Acceptability & Unacceptability of Dangling Clauses
Adverbial participle clauses (i.e. -ing, -ed clauses), infinitival clauses,and verbless clauses áąááźáá˛á ááŤááşáąááź áąáá¸ááŹá¸áᏠáąááźááąáááşáťáá ášááŤááášá
e.g. Having done my homework, I went to bed.
( ááŽááᯠááŹááş áąááźááá˛áˇáĄá፠"having done" áááŻáá˛áˇ Verb áá˛á Subject ááᯠMain Clause áá˛á Subject áá˛á áĄáá°áá°áá˛áááŻá ááŹá¸ááášáááŤááášá ááŤááᯠUnderstood Subject / Implied Subject áááŻá áąááááŤááášá )
áĄááášá ááŤááşáááŻáá˝áŹ Participle clause áá˛á Verb áá˛á Subject áᏠMain clause áá˛á Subject áá˛á ááá°áá°á¸áááŻááášá ááŽáĄáąáťááĄáąáááᯠDangling Participle áááŻá áąáááżááŽá¸ Grammatical error áĄáťáá
áš ááášáá˝áášááŤááášá
(Dangling Participle áąááźááᯠUnattached, Unrelated, Pendant Participle áááŻáááášá¸ áĄááşááłá¸ááşááłá¸ áąáááąááážáááŤáąáá¸ááášá)
ááŽááᯠSubject áąááź ááşááášááášááŹá¸ááášáąá áááŻá áááŻáášááŹááá˛áˇ á áášá¸ááášá¸ááᯠThe Subject Attachment Rule áááŻá áąááááŤááášá
-ing , -ed ááşáŹá¸áá˛á á áá˛áˇ Participle clause áąááźáá˝áŹ Dangling áĄáťáá ášááşáŹá¸ááášáá˛áˇáĄááźááš Dangling Participle áááŻá áĄááááşáŹá¸ááŤááášá ( Dangling Participle áᯠáááŻáąááŹášááášá¸ Infinitive Clause ááşáŹá¸ á Verbless Clause ááşáŹá¸á፠ááąááŹáááŹá¸áá°ááŽá áźáŹ áĄááşáśáłá¸ááášááášáááŻá áá°áááŤá )
Adverbial Clause áá˛á Understood Subject áá˛á Main Clause áá˛á Subject ááźá˛áąááşáŹášáąááá˛áˇ ááŤááşááá°ááŹááşáŹá¸ááᯠáąááˇááŹážááášáˇááŤá
- ? Driving to Chicago that night, a sudden thought struck me.
- ? Since leaving her,life has seemed pointless.
- ? Walking down the boardwalk, a tall building came into view.
( ? áĄáá˝áášááąáá¤ááᏠáĄáá˝áášááĄáá˝áŹá¸ ááášááśáááŻá áąáááźá˛áááášáááš áááŻá áááŻáááŻááŤááášá )
áĄááášááŤááŤááş 1, 2, 3 ááąážááŹáášá¸ááŻáśá¸áá˛á áááášáťáá ášááášáˇáá˛áˇ Subject áᏠ"I" áťáá ášáąáááášáˇ á Main clause áá˛á Subject áąááźá ááźá˛áąáááŤááášá
ááŽááᯠááźá˛áąááşáŹášáąáááŹáąááźááᯠáąáĄáŹáášááŤáĄáááŻáášá¸ áťááášáťááášáąáá¸ááášáˇááŤááášá
1.(a) Driving to Chicago that night, I was struck by a sudden thought.
2.(a)Since leaving her, I have felt that life seemed pointless.
3.(a) Walking down the boardwalk, I saw a tall building.
đšđšđšđšđš
Understood Subject ááźá˛áąááşáŹášáżááŽá¸ Dangling áťáá
ášáąááá˛áˇ ááŤááşááşáŹá¸
Examples:
? After serving on several committees, the association elected her their secretary-treasurer.
? Friend of statesmen and patron of the arts, many honours were bestowed on him.
? While in a hospital near the school, her teachers visited her regularly.
? To see the procession, I put the child on my shoulders.
? Being the eldest, the responsibility fell particularly on my shoulders.
? Although the latest model, they didn't like the car.
? Advised to study anthropology, his choice was psychology instead.
? An author of considerable distinction, people flocked to her public lecture.
? On reaching the summit, the view delighted us all.
áĄááášá፠ááŤááşáąááźáá˛á Understood Subject ááᯠážááśááášá áĽášá¸á áŹá¸áżááŽá¸ áĄá áąááŹášáááŻá ááááŻáášááŤááášá ááŤáąážááŹáášáˇ "?" áĄááášáˇáá˝áŹ ááá˝ááŤááášá áááŻááąááŹáš áąáá¸ááášáˇ á ááŻáśá¸ááášáˇáá˛áˇ ááŻáśá áśááşáŹá¸ áááŻáášááŤá ( It is considered that they are frowned upon.)
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ááŻáśá¸áááᯠááŹá¸ááášáááášáżááŽá¸ á áĄáááá¸áŤáášááźá˛áąá áá˛áˇ ááŻáśá áśááşáŹá¸áááŻáąááŹáˇ ááąáá˝áŹáášááťáá áš áąáá˝áŹáášááᯠáąáá˝áŹáášááá˝áŹáťáá ášááŤááášá
- *Reading the evening paper, a dog started barking.
áááášá¸á áŹááášáąáááášá¸ááąáá áąááźá¸ ááąááŹáášááášá
( áááášá¸á áŹááášáá°áᏠááášáá°ááášááŤááášáááŻá áááŤáᲠá ááášáá°áᏠ"áąááźá¸" áááŻáášáááŻáášááášáááᯠáťáá ášáá˛áˇáĄááźááš ááŽááŤááşáᏠááŻáśá¸á áĄáá˝áŹá¸áťáá ášááŤááášá )
*Using these techniques, a wheel fell off.
*A result of the rise in prices, our economy is suffering.
*Opening the cupboard, a skeleton fell out.
*Grilled on charcoal, everyone enjoyed the fish they caught.
*Having eaten our lunch, the steamboat departed.
( * ááąáá¤ááᏠUngrammatical; Grammatical error áᯠáááŻáááŻááŤááášá )
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TĚ Ě˛Ě hĚ Ě˛Ě eĚ Ě˛Ě Ě Ě˛Ě AĚ Ě˛Ě tĚ Ě˛Ě tĚ Ě˛Ě aĚ Ě˛Ě cĚ Ě˛Ě hĚ Ě˛Ě mĚ Ě˛Ě eĚ Ě˛Ě nĚ Ě˛Ě tĚ Ě˛Ě Ě Ě˛Ě RĚ Ě˛Ě uĚ Ě˛Ě lĚ Ě˛Ě eĚ Ě˛Ě ááášá¸ááźáášááášáˇ ( áąáťááąáá˝áşáŹáˇáąáá¸ááášáˇ) áĄáąáťááĄáąáááşáŹá¸
(A)
á
áŹáąáá¸áá°áá˛á ááášáťááášááşáášáĄáá°áĄáááᯠáąáťááŹáá˛áˇ Adverbial Clause ááŻáśá
áś "Fixed Expressions" áąááźááᯠAttachment Ruleáąááźáá˛á ááášáááášáááŹá¸áᏠáąááźááááŤááášá (áĄáąáááĄáąáááĄáŹá¸áťááášáˇáąááŹáˇ Style Disjunct áááŻá áąááááŤááášá)
ááŽááᯠclause áąááźáá˛á Understood Subject ááąááŹáˇ á
áŹáąáá¸áá° " I " áĄáťáá
áš áá°ááááŤááášá
Examples:
Generally speaking, men can run faster than women.â
Broadly speaking, dogs are more faithful than cats.â
Judging from his expression, heâs in a bad mood.â
Considering everything, it wasnât a bad holiday.â
Supposing there was a war, what would you do?â
Taking everything into consideration, they ought to get another chance.â
Putting it mildly, you have caused us some inconvenience.â
His moral principles, to be frank, begin and end with his own interests.â
To say the least, their techniques are old-fashioned.â
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(B)
Adverbial Clause áá˛á Understood Subject áᏠMain Clause áááŻááŻáśá¸ áťáá ášáąááááš Attachment Rule áá˝ ááášá¸ááźáášááŤááášá
I'll help you, if necessary.
[ "... if it is necessary."]
Unknown to his closest advisers, he had secretly negotiated with an
enemy emissary. â
[ "It was unknown to his closest advisers that ... "]
The siren sounded, indicating that the air raid was over.â
[" ... which indicated that ... ]
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(C) a
Understood Subject áᏠIndefinite Pronoun ááşáŹá¸ á Preparatory "it" áťáá ášáąááááš Less Objectionable (ááášáˇááźáášá ááŹááášá¸áááš) áááŻá áá°áážáááŤááášá
When dining in the restaurant, a jacket and tie are required. â
[ "When someone dines ..." ]
Being Christmas, the government offices were closed.â
[ "Since it was ... "]
(C) b
Main Clause áá˛á Subject áąááź áááŻáášáá
Preparatory Subject "it", "there" ááşáŹá¸ áťáá
ášáąáááášááášá¸ ááášááśáááŻáášááŤááášá
Being French, itâs surprising that sheâs such a terrible cook.â
Having so little time, there was not much that I could do.â
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(D)
áąááŹáášááŻáśá¸áĄááşáášááąááŹáˇ
Formal Scientific Writing ááşáŹá¸ááźááš
Understood Subject áᏠá
áŹáąáá¸áá° (áááŻá) á
áŹááášáá°ááᯠáááášá¸áá˛áˇ "I" , "We" , "You" ááşáŹá¸ áťáá
ášáááš Unattached Clause áá˛á áąáá¸ááŹá¸ááášááŤááášá
When treating patients with language retardation and deviation of language development, the therapy consists, in part, of discussions of the patient's problems with parents and teachers, with subsequent language teaching carried out by them.â
To check on the reliability of the first experiment, the experiment was replicated with a second set of subjects.â
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áĄáá˝á ášááşáłáášáááŻááááš Dangling Clause áąááźááᯠááášááśááášáˇ á ááášáááśááášáˇáĄááşáášáᏠáá˝áášááášáá˛áˇ Implied Subject ááᯠ(ááŹá¸ááášáááááźá˛áá˛á ááášáąááŹáášááźáášááźáášáá°áá°áá˛á ) áááááŻáášááá˛áááŻáá˛áˇ áĄááşáášáĄáąáá áá°ááášááŤááášá
Ref.:
A COMPREHENSIVE GRAMMAR OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE by Randolph Quirk, Sidney Greenbaum,Geoffrey Leech & Jan Svartvik.
Practical English Usage by Michael Swan.