Eng 102sp15

Synthesis Peer Review

Misplaced & Dangling Modifiers
Sentence variety
Commonly confused words

Reading a book, my cat crawled into my

lap.

Misplaced & Dangling Modifiers

The hunter crouched behind a tree waiting

for a bear to come along with a bow and
arrow.

Misplaced & Dangling Modifiers

At the beginning of the novel, Tom Joad

comes across a turtle on his way home
from spending four years in prison.

Misplaced & Dangling Modifiers

Misplaced & Dangling Modifiers

Modifiers are words that describe
other words in a sentence
Modifiers should be near the words
they modify
Linda saw the White House flying over
Washington, D.C.
Flying over Washington, D.C., Linda
saw the White House.
Trying to eat a hot dog, my bike
swerved off the path.
While I was trying to eat a hot dog, my
bike swerved off the path.

Put limiting modifiers in front of

the words they modify

Limiting modifiers = only, even, almost,

nearly, just
These should appear in front of a verb only
if they modify the verb
At first, I couldnt even touch my toes, much
less grasp them.
At first, I couldnt touch even my toes, much
less grasp them.
If they limit the meaning of some other
word in the sentence, they should be placed
in front of that word.
The cathedral almost took six centuries to
complete.
The cathedral took almost six centuries to
complete.

Put limiting modifiers in front of

the words they modify

If you just interview chemistry

majors, your picture of the student
bodys response to the new grading
policies will be incomplete.

If you interview just chemistry

majors, your picture of the student
bodys response to the new grading
policies will be incomplete.

Place phrases and clauses so that readers

can see at a glance what they modify

The soccer player returned to the

clinic where he had undergone
emergency surgery in 2004 in a
limousine sent by Adidas.
He had surgery in a limousine???
Traveling in a limousine sent by
Adidas, the soccer player returned to
the clinic where he had undergone
emergency surgery in 2004

Place phrases and clauses so that readers

can see at a glance what they modify
There are many pictures of comedians
who have performed at Gavins on the
walls.
The comedians are performing on the
walls?
On the walls are many pictures of
comedians who have performed at
Gavins.
The robber was described as a six-foottall man with a heavy mustache weighing
170 pounds.
Thats a heavy mustache!!!
The robber was described as a 170pound, six-foot-tall man with a heavy
mustache.

Place phrases and clauses so that readers

can see at a glance what they modify

A squinting modifier leads to ambiguity

The exchange students we met for coffee
occasionally questioned us about our
latest slang.
Did they meet occasionally? Or did the
questioning happen occasionally?
The exchange students we occasionally
met for coffee questioned us about our
latest slang.
The exchange students we met for coffee
questioned us occasionally about our
latest slang.

Move awkwardly placed modifiers

A sentence should flow from subject
to verb to object without lengthy
detours along with way
Hong Kong, after more than 150
years of British rule, multiple wars,
and a plethora of government
changes, was transferred back to
Chinese control in 1997.
After more than 150 years of British
rule, multiple wars, and a plethora of
government changes, Hong Kong was
transferred back to Chinese control in
1997.

Avoid awkward split infinitives

Infinitive = to plus base form of a

verb (to think)
Split infinitive = modifier between to
and verb (to carefully balance, to
completely understand)
When a long word or phrase appears
between parts of the infinitive, result
is usually awkward
The patient should try to if possible
avoid going up and down stairs.
If possible, the patient should try to
avoid going up and down stairs.

Dangling Modifiers
Modifier fails to refer logically to any
word in the sentence
Understanding the need to create
checks and balances on power, the
Constitution divided the government
into three branches.
The document understood the need
for checks and balances?
Understanding the need to create
checks and balances on power, the
framers of the Constitution divided
the government into three branches.

Exercise 12 1 pg. 130

1. The flood nearly displaced half of the
citys residents, who packed into
several overcrowded shelters.
The flood displaced nearly half
2. Most lions at night hunt for mediumsize prey, such as zebra.
Most lions hunt at night
3. Several recent studies have
encouraged heart patients to more
carefully watch their cholesterol levels.
patients to watch their cholesterol
levels more carefully.

Exercise 12 1 pg. 130

4. The gardens centerpiece is a huge
sculpture that was carved by three
women called Walking in Place.
The gardens centerpiece is a huge
sculpture called Walking in Place that
was carved by three women.
5. The old Marlboro ads depicted a man
on a horse smoking a cigarette.
The old Marlboro ads depicted a man
smoking a cigarette on a horse.

Exercise 12-2
1. While working as a ranger in
Everglades National Park, a Florida
panther crossed the road in front of my
truck one night.
While I was working as a ranger in
Everglades National Park, a Florida
panther crossed the road in front of my
truck one night.

Exercise 12-2
2. By following the new recycling
procedure, the citys landfill costs will
be reduced significantly.
If residents follow the new recycling
procedure, the citys landfill costs will
be reduced significantly.

Exercise 12-2
3. Serving as president of the missionary
circle, one of Sophias duties is to raise
money for the church.
Serving as president of the missionary
circle, Sophia is responsible for raising
money for the church.
4. After buying an album by Ali Farka
Toure, the rich and rolling rhythms of
Malian music made more sense to Silas.
After buying an album by Ali Farka Toure,
Silas understood the rich and rolling
rhythms of Malian music.

Exercise 12-2
5. Opening the window to let out a huge
bumblebee, the car swerved into an
oncoming truck.
When the driver opened the window to
let out a huge bumblebee, the car
swerved into an oncoming truck.

Reading a book, my cat crawled into my

lap.

How can this sentence be fixed?

The hunter crouched behind a tree waiting

for a bear to come along with a bow and
arrow.

How can this sentence be fixed?

At the beginning of the novel, Tom Joad

comes across a turtle on his way home
from spending four years in prison.

How can this sentence be fixed?

Where vs. When

April the first is known as All Fools Day
______ people play practical jokes on each
other.
The pound _____ Bella found me is in
Kittanning.

Which Vs. That

Gems _____ sparkle often elicit
forgiveness.
Diamonds, _____ are expensive, often
elicit forgiveness.
There was an earthquake in China,
_____ is bad.

Which Vs. That

Gems _____ sparkle often elicit forgiveness.
Restrictive ClauseThat
A restrictive clause is just part of a sentence
that you can't get rid of because it specifically
restricts some other part of the sentence.
Here's an example: The words that sparkle
restrict the kind of gems you're talking about.
Without them, the meaning of the sentence
would change. Without them, you'd be saying
that all gems elicit forgiveness, not just the
gems that sparkle. (And note that you don't
need commas around the words that
sparkle.)

Which Vs. That

Diamonds, _____ are expensive, often elicit
forgiveness.
There was an earthquake in China, _____ is bad.
Nonrestrictive ClauseWhich
A nonrestrictive clause is something that can be
left off without changing the meaning of the
sentence. You can think of a nonrestrictive clause
as simply additional information.
Explanation: Diamonds are always expensive, so
leaving out the words which are expensive
doesn't change the meaning of the sentence.
(Also note that the phrase is surrounded by
commas. Nonrestrictive clauses are usually
surrounded by, or preceded by, commas.)

Grammar Portfolio

Create and illustrate 5 misplaced or

dangling modifiers.

Sentence
Variety

Sentence Variety

Use a variety of sentence structures

Simple
subject, verb, complete thought
The cock combines the lifting of his tail
with the raising of his voice.

Compound
2 independent clauses joined by a
coordinating conjunction
Any chickens dusting hole is out of
place in a flower bed, but the peafowls
hole is more so.

Sentence Variety
Use a variety of sentence structures
Complex
Has an independent clause joined by one
or more dependent clauses

always has subordinators such as because, since,

after, although, when,
Or has relative pronouns such as that, who, or
which
The peacock does most of his serious strutting in
the spring and summer when he has a full tail to
do it with.

Compound-complex
uses one of words in complex AND
contains two independent clauses joined
with a conjunction.

The cocks plumage requires two years to attain

its pattern, and for the rest of his life, this
chicken will act as though he designed it himself.

Sentence Variety
Use a variety of sentence structures
Move adverbial modifiers
Adverbs usually end in ly and describe a verb

A few drops of sap eventually began to

trickle into the bucket.
Eventually a few drops of sap began to
trickle into the bucket.

Move adjectives and participial phrases

Adjectives describe nouns

Edward, dejected and withdrawn, nearly

gave up his search for a job.
Dejected and withdrawn, Edward nearly
gave up his search for a job.

Sentence Variety
Invert sentences
A refrigerated case of mouthwatering
cheeses is opposite the produce section; a
friendly attendant will cut off just the
amount you want.
Opposite the produce section is a
refrigerated case of mouthwatering
cheeses; a friendly attendant will cut off
just the amount you want.

Huge lavender hearts outlined in bright

white lights were set at the top two
corners of the stage.
Set at the top two corners of the stage
were huge lavender hearts outlined in
bright white lights.

Grammar Task

Communicate to a pen pal using

each type of sentence variety (7
varieties) (could make a blog, series
of texts, email, FaceBook message
or status)

Commonly Misused &

Abused Words and
Phrases

10 Words Youre Getting Totally

Wrong...
Use each of these in a sentence:
1. Literally
2. its
3. Supposebly
4. Cancelled
5. Exceptable
6. 360 degrees
7. I could care less
8. Irregardless
9. For all intensive purposes
10. Sherbert

http://youtu.be/0wtJwnO1Jc8

10 Words Youre Getting Totally

Wrong...

Affect VS Effect

Affect
To influence (verb)
Lack of sleep affects the quality of your
work.
Effect
Result (noun)
The subtle effect of the lighting made
the room look ominous.
To accomplish (verb)
Can the university effect such a change
without disrupting classes?

Affect VS Effect

***hint replace confused word with

definition***
Affect = to influence / effect = result, to
accomplish
The arrows ____ the Aardvark.
affected
The ____ was eye-popping.
effect
The sound ____ were amazing!
effects
The rain had no ____ on Amys hairdo.
Effect (remember this is a noun)

Affect VS Effect...the exception

Affect can be used as a noun in

psychology.
Psychologists know that one can never
really understand what someone else is
feeling; one can only know how they
appear to be feeling.
She displayed a happy affect.
Effect can be used as a verb meaning to
bring about or to accomplish.
Aardvark hoped to effect change within
the burrow.

Lie VS Lay

Lie/lying/lied
To tell a falsehood
I lied to my mother.
Lie/lying/lay/lain
To recline
I have a headache, so Im going to lie
down for a while.
I lay on the bed because I was tired.
He was lain in the grass.
Lay/laying/laid/laid
To put, to place
Lay down that shotgun!
I laid the baby in her cradle.
We have laid the dishes on the table.

Lie VS Lay

Lay is subject acting on an object

I lay down the book.
Lie is subject doing action
I lie down.

Lie VS Lay

The cat ___ in the mud after it rained

yesterday.
lay
Mary forcefully ___ her ring on the table.
laid
Dean has ___ on the floor for days.
lain
The cat has ___ in the mud for hours.
lain

Lose VS Loose

Lose
Opposite of win, to misplace
Dont lose your mind.
Loose
Not tight
The burglars pants were so loose that
he couldnt run faster than the cop.

Lose VS Loose

The hockey team doesnt want to __ the

game.
lose
The girl had such a bad sunburn that she
could only wear ___ clothes.
loose
Set the dog ___.
loose
I always seem to ___ my keys.
lose

A Lot VS Alot

A lot
Always leave a space

Alot
Isnt a word!!!!
You dont write alittle, abunch,
acantaloupe, aporkchop, or alot.
http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.co
m/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-youat-everything.html

Then VS Than

then
Used for time
First I stole a panda bear, then we
drank malt liquor together.

than
Used for comparison
Im much better at holding my liquor
than a panda bear.

Then VS Than

It was dark, ___ there was a scream

then
Money is better ___ poverty, if only for
financial reasons (Woody Allen)
than
Russia is even more spacious ___
Canada.
than
She used to holiday in Sri Lanka as it was
___ known.
then

Weather VS Whether

Weather
Snow, rain, sunshine, typhoons
Withstand, endure
In Ireland, you will experience multiple
types of weather everyday.
whether
Expressing a doubt or choice between
alternatives
When I was in Ireland, I couldnt
decide whether to go home or stay.

Weather VS Whether

Sarah wants to know ___ the visit is still

on schedule.
whether
I am going to the fair, ___ or not it is
raining.
whether
Well anchor up, ___ the storm and then
head back to land.
weather
The sea will ___ that rope in less than a
week.
weather

Wether

a male sheep, especially a castrated ram

Sit VS Set

Sit/sat/sitting
To be seated or come to a resting
position
I sat in my favorite chair.
Set/set/setting
To put or place
I set my glass on the table.

Sit VS Set

***hint replace set with put

We were surprised by the beautiful giftwrapped package ___ on our bed.
setting
The flowers were ___ on the table and
the mens tuxes were draped over
chairs.
setting
Suki ___ in her office and paints her
nails.
sits

All ready VS already

All ready
prepared
Dinner was all ready when the guests
arrived.
already
By this time
The ham was already burned when the
guests arrived.

All ready VS Already

Jillian is ___.
All ready
When they pulled the shark up in the net,
it was ___ dead.
already
It is ___ illegal to culture human-animal
embryos for more than fourteen days.
already

Apart VS A part

Apart
To be separated
My old car fell apart before we reached
California.
A part
To be joined with
A part of this plan involves rising at
dawn.

Apart VS A part

The rocks fell 30 feet ___.

apart
The whole room was silent ___ from
Becky.
apart
Once we are ___ of this group, we must
pay dues.
a part

Of VS Have

Of
Coming from, caused by, part of a
group, made from (preposition)
The leader of the band played bass
guitar
Have
To possess
I should have started studying earlier.
***it is NEVER should of, could of,
would of

http://www.uexpress.com/dearabby/2002
/4/9

Dear Abby,

Find five commonly misused words

and/or phrases. Create an advice
column warning people about these
egregious errors.

Grammar Portfolio

For Monday
Portfolio #2 due
Synthesis due
Grammar portfolio #1 mulligan
Analysis mulligan