling participles. 3Let's start with a few important terms and ideas. 4What is a participle? 5Imagine you walk into a small shop that sells sodas or sweet drinks. You see it has Coke, Pepsi, Sprite, among others. The drinks contain many of the same things - carbonated water, sugar, or high fructose corn syrup - but they also have different flavors and colors. 6Participles are in some ways like soda. 7But instead of carbonated water or sugar, participles have the verb as their raw ingredient. Because they come from verbs, participles are known as verbals. 8Much like our sodas, participles come in a few different flavors: present and past. The present participle is the verb with an -ing ending. The past has a few special flavors of its own such as the -ed or -en ending, among others. 9Participles are verbals, but they often act as adjectives. In other words, they give extra information about nouns or pronouns. 10Consider this example: 11The barking dog woke up the whole neighborhood. 12Here, the participle "barking" acts like an adjective that describes the noun "dog." 13Introductory participles 14Sometimes participles come in phrases - groups of words that act together in a sentence. 15One common way participial phrases appear is as an introduction to a sentence. Consider this example: 16Barking loudly, the dog woke up the whole neighborhood. 17In this case, the participial phrase is "barking loudly." The subject of the participial phrase is also the subject of the sentence: the noun "dog." 18But what happens when the subject of the participle and the subject of the sentence are different? 19Our earlier example would be something like this: 20Barking loudly, the whole neighborhood woke up. 21This example is known as a dangling participle. The subject of the participle "barking loudly" is missing. The subject of this sentence is "the whole neighborhood." But it is not the whole neighborhood that is barking - such a situation would be truly bizarre! 22So, a dangling participle is a kind of verb that does not have a stated subject. The dangling participle has lost its point of connection with the sentence. 23Comparison 24Our dangling participle is in some ways like a rock climber. 25Imagine a rock climber is going up a steep cliff. The rock climber needs points of connection - hands and feet - with the rock. If the rock climber loses these points of connection, he or she falls and hangs or dangles in space on a safety rope. 26Such a situation is uncomfortable for the climber, and for people watching. 27The same is true for a dangling participle. It has lost its points of connection with the sentence and is hanging in space. The reader or listener might not know what is being communicated. 28But our rock climbing comparison can also present an answer. To succeed in the climb, the rock climber must stay close to the rock and keep points of connection. 29Participial phrases - and other structures that act like adjectives -are generally clearest when they stay close to the noun they are describing. The greater the distance between the participial phrase and the noun, the greater the chance it will become a dangling participle. 30Fixing common problems 31Common sources of dangling participles include sentences with "there" or "it" in the subject position, as well as sentences that use the passive voice. 32For example: 33Having moved the bookshelves and bed, there was no room for the desk. 34In such a case, one way to clarify the point is to expand the participial phrase into a full clause. The updated sentence could be something like this: 35After we moved the bookshelves and bed, there was no room for the desk. 36Closing thoughts 37In today's report, you learned about a few images that connect with participles, participial phrases, and dangling participles: a soda shop, a barking dog, and a rock climber. While all of these comparisons have their limitations, they can help you imagine situations and connect grammar to life. Such connections are important for helping you remember information. 38But keep in mind, participles and participial phrases are a large subject. Today's report offered a few thoughts. There is much more that could be said. We will explore more details about participles and participial phrases in future reports. 39I'm John Russell. 40John Russell wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 41___________________________________________________________________ 42Words in This Story 43dangling participle - n. (grammar) a participle meant to modify a noun that is not actually present 44verbal - n. (grammar) of, relating to, or formed from a verb 45bizarre - adj. very unusual or strange 46clause - n. (grammar) a part of a sentence that has its own subject and verb