Eng101 Parallelism MisplacedAndDanglingModifiers

8/20/2019 Eng101 Parallelism MisplacedAndDanglingModifiers

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ENG

101

Parallelism


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WHAT IS PARALLELISM?

Using the same pattern of words to show that two

or more ideas have the same importance

Patterns fall into four areas:

Words and phrases

Forms

Clauses

Lists


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PARALLELISM WORDS PHRASES

Do not mix patterns with the

–

ing form (gerund)

of words:

I like playing baseball, reading about sports, and

tacos.

I like playing baseball, reading about sports, and

eating tacos.


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Do not mix patterns of infinitive phrases.

Mary likes to shop, to read, and jogging..

Mary like to shop, to read, and to jog.


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Balance parallel ideas presented as pairs

Either…or neither…nor

not only…but also both…and whether…or

The teacher not only wants his students to keep quiet

but also to do the task.

The teacher wants his students not only to keep quiet

but also to do the task.

Thomas Edison was not only a prolific inventor but also

was a successful entrepreneur.

Omit was


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PARALLELISM FORMS

Do not mix forms.

The teacher said that he was a poor student

because he waited until the last minute to

study for the exam, completed his lab problems

in a careless manner, and his motivation was

low.

The teacher said that he was a poor student

because he waited until the last minute to

study for the exam, completed his lab problems

in a careless manner, and lacked motivation.


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PARALLELISM CLAUSES

A parallel structure that begins with clauses must

continue using clauses.

The salesman expected that he would present his

product at the meeting, that there would be time

for him to show his slide presentation, and

questions would be asked by prospective buyers.

The salesman expected that he would present his

product at the meeting, that there would be time

for him to show his slide presentation, and that

prospective buyers would ask him questions.


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PARALLELISM LISTS

Be sure to keep al the elements in a list in the

same form.

The dictionary can be used for these purposes: to

find word meanings, pronunciations, correct

spellings, and looking up irregular verbs.

The dictionary can be used for these purposes: to

find word meanings, pronunciations, correct

spellings, and irregular verbs.


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ENG 101

Misplaced Dangling Modifiers


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MISPLACED & DANGLING MODIFIERS

Modifiers are words that describe other words

in a sentence

Modifiers should be near the words they modify

Linda saw the White House flying over

Washington D.C.

Flying over Washington D.C. Linda saw the White

House.

Trying to eat a hot dog my bike swerved off the

path.

While I was trying to eat a hot dog my bike

swerved off the path.


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PUT LIMITING MODIFIERS IN FRONT OF THE

WORDS THEY MODIFY

Limiting modifiers = only, even, almost, nearly, just

These should appear in front of a verb only if they

modify the verb

At first, I couldn’t even touch my toes, much less grasp

them.

If they limit the meaning of some other word in the

sentence, they should be placed in front of that word.

The cathedral almost took six centuries to complete.

The cathedral took almost six centuries to complete.


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WORDS THEY MODIFY

Limiting modifiers = only, even, almost, nearly, just

These should appear in front of a verb only if they

modify the verb

At first, I couldn’t even touch my toes, much less grasp

them.

If they limit the meaning of some other word in the

sentence, they should be placed in front of that word.

The cathedral almost took six centuries to complete.

The cathedral took almost six centuries to complete.


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WORDS THEY MODIFY

If you just interview chemistry majors your

picture of the student body’s response to the

new grading policies will be incomplete.

We are only interviewing as opposed to any other

options

If you interview just chemistry majors your



We are only dealing with chemistry majors

If you interview just chemistry majors your




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PLACE PHRASES AND CLAUSES SO THAT READERS

CAN SEE AT A GLANCE WHAT THEY MODIFY

The soccer player returned to the clinic

where he had undergone emergency surgery

in 2004 in a limousine sent by Adidas.

He had surgery in a limousine???

Traveling in a limousine sent by Adidas the

soccer player returned to the clinic where he

had undergone emergency surgery in 2004


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There are many pictures of comedians who

have performed at Gavin’s on the walls.

The comedians are performing on the walls?

On the walls are many pictures of comedians

who have performed at Gavin’s.

The robber was described as a six-foot-tall man

with a heavy mustache weighing 170 pounds.

That’s a heavy mustache

The robber was described as a 170-pound six-

foot-tall man with a heavy mustache.


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A squinting modifier leads to ambiguity

The exchange students we met for coffee

occasionally questioned us about our latest

slang.

Did they meet occasionally? Or did the

questioning happen occasionally?

The exchange students we occasionally met for

coffee questioned us about our latest slang.

The exchange students we met for coffee

questioned us occasionally about our latest

slang.


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MOVE AWKWARDLY PLACED MODIFIERS

A sentence should flow from subject to verb

to object without lengthy detours along with

way

Upset by the bad call, a hot-tempered tennis

player who charged the umpire and tried to

crack the poor man's skull with a racket, the

crowd cheered Robbie.

Upset by the bad call, the crowd cheered

Robbie, a hot-tempered tennis player who

charged the umpire and tried to crack the

poor man's skull with a racket.


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AVOID AWKWARD SPLIT INFINITIVES

Infinitive = to plus base form of a verb (to think)

Split infinitive = modifier between to and verb

(to carefully balance, to completely understand)

When a long word or phrase appears between

parts of the infinitive, result is usually awkward

The patient should try to if possible avoid going

up and down stairs.

If possible the patient should try to avoid going

up and down stairs.


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DANGLING MODIFIERS

Modifier fails to refer logically to any word in

the sentence

Understanding the need to create checks and

balances on power the Constitution divided

the government into three branches.

The document understood the need for checks

and balances?

Understanding the need to create checks and

balances on power the framers of the

Constitution divided the government into three

branches.


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WHERE VS. WHEN

pril the first is known as ll Fools’ Day ______

people play practical jokes on each other.

The pound _____ Bella found me is in

Kittanning.


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WHICH VS. THAT

Gems _____ sparkle often elicit forgiveness.

Diamonds, _____ are expensive, often elicit

forgiveness.

There was an earthquake in China, _____ is

bad.


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WHICH VS. THAT

Gems _____ sparkle often elicit forgiveness.

Restrictive Clause—That

A restrictive clause is just part of a sentence that you

can't get rid of because it specifically restricts some

other part of the sentence.

Here's an example: The words that sparkle restrict the

kind of gems you're talking about. Without them, the

meaning of the sentence would change. Without them,

you'd be saying that all gems elicit forgiveness, not just

the gems that sparkle. (And note that you don't need

commas around the words that sparkle.)


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WHICH VS. THAT

Diamonds, _____ are expensive, often elicit forgiveness.

There was an earthquake in China, _____ is bad.

Nonrestrictive Clause

—

Which

A nonrestrictive clause is something that can be left off without

changing the meaning of the sentence. You can think of a

nonrestrictive clause as simply additional information.

Explanation: Diamonds are always expensive, so leaving out the words which

are expensive doesn't change the meaning of the sentence. (Also note that the

phrase is surrounded by commas. Nonrestrictive clauses are usually

surrounded by, or preceded by, commas.)


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