Los Angeles Times

A Word, Please: Don’t leave your participles dangling

Now that I have your attention, I’d like to talk about dangling participles. This most famous of danglers is must-know stuff for any self-respecting smarty-pants. Not because the concept will help ...
Lycoming College

Modifiers, Parallel Structures, False Predicates

Modifiers are describing phrases or clauses which support or tell more about your idea. Therefore, they have to be placed next to what they modify. Misplaced Modifers: Dangling modifiers are those ...
manilatimes

Getting to know the absolute phrase better

TO establish context or give texture to a main clause, we typically use a phrase to modify it. This modifying phrase commonly takes one of these five forms — a prepositional phrase, appositive phrase, ...
Los Angeles Times

A Word, Please: For less confusion, seek the modifier’s noun

Not long ago, I used as an example in this column “Having already missed two mortgage payments, Jane asked her mother if she could loan her some money.” I was making the point that editors usually ...
Times Union

Seek the modifier's noun for clarity

Not long ago, I used as an example in this column "Having already missed two mortgage payments, Jane asked her mother if she could loan her some money." I was making the point that editors usually ...
Times Union

Case turns on a participial phrase

In February, the Supreme Court heard a case that hinged on the grammar of a single phrase in a federal law. The law calls for a 10-year minimum sentence for anyone possessing child pornography if he ...