The Grammarian Basterds
GarrettGlass
Tori Thompson
GableBell
Ke ‘Undra Clewis
KellySantaMaria
Contents
 MisplacedModifiers
 DanglingModifiers
 Parallelism
 FaultySubordination
 FaultyPredication
Field Caution: Misplaced Modifiers
 Modifiersarephrases,
words,andclausesused
tomodify.
 Misplacedmodifiersgive
unintendedmeaningsto
thewrongwords.
 Hence,theyare
misplaced.
 Misplacedmodifiers
causereaderstoreada
differentmeaningthan
theoriginalintention.
Field Caution: Misplaced Modifiers
 Thewordsonlyandalmostareexamplesof
modifiers.
 Now,cananyonetellmethedifferencesbetween
setsoftwosentences?
 Exampleswithalmost:
 ColonelHansalmost escapedwithoutascratch.
 ColonelHansescapedalmost withoutascratch.
 Exampleswithonly:
 LieutenantRainesonlywanted100enemyscalps.
 LieutenantRaineswantedonly100enemyscalps.
Types of Misplaced Modifiers
 MisplacedAdjectives
 Adjectivesaremisplacedandmodifythewrongnoun.
 ForExample:Havingignitedthebuilding,theburning
manwatchedthetheatercollapse.
 Themanshouldn’tbeburningashestartedthefire.
Theadjectiveshouldbeusedtodescribethebuilding.
 Correction:Havingignitedtheflames,theman
watchedtheburningtheatercollapse.
Types of Misplaced Modifiers
 Thewritercanchangethe
meaningofasentence
dependingonwhereheor
sheplacestheadverb.
 Justthedaughterescaped.
 Thedaughterjustescaped.
 Thefirstsentenceimplies
onlythedaughterescaped.
 Theseconddescribeswhen
thedaughterescaped.
Types of Misplaced Modifiers
 Therulesofmisplacedmodifiersstillapplytosentences
beginningwithaphraseandacomma.
 Thephraseshouldrefertotheimmediateword
followingthecomma.
 Lightinghercigarette,themovietheaterwasblownup.
 Correction:Lightinghercigarette,thewomanblewupher
movietheater.
Dangling Modifiers
 Adanglingmodifierisawordorphrasethat
modifiesawordnotclearlystatedinthesentence.A
modifierdescribes,clarifies,orgivesmoredetail
aboutaconcept.
Dangling Modifiers
 Havingrefusedtodivulgethewhereaboutsofthe
Germans,thebatcollidedwithhisskull.
• "Havingrefused"isaparticipleexpressingaction,but
thedoerisnotthebat.Dobatsdivulgewhereabouts?
No.
• Sincethedoeroftheactionexpressedinthe
participlehasnotbeenclearlystated,theparticipial
phraseisadanglingmodifier.
Dangling Modifiers
 Tocorrectthissentence,wecanrephraseitlike
this:
 Havingrefusedtodivulgethewhereaboutsofthe
Germans,theNazifeltthebatcollidewithhisskull.
Identify the Problem
 Afterensuringthedoorswerelocked,thecurtain
wentupinflames.
 Whatismodifying“afterensuring”?
Problem Identified
 Afterensuringthedoorswerelocked,thecurtain
wentupinflames.
 Whatismodifying“afterensuring”?
 “Thecurtain”didnotensurethedoorswerelocked.
Whenwasthelasttimeyousawacurtainactofits
ownaccord?
 Havingcarvedaswastikaintohisforehead,theplan
wassuccessfullyexecuted.
 Whatisthedanglingmodifierhere?
 HavingcarvedaswastikaintotheNazi’sforehead,
theplanwassuccessfullyexecuted.
 Whatisthedanglingmodifierhere?
 Theplan isincorrectlymodifying“havingcarveda
swastikaintotheNazi’sforehead”.
Corrected sentence
 HavingcarvedaswastikaintotheNazi’sforehead,
LieutenantAldoRaine successfullyexecutedthe
plan.
Parallelism
LieutenantAldoRaine Helps Uswith
Parallelism
Parallelism
 Isastylisticstructurethatmakesasentence“sound
better”
 Givesa“rhythm”tothestructureofasentence
 Helpswithclarityandcomprehension
Example of Parallelism
LieutenantAldoRaine hasabiggun,isameanman,
andhasasharpknife.
Ithasa(Verb‐Article‐Adjective‐Noun)Pattern
LieutenantAldoRaine isgoingtooccupiedFrance,
hasorderstosecretlyexecute,and________.
a.
b.
c.
d.
onewashappyandnice
ismarchingwithtoughguys
hadmuchtimetowaitfortheenemy
wascollectingscalps
Answer is (b)
Lieutenant Aldo Raine is going to occupied France, has
orders to secretly execute, and is marching with tough
guys.
It has a (Verb Phrase-Preposition-Modifier-Noun)
Pattern
LieutenantAldoRaine likescursing,killing,and
_______________.
a.
b.
c.
d.
maiming
totalkloudlyformanyhours
musichecandanceto
collectedscalps
Answer is (a)
LieutenantAldoRaine likescursing,killing,and
maiming.
Ithasa(Verbal)Pattern
WhileinFranceLieutenantAldoRaine willkillmany
soldiers,_____________,andcarvemanysymbols.
a.
b.
c.
d.
takeinthenightlife
goseeaGermanfilmpremiere
takenosurvivors
trytogetsomemorescalps
Answer is (c)
WhileinFranceLieutenantAldoRaine willkill
manysoldiers,takenosurvivors ,andcarvemany
symbols.
Ithasa(Verb‐Adjective‐Noun)Pattern
Faulty Subordination
 SubordinateClause
 Asubordinateclause,alsocalledadependent
clause,willbeginwitheitheraconjunctionor
relativepronounandwillcontainbothasubject
andaverb.Thiscombinationofwordswillnot
formacompletesentence.
Conjunctions and Relative Pronouns
after
although
as
because
before
evenif
eventhough
if
inorderthat
once
providedthat
ratherthan
since
sothat
than
that
though
unlessuntil
when
whenever
where
whereas
wherever
whether
which
while
who
whom
whose
why
Upside Down Subordination
 Donotexpressthemainthoughtofthesentencein
thesubordinateclauseorphrase.
 Incorrect:Shewaswalkingdownthestreet,whenshe
heardanexplosion.
Upside Down Subordination
 Donotexpressthemainthoughtofthesentencein
thesubordinateclauseorphrase.
 Incorrect:Shewaswalkingdownthestreet,whenshe
heardanexplosion.
 Correct:Whenshewaswalkingdownthestreet,she
heardanexplosion.
 Correct:Sheheardanexplosion,whenshewas
walkingdownthestreet.
Upside Down Subordination
 Whatiswrongwiththissentence?
 Incorrect:TheNaziranacrossthefieldashewasshot.
Upside Down Subordination
 Whatiswrongwiththissentence?
 Incorrect:TheNaziranacrossthefieldashewasshot.
 Correct:AstheNaziranacrossthefieldhewasshot.
 Correct:TheNaziwasshotasheranacrossthefield.
Faulty Predication
DoNotGetCaughtbytheGrammarNazisforFaulty
Predication
Definition
 Faultypredicationsimplymeansthesubjectand
predicatetogetherarenotlogical,thesubjectcan
not“be”or“do”theverb.
 Forexample:Lt.AldoRaine’s gunassuresitwilldo
itsjob.
 Thisdoesnotmakeanysense.Why?Thegun
cannotassureyouofanything.
Common Misuse
 Theuseofwhere.
 Example:AvacationiswherepeoplegetawayfromtheGrammarNazis,
school,orwork.
 Thisiswrong!Vacationisnotaspecificplace
 Correction:AvacationisabreakpeopletakefromtheGrammarNazis,
school,orwork.
 Theuseofwhen.
 Example:ExilingapersoniswhenthatpersoniscastoutoftheGrammar
Nazis.
 Correction:ExilingapersoniskickingthatpersonoutoftheGrammarNazis.
 Theuseofbecause.
 Example:Thereasonwearelosingthisgrammarbattleisbecausewesuck
atgrammar.
 Correction:Wearelosingthisgrammarbattlebecausewesuckatgrammar.
 Reasonandbecausetechnicallyhasthesamemeanings,sodropeither
becauseorthereason.
Hard to Recognize
 Themanualsinthegrammararmybelievesin
makingsense.
 Correction:Theauthorofthemanualinthe
grammararmybelievesinmakingsense.
 Amanualcannotbelieve– onlypeoplecan.
Boot Camp
 Misplacedmodifiersdowhattothereaders?
 Skewtheoriginalmeaning
 Whereshouldthemodifierbeplaced?
 Beforetheworditintendstomodify
 Identifythedanglingmodifier:
 AfterbeingreleasedbyLieutenantRaine,theknife
metColonialLanda’s forehead.
 Inthissentence,theknife isnotbeingreleased.
ColonialLanda isbeingreleased.
Boot Camp
LieutenantAldoRaine askedthecapturedsoliderto
showhimtheenemy’sposition,tellhimthetroop
size,and_______________.
forhislunchorder
b. givehimtheartillerymakeup
c. doyouknowwhoIam
d. whatconditionerdoyouuseonyourscalp
a.
Boot Camp
 LieutenantAldoRaine askedthecapturedsolider
toshowhimtheenemy’sposition,tellhimthetroop
size,andgivehimtheartillerymakeup .
 Ithasa(Verb‐Pronoun‐Article‐Adjective‐Noun)
Pattern
Boot Camp
 Incorrect:Whiletheexplosionsdetonate,thedoors
arelocked.
 Incorrect:WhenShosanna shootsZoller,hisbackis
turned.
Boot Camp
 Incorrect:Whiletheexplosionsdetonate,thedoors
arelocked.
 Correct:Theexplosionsdetonatewhilethedoorsare
locked.
 Correct:Whilethedoorsarelocked,theexplosions
detonate.
 Incorrect:WhenShosanna shootsZoller,hisbackis
turned.
 Correct:Shosanna shootsZoller whenhisbackis
turned.
 Correct:Whenhisbackisturned,Shosanna shoots
Zoller.
Boot Camp
 Whichsentenceiscorrect?
 Afinalexaminationiswhenstudentsaretestedonwhat
theyknow.
or
 Afinalexamisatestofwhatstudentsknow.

Whichsentencedoesfaultypredicationoccur?

Thereasonwearegoingtolearntobegrammatically
correctisbecausewearegoingtopracticedaily.
or

Wearegoingtolearntobegrammaticallycorrect
becausewearegoingtopracticedaily.