SU 9. The adverbial participial clauses.

Dangling participles

1. Well-related participles
Consider the following complex sentence:

1.1. [While she was looking out of the window], [she saw a bear].
finite adverbial clause main clause

The finite adverbial clause may be reduced to a non-finite, participial clause, by omitting the
conjunction/subordinator, the identical Su. and the aux. vb.:

1.2. [PC Looking out of the window], she saw a bear.

non-finite adverbial clause

1.3. [ PROi Looking out of the window], shei saw a bear.

The deleted subject of the participial clause is understood to be identical / co-referential with the
Su. of the main clause.
So, the rule is that participles and the main clauses to which they are attached should have
identical/equivalent Su.
The characteristic feature of well-related participles is the ……………… of subjects.
Well-related participles are PC logically connected to a main clause

2. Misrelated participles / Dangling participles

However, occasionally, participial clauses may be wrongly attached to a main clause with a
different subject:

2.1. *Looking out of the window, there was a bear. ungrammatical

misrelated participle

Misrelated participles are ungrammatical because the absent Su. of the PC is not co-referential
with the Su. in the main clause.

2.2. [* PRO Looking out of the window], there was a bear.

explicit/pleonastic pronoun

2.3. While she/ I was looking out of the window, there was a bear.
full finite adverbial clause

→ While she was looking out of the window, she saw a bear.

In this example the implied subject of the clause is presumably she, I, they, etc. but she, I, they
does not occur as the subject of the main clauses.
Such participial clauses, known as misrelated participles, are ungrammatical. They are called
misrelated because the absent subject of the participle is not co-referential with the subject of the
main clause, and the participial clause seems to be erroneously attached to the main clause.

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Other traditional terms for misrelated participles are 'unattached', 'unrelated', 'pendant', and
'hanging' or dangling participles.

More practice:
Decide whether the examples are well-related participles or misrelated participles:

1. [PC Leaving the road], they went into the darkness of the trees.
well-related => Su. are identical
2. *[PC Leaving the road], the darkness of the trees surrounded them.
misrelated => Su. are not identical
1. [PC After trying to burgle an occupied house], the teenager was arrested.
well-related => Su. are identical
2. *[PC After trying to burgle an occupied house], the police arrested the teenager.
misrelated => Su. are not identical

As we can see, dangling participles can arise both when a subordinator is absent and when a
subordinator is present.

2.1. How to correct misrelated participles

Dangling participles can lead to impossible or absurd interpretations if taken literally, though
readers can most often guess the implied meaning (cf. Quirk et al 1985):

1.1.*Having eaten our lunch, the steamboat departed.

1.2.*Opening the cupboard, a skeleton fell out.
1.3.*Grilled on charcoal, everyone enjoyed the fish they caught.

It is obvious that the subject of the main clause cannot be understood as the implied subject of
the PC.
Such ungrammatical misrelated participles can be improved either by rephrasing the main clause
or by reconstructing the adverbial clause:

2.1. *Being blind, a dog guided her across the street.  active voice --> passive voice
2.2. Being blind, she was guided across the street by a dog.
2.3. [PC PROi Being blind], shei was guided across the street by a dog.

- by rephrasing the main clause so as to have co-referentiality between the two Su.

3.1.*After turning the radio off, the interior of the car became silent.
3.2.[After she (or I, etc.) turned the radio off], the interior of the car became silent.

- by reconstructing the adverbial clause, so as to have overtly different Su.

More practice:
Here are some further examples of unattached participial clauses (Quirk et al 1985):

1. ?[PC PRO Driving to Chicago that night], a sudden thought struck me. misrelated participle
Driving to Chicago that night, I was struck by a sudden thought.

2
 While I was driving to Chicago that night, a sudden thought struck me.

2. ?[PC After PRO serving on several committees], the association elected her their
secretary-treasurer. misrelated participle
After serving on several committees, she was elected secretary-treasurer by the
association
After she served on several committees, the association elected her their secretary-
treasurer.

3. ?[PC PRO Being the eldest], the responsibility fell particularly on my shoulders. misrel.part.
Being the eldest, I felt the responsibility was on my shoulders.
Since I was the eldest, the responsibility fell particularly on my shoulders.

4. ?[PC PRO Advised to study anthropology], his choice was psychology instead. misrel.part.
Advised to study anthropology, he chose psychology instead.
Even though he was advised to study anthropology, his choice was psychology instead.

2.2. When is a misrelated participle grammatically acceptable?

In certain situations, the rule that a non-finite adverbial clause must have the same subject as the
main clause is relaxed, that is it not strictly applied.
Thus, misrelated participles are grammatically acceptable when the implied subject of the
participle can be identified with some other subject NP in a clause that depends on the main
clause.

Type A. Consider dangling or unattached participle in the following contexts:

Being Italian, [it is surprising that he is such a bad cook].

non-finite adverbial clause main clause

[PC PRO Being Italian], [it is surprising that he is such a bad cook].

[PC PRO Being French], [it is surprising [TCC that he is such a bad cook]].
_______ _______
___________________________________

The absent/implied subject of the participial clause, PRO, is not co-referential with it, the
grammatical subject of the main clause, but with the subject of the TCC (that depends on the
main clause) and is further way from the participial clause.

[Since he is Italian], it is surprising that he is such a bad cook.

__________________________
TYPE B
Another type of misrelated participle that is grammatically acceptable is the following:

Having so little time, [there was not much that I could do].
adverbial clause main clause
3
 
[PC PRO Having so little time], [there was not much [TCC that I could do]].

The main clause is actually an existential construction with an attached TCC .

There is a book on the table.

gr. Su logical Su
 
[PRO Having so little time], [there was not much [that I could do]].
_____________ ______
_________________________________________

The absent subject of the participial clause, PRO, is not co-referential with the grammatical
subject ‘there’ of the main clause, but with the subject of a TCC dependent on the main clause.

A common feature of type A and Type B is that the main clause contains a grammatical subject
expressed by an expletive pronoun, it or there.
To put the whole analysis in simple words, dangling participles are grammatically acceptable
when the main clause contains a grammatical subject (expressed by the pleonastic/expletive
pronouns it or there) and PRO is co-referential with another constituent, a remote constituent,
the subject of an embedded (= subordinated) TCC.

Type C.
Dangling participles can also occur with simple main clauses.
The dangling participle is considered less objectionable if the absent subject is understood as the
subject of the implied clause of speaking, normally I, the speaker:

Putting it mildly, you have caused us some inconvenience. misrelated

participle
adverbial clause main clause
[PC PRO putting it mildly], you have caused us some inconvenience
[ If I put it mildly], you have caused us some inconvenience.
conditional clause

The PC expresses the speaker’s opinion and there is no need to mention the person.

[PC Broadly speaking], dogs are more faithful than cats. misrelated
participle
adverbial clause main clause
[PC PRO Broadly speaking], dogs are more faithful than cats.
[ If one speaks broadly], dogs are more faithful than cats.
conditional clause

Such clauses express the speaker’s opinions.

The absent subject of the participial clause, PRO, is not co-referential with the subject of the
main clause, but it could be understood as ‘people’, ‘anyone’, ‘everyone’ or ‘one’.

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Dangling participles are felt to be less objectionable, when the implied subject of the participle is
expressed by the impersonal pronoun it:

[PC PRO Being Christmas], the government offices were closed.

[Since it was . . .

it = impersonal pronoun used in sentences about weather/holidays/etc

In formal scientifical writing, the construction with a dangling participle has become
institutionalized (has become the norm):

[PC When PRO treating patients with this disease], the therapy is not simple.
[When doctors treat, ….

What other types of clauses can be misrelated ?

Furthermore, non-equivalence of subjects in the two clauses can arise not only with participial
clauses, but also with all other types of non-finite adverbial clauses (infinitival, gerundial,
verbless).
More practice:
Specify the types of misrelated clauses? Choose from: infinitival, participial, gerundial, verbless
clauses. Reconstruct the basic clause:

?[Friend of statesmen and patron of the arts], many honours were bestowed on him. (verbless)
Since he was friend and patron of the arts, many honours were bestowed on him.

?[While in a hospital near the school], her teachers visited her regularly. (verbless)
While she was in as hospital near the school, her teachers visited her regularly.

?[To see the procession], I put the child on my shoulders. (infinitival)

I put the child on my shoulders, so that the child could see the precession.

?[When dining in the restaurant], a jacket and tie are required. (......)
??? When one dines in the restaurant, a jacket and tie are required.

?[Being the eldest], the responsibility fell particularly on my shoulders. (......)

Since I was the eldest, the responsibility fell particularly on my shoulders.

?[Advised to study anthropology], his choice was psychology instead. (......)

Even though he was advised to study anthropology, his choice was psychology instead.

?[On reaching the summit], the view delighted us all. (......)

As we reached the summit, the view delighted us all.