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Farshidgh Posted 11 years ago
Grammar
Dangling Modifier
Hi,
In the online writing lab of Purdue University, there is an example about a dangling modifier (there is a similar example in Toronto University website too):
"To improve his results, the experiment was done again."
They said that "the experiment" cannot improve its results, so they corrected it in this way:
"He improved his results by doing the experiment again."
I have two questions:
1- I think there should not be dangling because "to improve" is infinitive and infinitive does not have a subject. So why there is a dangling modifier?
2- How one can correct the first sentence without changing it into the active voice?
I appreciate if you can provide any help.
Thanks
In the online writing lab of Purdue University, there is an example about a dangling modifier (there is a similar example in Toronto University website too):
"To improve his results, the experiment was done again."
They said that "the experiment" cannot improve its results, so they corrected it in this way:
"He improved his results by doing the experiment again."
I have two questions:
1- I think there should not be dangling because "to improve" is infinitive and infinitive does not have a subject. So why there is a dangling modifier?
2- How one can correct the first sentence without changing it into the active voice?
I appreciate if you can provide any help.
Thanks
Top answer
It is awkward because we are expecting "he" to be the subject in the second part, but it seems questionable to me whether it is strictly dangling. After all, "To improve the results, the experiment was done again" reads acceptably.
- It is awkward because we are expecting "he" to be the subject in the second part, but it seems questionable to me whether it is strictly dangling.
- After all, "To improve the results, the experiment was done again" reads acceptably.
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1 Answers
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It is awkward because we are expecting "he" to be the subject in the second part, but it seems questionable to me whether it is strictly dangling. After all, "To improve the results, the experiment was done again" reads acceptably.
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