The Grammarian Basterds

GarrettGlassTori ThompsonGableBell

Ke ‘Undra ClewisKellySantaMaria

The Grammarian Basterds

Contents MisplacedModifiers DanglingModifiers Parallelism FaultySubordination FaultyPredication

Field Caution: Misplaced Modifiers Modifiersarephrases,words,andclausesusedtomodify.

Misplacedmodifiersgiveunintendedmeaningstothewrongwords.

Hence,theyaremisplaced.

Misplacedmodifierscausereaderstoreadadifferentmeaningthantheoriginalintention.

Field Caution: Misplaced Modifiers Thewordsonlyandalmostareexamplesofmodifiers.

Now,cananyonetellmethedifferencesbetweensetsoftwosentences?

Exampleswithalmost: ColonelHansalmost escapedwithoutascratch. ColonelHansescapedalmostwithoutascratch.

Exampleswithonly: LieutenantRainesonlywanted100enemyscalps. LieutenantRaineswantedonly100enemyscalps.

Types of Misplaced Modifiers MisplacedAdjectives Adjectivesaremisplacedandmodifythewrongnoun. ForExample:Havingignitedthebuilding,theburningmanwatchedthetheatercollapse.

Themanshouldn’tbeburningashestartedthefire.Theadjectiveshouldbeusedtodescribethebuilding.

Correction:Havingignitedtheflames,themanwatchedtheburningtheatercollapse.

Types of Misplaced Modifiers Thewritercanchangethemeaningofasentencedependingonwhereheorsheplacestheadverb. Justthedaughterescaped. Thedaughterjustescaped.

Thefirstsentenceimpliesonlythedaughterescaped.

Theseconddescribeswhenthedaughterescaped.

Types of Misplaced Modifiers Therulesofmisplacedmodifiersstillapplytosentencesbeginningwithaphraseandacomma.

Thephraseshouldrefertotheimmediatewordfollowingthecomma. Lightinghercigarette,themovietheaterwasblownup. Correction:Lightinghercigarette,thewomanblewuphermovietheater.

Dangling Modifiers Adanglingmodifierisawordorphrasethatmodifiesawordnotclearlystatedinthesentence.Amodifierdescribes,clarifies,orgivesmoredetailaboutaconcept.

Dangling Modifiers HavingrefusedtodivulgethewhereaboutsoftheGermans,thebatcollidedwithhisskull.

• "Havingrefused"isaparticipleexpressingaction,butthedoerisnotthebat.Dobatsdivulgewhereabouts?No.

• Sincethedoeroftheactionexpressedintheparticiplehasnotbeenclearlystated,theparticipialphraseisadanglingmodifier.

Dangling Modifiers Tocorrectthissentence,wecanrephraseitlikethis: HavingrefusedtodivulgethewhereaboutsoftheGermans,theNazifeltthebatcollidewithhisskull.

Identify the Problem Afterensuringthedoorswerelocked,thecurtainwentupinflames. Whatismodifying“afterensuring”?

Problem Identified Afterensuringthedoorswerelocked,thecurtainwentupinflames. Whatismodifying“afterensuring”? “Thecurtain”didnotensurethedoorswerelocked.Whenwasthelasttimeyousawacurtainactofitsownaccord?

Havingcarvedaswastikaintohisforehead,theplanwassuccessfullyexecuted. Whatisthedanglingmodifierhere?

HavingcarvedaswastikaintotheNazi’sforehead,theplanwassuccessfullyexecuted. Whatisthedanglingmodifierhere? Theplan isincorrectlymodifying“havingcarvedaswastikaintotheNazi’sforehead”.

Corrected sentence HavingcarvedaswastikaintotheNazi’sforehead,LieutenantAldoRaine successfullyexecutedtheplan.

Parallelism

LieutenantAldoRaine Helps UswithParallelism

Parallelism Isastylisticstructurethatmakesasentence“soundbetter”

Givesa“rhythm”tothestructureofasentence Helpswithclarityandcomprehension

Example of ParallelismLieutenantAldoRaine hasabiggun,isameanman,andhasasharpknife.

Ithasa(Verb‐Article‐Adjective‐Noun)Pattern

LieutenantAldoRaine isgoingtooccupiedFrance,hasorderstosecretlyexecute,and________.

a. onewashappyandniceb. ismarchingwithtoughguysc. hadmuchtimetowaitfortheenemyd. 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. maimingb. totalkloudlyformanyhoursc. musichecandancetod. collectedscalps

Answer is (a) LieutenantAldoRaine likescursing,killing,andmaiming.

Ithasa(Verbal)Pattern

WhileinFranceLieutenantAldoRaine willkillmanysoldiers,_____________,andcarvemanysymbols.

a. takeinthenightlifeb. goseeaGermanfilmpremierec. takenosurvivorsd. trytogetsomemorescalps

Answer is (c) WhileinFranceLieutenantAldoRaine willkillmanysoldiers,takenosurvivors ,andcarvemanysymbols.

Ithasa(Verb‐Adjective‐Noun)Pattern

Faulty Subordination SubordinateClause Asubordinateclause,alsocalledadependentclause,willbeginwitheitheraconjunctionorrelativepronounandwillcontainbothasubjectandaverb.Thiscombinationofwordswillnotformacompletesentence.

Conjunctions and Relative Pronounsafteralthoughasbecausebeforeevenifeventhoughifinorderthatonceprovidedthat

ratherthansincesothatthanthatthoughunlessuntilwhenwheneverwherewhereas

whereverwhetherwhichwhilewhowhomwhosewhy

Upside Down Subordination Donotexpressthemainthoughtofthesentenceinthesubordinateclauseorphrase. Incorrect:Shewaswalkingdownthestreet,whensheheardanexplosion.

Upside Down Subordination Donotexpressthemainthoughtofthesentenceinthesubordinateclauseorphrase. Incorrect:Shewaswalkingdownthestreet,whensheheardanexplosion.

Correct:Whenshewaswalkingdownthestreet,sheheardanexplosion.

Correct:Sheheardanexplosion,whenshewaswalkingdownthestreet.

Upside Down Subordination Whatiswrongwiththissentence? Incorrect:TheNaziranacrossthefieldashewasshot.

Upside Down Subordination Whatiswrongwiththissentence? Incorrect:TheNaziranacrossthefieldashewasshot. Correct:AstheNaziranacrossthefieldhewasshot. Correct:TheNaziwasshotasheranacrossthefield.

Faulty PredicationDoNotGetCaughtbytheGrammarNazisforFaultyPredication

Definition Faultypredicationsimplymeansthesubjectandpredicatetogetherarenotlogical,thesubjectcannot“be”or“do”theverb.

Forexample:Lt.AldoRaine’s gunassuresitwilldoitsjob.

Thisdoesnotmakeanysense.Why?Theguncannotassureyouofanything.

Common Misuse Theuseofwhere.

Example:AvacationiswherepeoplegetawayfromtheGrammarNazis,school,orwork.

Thisiswrong!Vacationisnotaspecificplace Correction:AvacationisabreakpeopletakefromtheGrammarNazis,school,orwork.

Theuseofwhen. Example:ExilingapersoniswhenthatpersoniscastoutoftheGrammarNazis.

Correction:ExilingapersoniskickingthatpersonoutoftheGrammarNazis. Theuseofbecause.

Example:Thereasonwearelosingthisgrammarbattleisbecausewesuckatgrammar.

Correction:Wearelosingthisgrammarbattlebecausewesuckatgrammar. Reasonandbecausetechnicallyhasthesamemeanings,sodropeitherbecauseorthereason.

Hard to Recognize Themanualsinthegrammararmybelievesinmakingsense.

Correction:Theauthorofthemanualinthegrammararmybelievesinmakingsense.

Amanualcannotbelieve– onlypeoplecan.

Boot Camp Misplacedmodifiersdowhattothereaders? Skewtheoriginalmeaning

Whereshouldthemodifierbeplaced? Beforetheworditintendstomodify

Identifythedanglingmodifier: AfterbeingreleasedbyLieutenantRaine,theknifemetColonialLanda’s forehead.

Inthissentence,theknife isnotbeingreleased.ColonialLanda isbeingreleased.

Boot CampLieutenantAldoRaine askedthecapturedsolidertoshowhimtheenemy’sposition,tellhimthetroopsize,and_______________.

a. forhislunchorderb. givehimtheartillerymakeupc. doyouknowwhoIamd. whatconditionerdoyouuseonyourscalp

Boot Camp LieutenantAldoRaine askedthecapturedsolidertoshowhimtheenemy’sposition,tellhimthetroopsize,andgivehimtheartillerymakeup . Ithasa(Verb‐Pronoun‐Article‐Adjective‐Noun)Pattern

Boot Camp Incorrect:Whiletheexplosionsdetonate,thedoorsarelocked.

Incorrect:WhenShosanna shootsZoller,hisbackisturned.

Boot Camp Incorrect:Whiletheexplosionsdetonate,thedoorsarelocked. Correct:Theexplosionsdetonatewhilethedoorsarelocked.

Correct:Whilethedoorsarelocked,theexplosionsdetonate.

Incorrect:WhenShosanna shootsZoller,hisbackisturned. Correct:Shosanna shootsZoller whenhisbackisturned.

Correct:Whenhisbackisturned,Shosanna shootsZoller.

Boot Camp Whichsentenceiscorrect? Afinalexaminationiswhenstudentsaretestedonwhattheyknow.

or Afinalexamisatestofwhatstudentsknow.

Whichsentencedoesfaultypredicationoccur? Thereasonwearegoingtolearntobegrammatically

correctisbecausewearegoingtopracticedaily.or

Wearegoingtolearntobegrammaticallycorrectbecausewearegoingtopracticedaily.