Dangling modifiers, fragments, comma splices.

2. The power of
words in
sentences
can create
peace or war,
harmony or
discord,
separation or
reconciliation.

3. Sentences need to have. . . .
•A subject
•A verb
•And they need to make sense (be an independent
clause)

4. A phrase is a group of words
that lacks a subject, a verb,
or both. Two phrases that
we use are--
•Prepositional phrase
•Sentence: They kept dialing
Rose’s phone number with no
success.
•Infinitive phrase (to + verb)
•Sentence: Matilda always wanted
to run a marathon

5. Split Infinitives

6. Fix the split infinitives in the
following:
1. The coach told her to quickly run five
laps around the track.
2. It is important to softly and silently
step into the baby’s room.
3. Jonathan Edwards preached with
such strong conviction to positively,
absolutely, unequivocally keep
sinners from hell.

7. Sometimes sentences are not
really a sentence, but a
fragment.
Sometimes a sentence is
missing its subject; sometimes
a sentence is missing its verb.

8. Sometimes our sentences aren’t
sentences at all. They are run-on
sentences or what they call, a
“comma splice.”
For example:
Joey ran to the store he ate a hamburger on his way
home. (run-on)
Joey ran to the store, he ate a hamburger on his way
home. (comma splice)
Joey ran to the store. He ate a hamburger on his way
home. (correct)

9. Now it’s your turn. How might you
correct these fragments or run-
on/comma splice sentences?
1. Rosa talks about her relationship
with her parents, she grew up
following her family’s values.
2.Ralph always wanted to be a stand-
up comic he liked to make people
laugh.
3.The family set out for a new
country. In which they could practice
their culture and religion.

10. A modifier that is not grammatically linked to
the noun or phrase it is intended to
describe is said to be dangling.
Walking into the house, the telephone
rang.
(The sentence says the
telephone was walking.)

11. Delighted with the team’s victory, the
parade route was decorated by fans.
(The sentence says the parade route
was delighted.)

12. Method 1: Keep the modifier, but make the
subject of the independent clause the
person or thing modified.
1.Walking into the house, we heard the
telephone.
2.Delighted with the team’s victory, the fans
decorated the parade route.

13. More on Dangle
Method 2: Change the modifier
phrase into a clause with its
own subject and verb.
1.While we were walking into
the house, the telephone
rang.
2.Because the fans were
delighted with the team’s

14. Remember….
The sentence is very powerful: choose your
words carefully, and use them to your
advantage.