only you can prevent dangling modifiers playing with sentence parts
TRANSCRIPT
Only you can prevent dangling modifiers
Playing with sentence parts
Close your eyes…
Picture a dog approaching you.
The dog approached me.
What do you think of this sentence?
We can add action, pictures, or sounds to our sentences or make them like mini-movies
One way to add more action is by…
adding “-ing” verbs!
What are some “–ing” verbs that describe what a dog does? (Let’s list them on the whiteboard)
Ok, let’s close our eyes again…
Eyes are closed…
“Barking, growling, snarling, the dog approached me.” (repeat it twice)
Did the picture in your mind change?
Why did it change? The –ing verbs added action, movement,
pictures, or sounds.
Let’s move our verbs to the end of the sentence.
A. The dog approached me, barking, growling, and snarling.
B. Barking, growling, snarling, the dog approached me.
Which do you like better?
More mentor texts
“Barking furiously, Cujo gave chase. Cujo trailed at Brett’s heels, looking hot and
dispirited. Cujo stood at the edge of the lawn, his great
head lowered, his eyes reddish and filmy, growling.” -Stephen King, Cujo
Can we move the phrases (barking furiously) to different locations? Explain.
Modifiers-Please copy into your Composition Books
Modifiers are words or phrases that describe or modify part of a sentence.
Simply, they change a sentence’s structure and meaning.
They should be placed as close as possible to the noun they modify.
Mentor Text
Jumping up and down on the bed, the lamp broke.
Is the lamp jumping up and down?No!
Revised: Jumping up and down on the bed, my brother knocked over the lamp.
Review Independent vs. Dependent Clauses (if time permits) Independent clause: can
stand alone
Dependent clause: is depending on an independent clause (leaves me hanging)
Dependent or independent?
They handle the cat carelessly.
INDEPENDENT (subject (they) and predicate (handle the cat carlessly)
Trading it back and forth
DEPENDENT (leaves you hanging
They handle the cat carelessly, trading it back and forth. (COMPLEX)
Editing one Freewrite
1. Pick one freewrite that you would like to edit.
2. On the left hand side of the page please select 3 sentences that you would like to write using an independent clause + dependent clause. Use the model below to help. (10 min.)
“Students aren’t often taught this comma rule, which is the basis for many effective professionally written sentences.”
, closer. Sentence