Dangling Participles

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Woke up the other morning 

After having some bad dreams

About Dangling Participles

And what that really means

 

Couldn’t remember what they were

I was sure I used to know

But High School English class

Was a long, long time ago

 

A participle is a verb-formed adjective 

Decided to write this down

A participle is "dangling" when 

It modifies the wrong noun

 

Here is an example

About a dinner date 

“After finishing my dinner,

the waitress took my plate”

 

Or the one about the farmer

I guess this plot could thicken

“After laying a large egg,

the farmer presented his favorite chicken. “

 

How about the newspaper ad

Really makes you think

“Need man to take care of gorilla

that doesn’t smoke or drink.”

 

Another good example

It might be a winner

“He was smelling the fried chicken

coming down the steps for dinner.”

 

Or the one about the canine

Who was unruly and the like

“A cop just said my dog

was chasing people on a bike”

 

If your participle dangles

You may need to add a noun

Or modify the sentence 

By moving words around

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