Turning...and terrifying the community

Question

Hi teachers,Excerpts:He vanished into scrubland, turning his haunts into deserted lockdown areas and terrifying the community.Does the sentence read like this:He vanished into scrubland, turning his haunts into deserted lockdown areas. +  He vanished into scrubland, terrifying the community.Thank you very much.Tinanam

Roman Zangief · Accepted Answer

Actually I would say no. The reason he is "terrifying the community" is because he turns "his haunts into deserted lockdown areas". So the terrifying is dependent upon the "turning haunts . . ." and does not occur because he vanished into the scrubland.

Tinanam0102 · Answer

Hi Roman Zangief,

Thank you for helping me the structure.

Tinanam

Dimsumexpress · Answer

Tina,

Actually, the construction of this sentenceis is quite simple. A main cause, He vanished into scrubland supported by a present particple clauses, turning haunts into deserted lockdown areas and terrifying the community.

Although I am not quite sure what "turning haunts into deserted lockdown areas...." really mean. As far as I can see, there is no cause and effect relationship here. We use participle clause because it allows us to express thoughts in a single sentence. i.e.

John usually goes to his parents' s store on the weekend, helping them with the heavy chores, unpacking and shelving the merchandise.

Without using the participle clause, one may have to express the same thoughts in separate sentences:
John usually goes to his parents's store.
He helps them do the heavy chores.
He helps with the unpacking and shelving the merchandise.

Tinanam0102 · Answer

Hi Dimsum,

Thank you for breaking the pattern down. I copied the sentence from a British magazine.

Tina

CalifJim · Answer

tinanam0102Does the sentence read like this:
He vanished into scrubland, turning his haunts into deserted lockdown areas. +
He vanished into scrubland, terrifying the community.

It seems somewhat like that to me, but not exactly.

To me it's more like this:

He vanished into scrubland. That is, he turned his haunts into deserted lockdown areas.
By doing so, (whether you describe it one way or the other), he terrified the community.

Or:

He vanished ...
=
He turned his haunts ...

So,

He vanished ..., thereby terrifying ...
=
He turned his haunts ..., thereby terrifying ...

CJ

Tinanam0102 · Answer

Hi CalifJim,

Happy New Year and a good year start for you.

Would you tell me if "scrubland" in the sentence is implying the deserted lockdown areas?

Thank you.

Tinanam

CalifJim · Answer

tinanam0102Would you tell me if "scrubland" in the sentence is implying the deserted lockdown areas?

This is from a British source and I speak American English, so I can't be absolutely sure. My view is that your guess is correct. scrubland is not being used according to its definition in the dictionary, so we must conclude, I think, that it is being used metaphorically to imply the deserted lockdown areas mentioned in the same sentence.

CJ

CalifJim · Answer

tinanam0102Happy New Year

Thank you! And to you! [<:o)]

CJ

Turning...and terrifying the community

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