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13. Dangling Clauses (Robert A. Day, Bryan A. Garner, Joseph M. Williams, & Stan
Fields).
Danglers are unattached participles (verbs ending in –ing or –ed) that do not relate to the nouns
they are supposed to modify. When the antecedent of a participle (the noun or pronoun that is
modified by the participle) doesn’t appear where it logically should, the participle is said to
“dangle.”
Example:
Walking down the street, the house was seen.
In the normal word order, a participial phrase beginning a sentence (walking down the street)
should be followed directly by the noun acting as subject in the main clause (I saw the house).
When that word order is changed, as by changing the verb in the main clause to the passive
voice (the house was seen), the sentence becomes illogical or misleading: It was not the house
that was walking but the speaker.
Danglers can often be remedied by simply recasting the sentences:
Hoping to find some cause of the flaw, the results of the test were reviewed.
Change to:
Hoping to find some cause of the flaw, we reviewed the results of the tests.
Watching from the ground below, the birds flew ever higher until they disappeared.
Change to:
Watching from the ground below, we saw the birds fly higher until they disappeared.
By watching closely, the birds became visible.
Change to:
By watching closely, we were able to see the birds.
A common manifestation is to begin the main clause with it or there:
Applying these principles to the present situation, it is clear that the company must reimburse its
employee.
One possible revision:
If we apply these principles to the present situation, it becomes clear that the company must
reimburse its employee.
A better revision:
Given these principles, the company must reimburse its employee.
Turning to England, it ought to be noted that that country, though late in doing so, participated
fully in the medieval development….
Change to:
Although England was late in doing so, it participated fully in the medieval development….
By instead examining the multigenerational ethnic group, it becomes clear that the Irish had fully
adapted…
Change to:
By instead examining the mutigenerational ethnic group, we see that the Irish…
Past-participle danglers:
Born on March 12, 1944, Larry Simms’s qualifications…
Change to:
Born on March 12, 1944, Larry Simms had qualifications that…
Acceptable danglers: Present participles used for so long that they stand apart from and
comment on the content of the sentence, e.g., according, assuming, barring, concerning,
considering, judging, owing, regarding, respecting, speaking, taking into account.
Examples:
Horticulturally speaking, the best way to prune the tree…
Assuming everyone shows up who’s supposed to, this could be the finest assemblage of talent…
Considering how hated Belichick was in Cleveland, it’s incredible that….
14. Sexist Language (David Porush & Stan Fields).
The biochemist must learn how the chromatograph works before he designs the methods
section.
One possible revision:
The biochemist must learn how the chromatograph works before he/she designs the methods
section.
A better revision would be to change to plural:
Biochemists must learn how the chromatograph works before they design the methods section.
An anthropologist often finds that she is caught between cultures.
Revise to first or second person:
As anthropologists, we often find…
As an anthropologist, you will often find…
If he understands chromatography, the biochemist will have an easier time setting up his
experiment.
Revise with an indefinite pronoun:
A biochemist who understands chromatography…
Some other suggested revisions:
The average man…

To man a project…

Man-machine interface… 
Manpower…

The average person…
To staff a project…
User-system interface…, User-machine interface…
Work force…, Personnel…, Workers…
15. Common Usage Problems (Michael Alley, Robert A. Day, Bryan A. Garner & Stan
Fields).
That/Which: Use “that” for restrictive or defining clauses that are essential to the rest of the
sentence. Use “which” for nondefining or nonrestrictive clauses that are not essential to the rest
of the sentence.
We will select the option that has the highest thermal efficiency.
We will select Option A, which has the highest thermal efficiency.
CetB mutants, which are tolerant to colicin E2, also have an altered…
(all CetB mutants are tolerant)
CetB mutants that are tolerant to colicin E2 also have an altered…
(only some CetB mutants are tolerant)
Affect/Effect: Affect is almost always a verb; it means “to influence; to have an effect on.” Effect
is primarily a noun meaning “result” or “consequence.” To affect something is to have an effect on
it. But as a verb, effect means “to bring about; produce” (used in phrases like: “to effect
change”).
Continuous/Continual: “Continual” means repeatedly and “continuous” means without
interruption.
For two weeks, the whales continually dived to great depths in search of food.
The spectrum of light is continuous.
Criterion (singular)/Criteria (plural): The criteria for publication may include the significance of
the results and the relevance to a broad community of scientists, but the central criterion should
be the clarity of the writing.
Antiserum (singular)/Antisera (plural): We generated an antiserum against tyrosine
hydroxylase to…
Antisera against dopa decarboxylase and tyrosine hydroxylase were used to…
Datum (singular)/Data (plural): Datum is rarely used any more and data is now acceptable as
either singular or plural. However, there are conservatives that don’t agree with this. If you need
a singular form and don’t wish to use datum, write: “a data point.”
Assure/Ensure/Insure: A person assures (makes promises to, convinces) other persons and
ensures (makes certain) that things occur or that events take place. Insure should be restricted
to financial contexts.
Complementary/Complimentary: Complementary is used for items that complete something
(e.g., complementary strands of DNA). Complimentary is used for expressing civility, regard or
praise, or given free (e.g., complimentary remarks, complimentary tickets, etc.)
Principal/Principle: Principal (chief, primary, most important) is usually an adjective and
principle (truth, rule, doctrine, course of action) is virtually always a noun.
Quantify/Quantitate: Both are used as verbs, but quantify appears to be the preferred choice:
-“quantitate is a needless variant of quantify, newly popular with social scientists, whose word
choice should never be treated as a strong recommendation” (Bryan A. Garner in The Oxford
Dictionary of American Style and Usage)
-Quantify is recognized by 5 online libraries, but quantitate by only two.
-Quantify is recognized by Microsoft products, but quantitate is not.
 Use QUANTIFY in your writing.
Only: The precise placement of “only” in a sentence is important and dramatically alters the
meaning of the sentence:
Only I hit him in the eye yesterday. I hit him in the only eye yesterday.
I only hit him in the eye yesterday.
I hit him in the eye only yesterday.
I hit only him in the eye yesterday.
I hit him in the eye yesterday only.
I hit him only in the eye yesterday.