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PARTICIPLE

1. The document discusses the difference between gerunds and present participles, noting that while both end in "-ing", gerunds function as nouns and present participles function as adjectives or in progressive verb tenses. 2. It also discusses participle phrases, noting that they are adjective phrases that begin with a present or past participle and function to describe a noun. 3. The document provides examples of misplaced and squinting modifiers, where a modifier is unclear about which word it is intended to modify, and how to avoid these issues by placing modifiers close to the words they modify.

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30 views13 pages

PARTICIPLE

1. The document discusses the difference between gerunds and present participles, noting that while both end in "-ing", gerunds function as nouns and present participles function as adjectives or in progressive verb tenses. 2. It also discusses participle phrases, noting that they are adjective phrases that begin with a present or past participle and function to describe a noun. 3. The document provides examples of misplaced and squinting modifiers, where a modifier is unclear about which word it is intended to modify, and how to avoid these issues by placing modifiers close to the words they modify.

Uploaded by

esra
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Do Not Confuse Gerunds with Present Participles

1- Not every word which ends -ing is a gerund.


2- Present participles also end -ing.
3- Present participles are also verbals (i.e., words formed
from verbs), but they are not used as nouns.
4- Present participles are used as adjectives or when
forming verbs in a progressive tense.

 Eating a banana an hour before can help.


(This is a gerund phrase.)
 Eating a banana with one hand, he suddenly looked up.
(This is a participle phrase; i.e., the participle is being used as
an adjective.)
 The gorilla was eating a banana with one hand.
(This is a present participle used to form the past progressive
tense.)
 If you are eating the wrong foods in the wrong amounts,
all the exercise in the world won’t combat the caloric
intake.
(This is a present participle used to form the present
progressive tense.)
What Are Participle Phrases? (with Examples)
1- A participle phrase is an adjective phrase
that starts with a participle.

 “You could see the panther releasing its


grip.”
(The shaded text is the participle phrase. The
participle itself is in bold. The participle phrase is
describing the panther.)
2- Participle Phrases Can Start with Past
Participles or Present Participles

3- Participles are used as adjectives. There are


two types of participles: Present Participles
(ending -ing)

4- Past Participles (usually ending -ed, -d, -t, -


en, or -n)
Placement of Participle Phrases7

1- A participle phrase will often appear at the start of


a sentence to describe something in the main clause.
For example:

 “Removing his glasses, the professor shook his head with


disappointment.”
(When a sentence is structured this way, use a comma to
separate the participle phrase from whatever it's
modifying (the professor in this example)

2- A participle phrase can also appear immediately


after whatever it's modifying. For example:

 “I saw Arthur running for the bus.”


(There is no comma when a participle phrase is placed
immediately after its noun (Arthur in this example)

3- It is also possible to use a participle phrase at the end


of a clause and not immediately after whatever it's
modifying. For example:

 “Paul loved his boxing gloves, wearing them even to


bed.”
(There is a comma when the participle phrase is used
farther down the sentence than its noun (Paul in this
example).)

Beware of “Dangling Modifiers” and


“Misplaced Modifiers”

Particularly when using a participle phrase at the start of


a sentence, be sure to place the noun being modified
directly after the comma.

If you fail to do this, you will have made a mistake


known as a misplaced modifier.

For example:
“Disappointed almost to the point of tears, the empty test
tube was examined by the professor.”

(The empty test tube was not disappointed almost to the


point of tears.

The words after the participle phrase and the comma


should be the professor.)

Also, be sure to include the noun being modified. If you


omit it, you will have made a mistake known as a
dangling modifier.
For example:
“Disappointed almost to the point of tears, an empty test
tube was the worst outcome possible.”
(In this example, there is nothing at all for the participle
phrase to modify. It is dangling.)

Misplaced Modifier
A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that
does not clearly relate to what it is intended to modify. In
other words, a misplaced modifier makes the meaning of
a sentence ambiguous or wrong.

Examples of Misplaced Modifiers.

Here are some examples of misplaced modifiers


(shaded):
“Andrew told us after the holiday he intends to stop
drinking.”
(In this example, it is not clear whether Andrew made
this statement after the holiday or whether he intends to
stop drinking after the holiday.)

“Running quickly improves your health.”

(In this example, it is not clear if quickly modifies


running or improves.)

“We will not sell paraffin to anyone in glass bottles.”


(Often, like in this example, common sense tells us what
the writer meant. Clearly, this is about paraffin in glass
bottles not people in glass bottles. However, placing your
modifier too far away from the thing being modified will
do little to showcase your writing skills.)

Misplaced Modifiers Can Change the


Meaning

Sometimes, a misplaced modifier is not a mistake.

It just leads to an unintended meaning.

Look at these sentences:

“He lost nearly $5,000 in Las Vegas.”


(This means he lost just under $5,000.)

“He nearly lost $5,000 in Las Vegas.”


(Here, we don't know how much he lost. He might have
lost nothing at all.)
How to Avoid a Misplaced Modifier

You can avoid a misplaced modifier by placing your


modifier alongside whatever it's modifying.

For example:
“Jack can hear Jill when she whispers clearly.”

(As the intended meaning is that Jack can clearly hear


Jill's whispers, this is a misplaced modifier.

It can be corrected by moving the modifier next to the


word it is meant to modify.)

Here is a correct version for the intended meaning:


“Jack can clearly hear Jill when she whispers.”

If the meaning were Jack can hear Jill's clear whispers,


then the first version would be correct: Jack can hear Jill
when she whispers clearly.

Probably the most famous example of a misplaced


modifier is not a misplaced modifier at all.
Look at this well-known joke by Groucho Marx:

“One morning I shot an elephant in my pyjamas. How he


got into my pajamas I'll never know.” (Groucho Marx)
This is not a misplaced modifier because the elephant
was actually in his pyjamas.

Types of Misplaced Modifiers


There are three types of misplaced modifiers:

(1) Those that modify the wrong thing.


“He only eats ice-cream.” x
“He eats only ice-cream.”
These are the classic misplaced modifiers. This error
occurs quite often with the word only.

(2) Those that could feasibly modify either of two


things in the sentence.

“Talking quickly annoys people.” x


These are more commonly called squinting modifiers.

(3) Those that modify nothing.

“Having read your letter, my dog will be taken to the


vet for a test.”x
“Having read your letter, I will take my dog to the vet
for a test.”

What Is a Squinting Modifier? (with Examples)


A squinting modifier is a modifier (usually an adverb)
which could feasibly modify the words before it or the
words after it.

A squinting modifier is a type of misplaced modifier.

Examples of Squinting Modifiers

Here are some examples of squinting modifiers (shaded):

“Cycling up hills quickly strengthens your quadriceps.”


(In this example, the adverb quickly is a squinting
modifier. It is unclear whether quickly pertains to
Cycling up hills or strengthens.)

“Taking a moment to think clearly improves your


chances.”
(In this example, the adverb clearly is a squinting
modifier. It is unclear whether it pertains to think or
improves.)
Fixing a Squinting Modifier
Like most misplaced modifiers, a squinting modifier can
be fixed by changing its position in the sentence or by
rewording.

For example:
“Cycling up hills strengthens your quadriceps quickly.”

“Taking a moment to think clearly about the issue


improves your chances.”

A Squinting Modifier is a Type of Misplaced Modifier.

A squinting modifier can feasibly "look" left or right.

A normal misplaced modifier (i.e., one that isn't


squinting) might also feasibly modify one of two things
in a sentence, but it does this by being ambiguous.

Here is an example from the film Hot Fuzz:

"He was a hero at his last police station. He once shot a


robber with a Kalashnikov."
"Great, where did he get that?"

"No, the robber had the Kalashnikov."

In this example, the adverbial phrase with a Kalashnikov


(a type of assault rifle) is a misplaced modifier. It cannot
be squinting because there is nothing to its right.
However, it is unclear whether it pertains to shot or a
robber.
What Are Limiting Modifiers? (with Examples)

Limiting modifiers impose restrictions on the words they


modify.

The most common limiting modifiers are:


Almost
Hardly
Nearly
Just
Only
Merely

Positioning of Limiting Modifiers

The word (or words) a limiting modifier governs is


usually immediately to its right in a sentence.

In each example below, the limiting modifier is


underlined, and the word it governs is in bold.

“Martin knows hardly anybody.”


“He hardly knows anybody.”
“Only Martin eats pears.”
“Martin eats only pears.”

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