Ch 20 · Lesson 10English · Chapter 20 · Lesson 10 · Grammar primer
The dangling participle
The clause takes the subject of the main clause. Looking out of the window, the sea was blue says the sea was looking!
The short version
The dangling participle puts the wrong person in
, postman .
Why?Hide
A participle clause has no subject of its own, so English assumes it shares the subject of the main clause. When those two do not match, the sentence says something absurd. The checking habit is quick: read the participle clause, then look straight at the subject after the comma.
The dangling participle
The clause has no subject of its own, so English takes the clause. If that is the wrong person or thing, the sentence says something silly:
- Looking out of the window, the sea was blue. (The sea was looking out of the window!)
- Walking home, the rain started. (The rain was walking home!)
There are two ways to fix it:
| Fix | Example |
|---|---|
, . | |
| clause | , . |
The habit: read the clause, then look at the comma. That is who the clause is about, whether you like it or not.
Common mistakes
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Writing in a hurry | Written in a hurry | : . |
| Knowing not the way | Not knowing the way | Not goes first. |
| She feeling tired, she... | Feeling tired, she... | . |
Going further: -ing or third form? and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
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One question at a time, mixed across the exercises in this lesson. Miss one and it comes back round before the end.
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