Error No.: 7
Error: Dangling modifiers
Some common examples
1. *Entering the stadium, the size of the crowd surprised John.2. *In drawing up any system of classification, it is likely that there will be some overlapping.
3. *By selecting the judges from both parties, the decisions are likely to give general satisfaction.
4. *Taking our seats, the game started.
Core grammatical problem
The subject of the main clause cannot be interpreted as the subject of the subordinate clause/non-finite clause (embedded in the prepositional phrase).e.g. *Entering the stadium, the size of the crowd surprised John.
*In drawing up any system of classification, it is likely that there …….
In the above sentences, the size of the crowd and it cannot be interpreted as the subject of entering the stadium, and drawing up any system of classification, respectively.
Probable causes of this structural problem
L1-related factor:There is no comparable acceptable structure in Chinese, so the problem is unlikely to be the result of L1 interference.
L2-related factor:
Students are unaware that the subject of the main clause (e.g. the size of the crowd in example 1, or it in example 2) has to be the same as the implicit subject of the subordinate clause/non-finite clause (e.g. entering the stadium in example 1), or the implicit subject of the subordinate clause embedded in the prepositional phrase (e.g. drawing up any system of classification in example 2).
Correction procedure
To help students (Ss) overcome the structural problem such as:Entering the stadium, the size of the crowd surprised John.
teacher (T) can go through the following procedure with students (Ss):
1. Ss identify the main clause of the sentence by underlining it.
e.g. Entering the stadium, the size of the crowd surprised John.
2. Ss circle the subject of the main clause.
e.g. Entering the stadium, the size of the crowd surprised John.
3. Ss identify the subordinate clause of the sentence by double underlining it.
e.g. Entering the stadium, the size of the crowd surprised John.
4. T asks the question ‘Who entered the stadium?’ or other appropriate questions to elicit the hidden subject of the subordinate clause.
5. Ss compare the elicited subject and the circled subject of the main clause.
6. T asks the question ‘Can the size of the crowd be used as the subject of the first (subordinate) clause?’
7. T points out that the subject of the main clause should be the same as the hidden subject of the subordinate clause.
8. T guides Ss to rewrite the main clause in such a way that the subject becomes the same as the hidden subject of the subordinate clause. (It should be noted that sometimes it may be necessary to change the structure of the whole clause in order to achieve this.)
e.g. John ______.
9. After a few trials, Ss should be able to rewrite the main clause as
……, John was surprised by the size of the crowd.
The above procedure does not apply to all sentences with dangling modifiers.e.g. Taking the seats, the game started.
T goes through steps (1) to (7) above
8a. T guides Ss to rewrite the subordinate clause so that the subject becomes explicit.
i.e. ______taking our seats, the game started.
9a. Ss add appropriate conjunctions, paying special attention to tense and agreement.
i.e. When we were taking our seats, the games started.
Follow-up exercise
Correct the following sentences.1. Entering the room, the light was turned on.
2. Having taken his seat, we questioned the witness.
3. Leaving the flat, it began to rain.
4. Being very tired, the alarm could not disturb Mary’s sleep.