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.

Practice

Correct the dangling participles in following sentences, using the most effective method.

1. Returning to our camp after a day of salmon fishing, a bear had eaten our food.
2. Swimming across the lake, the cabin came into view.

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.