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Q: Grammer ( Answered 5 out of 5 stars,   0 Comments )
Question  
Subject: Grammer
Category: Reference, Education and News > Homework Help
Asked by: fully-ga
List Price: $10.00
Posted: 06 Apr 2005 20:27 PDT
Expires: 06 May 2005 20:27 PDT
Question ID: 506114
What, if anything, is wrong withthe following sentence?
Being unable to type the letter, the boss fired me.
a. Properly constructed sentence
b. Comma splice
c. Dangler
D. Fragment
Answer  
Subject: Re: Grammer
Answered By: pinkfreud-ga on 06 Apr 2005 20:56 PDT
Rated:5 out of 5 stars
 
The answer is 'c.'

The sentence contains a classic "dangler" or "dangling modifier."

Let's look at the sentence closely:

"Being unable to type the letter, the boss fired me."

Stop to think about it. Does the participial phrase "Being unable to
type the letter" refer to the boss? No. The sentence can be made
grammatically correct in several ways. This is one of the simplest:
"The boss fired me because I was unable to type the letter."

You'll find a good discussion of "danglers" here (scroll down to
"DANGLING MODIFIERS"):

Capital Community College Foundation: Modifier Placement
http://cctc2.commnet.edu/grammar/modifiers.htm

I hope this helps. If anything is unclear or incomplete, please
request clarification; I'll be glad to offer further assistance before
you rate my answer.

Best regards,
pinkfreud
fully-ga rated this answer:5 out of 5 stars
Thabk you

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