Re: Dangling phrases/participles

[Jane Bergen <jbergen1 -at- EARTHLINK -dot- NET>]

Hello, Nana,

I can imagine you're confused since English is not your native
language. Unfortunately, there is often a difference in the way we
speak compared to the way we write. If you saw dangling phrases or
participles in written documentation, the writer was doing a poor job.
This construction is never acceptable in formal writing. Some native
speakers don't know what a dangling participle is...I've seen
post-graduate students in the English department who could not
recognize passive voice, either. They were literature majors, not
technical communication majors....thankfully. Grammar is not the
favorite subject of most native speakers.

But to answer your question more directly: NO....dangling participles
are not okay. Nor are misplaced modifiers, which I also see often in
technical communication.

Since you are from Japan and since you are a technical writer, we
would be interested in hearing what grammar issues present a problem
for your readers. The subject of international communication is a good
one for this list.

Jane Bergen

----- Original Message -----
From: Kato <Nana -at- TENRYUTECHNICS -dot- CO -dot- JP>
To: <TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 1999 8:10 PM
Subject: Dangling phrases/participles


>Dear professional technical writers,
>
>I've seen quite a lot of sentenses with dangling phrases or
participles
>in fairly well-written technical documentation. Grammer books
generally
>suggests NEVER to use dangling phrases/particiles. But some books
also admit
>that these days many people preferably use them though they are still
>thought
>as incorrect usage. I'm just confused! Are there any general
guidelines
>to dangling phrases/particiles usage? I'm grateful if you suggest
some tips.
>
>----------------------
>Nana Kato
>nana -at- tenryutechnics -dot- co -dot- jp


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