dangling participle
a participle or participial phrase, often found at the beginning of a sentence, that appears from its position to modify an element of the sentence other than the one it was intended to modify, as plunging in Plunging hundreds of feet into the gorge, we saw Yosemite Falls.
Grammar notes for dangling participle
Some participial constructions are never felt to be dangling or unattached. Some of these are simply independent phrases: Generally speaking, the report is true. Others have come to function as conjunctions or prepositions: Considering she has been through so much illness, she looks wonderful. Owing to the weather, the performance was canceled. Assuming congressional approval, the bill will go to the president on Friday. Despite many criticisms, dangling participles continue to appear in edited prose. Only when an unintentionally ridiculous meaning is suggested ( Having finished our breakfast, the boat was loaded and launched ) are dangling participles deliberately avoided. See also misplaced modifier.
- Compare misplaced modifier.
Words Nearby dangling participle
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for dangling participle
grammar a participle intended to modify a noun but having the wrong grammatical relationship to it as for example having left in the sentence Having left Europe for good, Peter's future seemed bleak indeed: Also called: misplaced modifier
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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