Grammar Presentation The Hook:

The following sentence made it through the grammar checker in Microsoft Word: Having designed software all my life, Microsoft Windows continues to trouble me. What is wrong with that sentence? The problem is not apparent enough to warrant attention from the built-in grammar checker in the word processing software. At first glance, the sentence seems to work: it contains two clauses, one dependent, introductory clause and another independent clause. Noun-verb agreement is fine, and the sentence is not a run-on. However, it contains one of the most common (and humorously named) grammatical errors: the dangling participle.

A participle is a single word or an entire phrase that acts as an adjective although it is derived from a verb. Thus, a participle "participates" as both a verb and an adjective. The above example contains a participial phrase: having designed software all my life. However, a participle can simply be one word, such as the retired executive.

A participle dangles when it is not placed close to the noun it is intended to modify. The best way to recognize a dangling participle is through familiarity and repeated exposure to proper and improper sentences.

The Issue with Dangling Participles:

Dangling modifiers pose a particularly deadly threat to writers because they are so easily missed, even by the most meticulous proofreader.

Stages of Instruction:

This presentation entails a simple three step process:

1. Review the basics of sentence construction, including phrases and clauses.

2. Learn to identify a participle.

3. Learn to recognize when a participle dangles.

4. Learn simple ways to correct dangling participles.

Handouts

Definitions and Issues Regarding the Grammatical Problem of Dangling Modifiers:

A participle is a single word or an entire phrase that acts as an adjective although it is derived from a verb. Thus, a participle "participates" as both a verb and an adjective. The above example contains a participial phrase: having designed software all my life. However, a participle can simply be one word, such as the retired executive.

To dangle...

A participle dangles when it is not placed close to the noun it is intended to modify. As a result it hangs around aimlessly and fails to accomplish its purpose as a modifier. The best way to recognize a dangling participle is through familiarity and repeated exposure to proper and improper sentences.
A sentence can be grammatically correct in other ways but still contain a dangling participle. Therefore, Microsoft Word and other word processing applications usually won't flag a dangling participle because the program can't actually comprehend the meanings of words. In the above example, "Having designed software all my life, Microsoft Windows continues to trouble me," the software application has no idea that "having designed software all my life" is not intended to modify the noun "Microsoft Windows."

A proper rewording of the above sentence could read: Having designed software all my life, I continue to be troubled by Microsoft Windows. In this case, the participle phrase "having designed software all my life" modifies the pronoun "I," as it was intended to do by the author. Even the most experienced writers occasionally miss dangling or misplaced modifiers. However, with a little awareness and practice, you will leave fewer participles dangling in their sentences.

Stage One: Review the Basics of Sentence Construction

We often take proper grammar for granted because we have been constructing sentences since we learned how to speak. However, to thoroughly address the problem of dangling participles, it is necessary to go over the fundamentals of English sentence construction.

There are four basic types of sentences in the English language: simple, complex, compound, and compound-complex. Dangling participles can occur in any type of sentence.

A simple sentence contains one independent clause. An independent clause contains a noun and a verb. An independent clause can therefore stand alone as a sentence, even one that only contains two words, such as I wrote. However, independent clauses, and simple sentences, can be longer: The gigantic maple tree towered over the building across the street. In either case, the sentence only contains one independent clause. Dangling participles…