- By following
these instructions, your computer should provide
good service for many years.
- To examine the
chemical homogeneity of the plaque sample,
one plaque was cut into nine sections.
- The boats in production could be modified in time for
the February debut by
choosing this method.
I've highlighted the modifying phrases that are "dangling".
What it means for them to be dangling is that they do not have a word or phrase
to modify. (A similar problem, a "misplaced modifier," has a word or phrase to
modify, but the misplaced modifier needs to be placed closer to the word/phrase
it modifies to eliminate confusion). I'll tell you how to fix the first one:
a.
It sounds like "your computer" can do something "By following
these instructions," but it's really some actor missing from the sentence that needs
to follow the instructions. So it needs to read:
By
following these instructions, you can ensure that your computer provides good
service for many years to come.
b.
To fix this one ask, "is the plaque examining the chemical
homgeneity of the sample"? If not, what or who is?
c.
To fix this one ask, "who or what is choosing this method?
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