Dangling Conversations and Other Disconnectedness

Editors note: There was an important postscript to this post in the following week's post: The Thin Blue Line between a Dangling Modifier and an Ablative Absolute

There’s a poignant Simon and Garfunkel song, “Dangling Conversations,” that tells of two people whose communications have become disconnected. Although they are in the same place physically, there is no longer a link between them. . . . 

Today, Ms. Picky would like to look at a less poignant kind of dangling conversation, one that results not from a damaged relationship, but from a dangling participle or other modifier:

Examples

Deciding to have a quick dinner first, the theater was the focus of their evening.

In this sentence, “Deciding to have a quick dinner first” is the modifier. But let’s deconstruct the sentence:

Q. What exactly does “Deciding to have a quick dinner first” modify? Who or what was deciding to have a quick dinner—the theater? The focus? “Their evening”? Hardly.

A. Since the clause is not modifying anything, “deciding to have a quick dinner first” cannot be connected to the main clause at all; “deciding to have a quick dinner first” is a dangling modifier.

What the speaker should have said was something like:

Deciding to have a quick dinner first, they wanted the theater to be the focus of their evening.

Q. What is the word being modified in this sentence? Who or what was deciding to have a quick dinner first?

A. “They” were deciding to have a quick dinner first. Now the modifer is not dangling; it is connected; the word it is modifying is easily identifiable.

Okay, let’s try another. Different sentence, same game:

Considering the damage that occurred in the bond market this month, equities are definitely the  place to be.

Q. Who or what is considering the damage that occurred in the bond market this month? Equities? Place? Money?

A. None of the above. Here is another dangling modifier.

The speaker should have said something like:

Considering the damage that occurred in the bond market this month, one can see that equities are definitely the place to be.

Q. In this sentence, who or what is considering?

A. “One” is considering. No disconnectedness, no dangling modifier.

Sometimes the great poignancy of dangling conversations cannot be avoided, but Ms Picky would at least like to help her readers avoid the small, sharp poignancy of dangling modifiers. . . .

______

Bulletin Board

To M.B.: 
Ms. Picky regrets to tell you that your mother-in-law is right: E.g. and i.e. cannot be used interchangeably. E.g. comes from the Latin exempli gratia and means “for example.” 

When used, it should be followed by examples of the thing being discussed. 

I.e., on the other hand comes from the Latin id est and means “that is.” 

I.e. should be followed not simply by examples, but by an exact definition or clarification of the thing being discussed. 

Examples:
He liked intellectual games, e.g., chess or bridge.
(He liked intellectual games, among which are chess and bridge.)


She chose her favorite morning coffee, i.e., Arabica.
(She chose her favorite morning coffee, which was Arabica.)




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