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Anonymous Posted 15 years ago
Grammar

Question about a sentence

Is this a bad sentence. I tend to write like this quite a bit.

"He grappled the halberd with one hand, neutralizing the weapon."

The part, "neutralizing the weapon" is the specific section that I question.

Is it a present participle? Should just reword this sentence or is it grammatically correct as it stands? Sorry if this is an easy question. I just can't get my arms around if it is bad and if so I really want to understand why it is bad, so that I can try and not write like this.

Thanks
  

Top answer

Anonymous He grappled the halberd with one hand, neutralizing the weapon. "Neutralizing the weapon" is fine. It's a present participial phrase.

— Avangi

  • Anonymous He grappled the halberd with one hand, neutralizing the weapon.
  • "Neutralizing the weapon" is fine.
  • It's a present participial phrase.
  • I paused, clearing my throat.
  • Is there something specific about it that bothers you?
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3 Answers
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AnonymousHe grappled the halberd with one hand, neutralizing the weapon.
"Neutralizing the weapon" is fine. It's a present participial phrase.

I paused, clearing my throat.

Is there something specific about it that bothers you?
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Thank you. It just bothered me that I wasn't positive if really knew why it was correct or incorrect. I find that I do this quite a bit especially when writing action. I appreciate your help.
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The participle doesn't have to have an object. The verb can even be intransitive: He lay there bleeding.
We often debate whether the participle modifies the noun or the verb - or the whole sentence.
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