Sentence Structure Errors
Dangling Participles
Participle
A participle is an ing or an ed form of a verb that is used as an adjective. Therefore,
it modifies a noun or pronoun.
For example, the participles turning and
turned are formed from the verb to turn.

Turning
away from the traffic jam, the driver took an alternate route.
The participle and its modifiers make up a participial phrase. It must be placed
next to the noun or pronoun that it modifies.
When you ask Who is turning away from the traffic jam?
you get the answer the driver. The participial phrase modifies
the driver. Therefore, the driver
must come after the participial phrase. If not, you will have a dangling participle,
which is a grammatical error.
Dangling participle
A participle is a dangling participle if there is no word for it to modify.

Trying
to avert an accident, the car was driven into the ditch.
When you ask Who is trying to avert an accident?, you get
the answer the car.
However, it was the driver, not the car, who was trying to avert the accident.
Because there is neither noun nor pronoun for the participial phrase to modify,
it is called a dangling participle.

Offered
a ride to the beach, the offer was refused by the picnickers.
When you ask Who was offered a ride to the beach?, you
get the answer the offer.
However, it was the picnickers, not the offer, who were offered a ride to the beach.
The word that the participial phrase modifies must be placed immediately after the
phrase.
Correcting a dangling participle
(1) Place the noun that the participle modifies next to the participial phrase.

Trying
to avert an accident, the
driver drove the car into the
ditch.

Offered
a ride to the beach, the
picnickers refused the offer.
(2) Turn the participial phrase into a subordinate clause.

As
he tried to avert an accident, the driver drove the car into the ditch.

When
the picnickers were offered a ride to the beach, they refused the offer.
Sentence # 1: Returning to our camp after a day of salmon
fishing, a bear had eaten our food.
When you ask "Who is returning to our camp after a day of salmon fishing?", you
get the answer a bear from this sentence. However, from
the sentence you know that it is we who are returning to
camp. Therefore, the pronoun we must come immediately after
the participial phrase.
Possible corrections for sentence # 1:
1. Place the word that the participial phrase modifies next to the participial phrase.

Returning
to our camp after a day of salmon fishing, we discovered (or some other verb) that
a bear had eaten our food.
2. Turn the participial phrase into an adverb clause.

When
we returned to our camp after a day of salmon fishing, a bear had eaten our food.
The adverb clause now modifies the verb phrase had eaten.
Sentence # 2: Swimming across the lake, the cabin came
into view.
When you ask "Who is swimming across the lake?", you get the answer
cabin from this sentence. However, from the sentence you know that it
was someone who was swimming, though we don't know whom. Therefore, we must place
a noun or pronoun after the participial phrase.
Possible corrections for sentence # 2:
1. Place the word that the participial phrase modifies next to the participial phrase.

Swimming
across the lake, he (or any other pronoun or noun) saw the cabin come into view.
2. Turn the participial phrase into an adverb clause.

As
he was swimming across the lake, the cabin came into view.

As
he swam across the lake, the cabin came into view.
The adverb clauses As he was swimming across the lake and As he swam across the lake now modify the verb
came.