ref –

• https://www.grammar-monster.com/glossary/dangling_modifier.htm
• https://www.scribbr.com/sentence-structure/dangling-modifier/

Dangling Modifier

A modifier describes or qualifies another part of a sentence. A dangling modifier occurs when the intended subject of the modifier is missing from the sentence, and instead another subject appears in its place.

Fumbling in her purse, the keys could not be found.
Keys could not fumble purses!!

How to Fix – add subject and follow the modifier

In a correct sentence, the subject that is modified should immediately follow the comma after the modifier.

For example:

Having read the book, the book will be a hit.

the dangling modifier: Having read the book cannot modify:
* a book. A book can’t read.

Solution – Having read the book (who read the book? me)

Having read the book, I knew it will be a hit.

Other Examples

Having read your letter, my cat will stay indoors until the ducklings fly off. (X)

It’s pretty clear that the cat’s owner read the letter, but the owner is not mentioned.

Therefore, “Having read your letter” is a dangling modifier.
It doesn’t apply to anything in the sentence. Neither cats nor ducklings can read.

A correct version would be:

Having read your letter, we will keep our cat indoors until the ducklings fly off. √

(Here, “Having read your letter” correctly modifies “we.”)

Packing my kit into three huge holdalls, my little Jack Russell could tell a long trip was coming. (X)

“Packing my kit into three huge holdalls” is a dangling modifier. It doesn’t apply to the dog Jack Russell. I can only apply to a human owner.

A correct version would be:

Packing my kit into three huge holdalls, I knew my little Jack Russell could tell a long trip was coming. √

Packing my kit into three huge holdalls correctly modifies “I”.

Meticulous and punctual, David’s work ethic is admirable. X

Subject is “ethics” in “David’s work ethic.”.
Therefore, “Meticulous and punctual” is modifying the head noun “ethic.”

The sentence tells us that David’s work ethic is meticulous and punctual, which is illogical and impossible.

A correct version would be to add a noun that is modifiable (i.e David):

Meticulous and punctual, David has an admirable work ethic. √

(Here, the modifier “Meticulous and punctual” is modifying “David” as it should, not “David’s work ethic.”)

Having followed a strict diet, her weight dropped rapidly. X

Here, we’re saying her weight followed the strict diet. This is wrong.

Correction:

Having followed a strict diet, I can see my weight drop rapidly.

Having read your letter, my cat will stay indoors until the ducklings fly off. X

Here, we’re saying her cat read the letter.

Correction:

Having read your letter, I will keep my car indoors until the ducklings fly off.

How to Fix 2 – rephrase the modifier

Error: While driving to work, a car accident caused a traffic jam on the highway.
*A car cannot drive to work

Correct: While Jane was driving to work, a car accident caused a traffic jam on the highway.

Error: Requiring more data for the study, questionnaires were collected from an additional 200 people.
*Questionnaires cannot require. Only humans can do this.

Correct: Because we required more data for the study, questionnaires were collected from an additional 200 people.

Error: Taken down to the cellar, the darkness obscured the details of the room.
*The darkness cannot be taken down.

Correct: As he was taken down to the cellar, the darkness obscured the details of the room.

Sample Problems

Which sentence CONTAINS a dangling modifier?

A) Running quickly, the dog caught the ball.
“Running quickly” does modify “the dog”. It is the dog that is running quickly.
So it DOES NOT contain a dangling modifier.

B) After reading the book, the movie seemed disappointing.

Correction: After reading the book, [I thought] the movie seemed disappointing. √

C) Having finished the homework, the TV was turned on. √

Having finished the homework does not modify the TV. The TV cannot do homework.

Correction: Having finished the homework, I turned on the TV.

D) While walking to school, the birds were singing.

Those birds may in fact be walking to school. So this is OK.

Choose the sentence WITH a dangling modifier:

A) The book, lying on the table, was dusty.

Its clear, using non-essential appositive

B) Before going to bed, the lights were turned off. √

“Before going to bed” cannot modify the lights. Lights don’t sleep.

Correction:

Before going to bed, I turned the lights off.

C) After finishing the marathon, the medal was awarded. √

“After finishing the marathon” cannot modify the medal. The medal cannot run.

Correction:

After finishing the marathon, I was awarded the medal.

D) The car, parked in the driveway, was washed.

non-essential appositive states it clearly.

Which sentence is free of a dangling modifier?

DOES NOT have a dangling modifier?

A) After eating dinner, the dishes were washed. (X)

“After eating dinner” cannot modify the dishes. The dishes can’t eat.

B) Having studied hard, the exam was passed. (X)

“Having studied hard” cannot modify the exam. Exams can’t study.

C) While reading the book, the plot became clear. (X)

“While reading the book” cannot modify the plot. A plot can’t read.

D) Before starting the project, she gathered all the materials. √

“Before starting the project” modifies “she” correctly.

The girl gathered all the materials before starting the project.

Identify the dangling modifier in the sentence:

After taking a long nap, the homework was completed.

“After taking a long nap” cannot modify homework. A homework does not sleep.
Correction:

After taking a long nap, I completed the homework.

A) After taking a long nap √
B) The homework was completed
C) A long nap
D) None of the above

9. Choose the sentence WITH a dangling modifier:

A) While eating dinner, the phone rang. (√)
B) The cat, purring loudly, sat on the windowsill. (X)
C) To improve her grades, extra study sessions were attended. √

“To improve her grades” cannot modify “Extra study sessions”. Study sessions are not humans.

Correction:
To improve her grades, Sandy attended extra study sessions.

D) The boy, excited about his birthday, couldn’t sleep. (X)

Which sentence is correct without a dangling modifier?

A) After studying all night, the test was easy.
B) Walking through the park, the flowers were beautiful.
C) While cooking dinner, the doorbell rang.
D) After finishing the project, she took a break. √

1) An intro about the mission and its significance

2) Detailed information about the mission’s

• objectives
• challenges
• achievements

3) A conclusion summarizing what you learned and why this mission is important in space exploration history.

Introduction about the mission and its significance

In the 1960s, the United States was engaged in a Cold War with Soviet Union. The two nations were rivalries, and they were vying to be pioneers in space exploration. The Apollo program was created by then President John F Kennedy in order to compete. It was significant because the Soviet Union had launched an artificial satellite called Sputnik 1. This meant they had the capability to deliver nuclear weapons anywhere in the world, and it challenged American hegemony. Thus, America’s hold on world domination was in danger.

Objectives

The goal of the Apollo program was to beat the Soviet Union in a space race. Unfortunately, Soviet astronauts became the first to launch a man into Earth’s orbit. Thus, the Americans had to catch up and move their goal to be the first ones to put a human on the moon. The objective of Apollo 11 was to not only send someone into orbit, but to land them on the moon.

Challenges

There were several challenges. First, As Apollo 11 was preparing to land on the moon, the astronauts saw a alarm. It was a software issue. Too many commands were being loaded into the computer, and it was running out of RAM memory. The computer was unable to do all those calculations. Second, while Amrstrong was controlling the craft, a low fuel warning appeared. Fortunately, the low fuel warning is just like a car’s. Fuel is low, but the craft still had enough to complete the mission. Third, when the crew landed, the astronauts suited up for the moonwalk. They accidently knocked off the tip of a circuit breaker. Fortunately, they fixed it.

Achievement

Apollo 11’s success was spectacular because it was watched by millions of spectators. Furthermore, it meant American power will continue to dominate. Neil Armstrong and crew went into orbit, landed on the moon, stuck an American flag on the moon, and safely landed back onto Earth. This was not only a victory for American politicians, it was a victory for mankind. The American public roared with nationalism and reveled in this American achievement.

Conclusion

Wrap it up

Introduction

nouns (名词)
verbs (动词)
adjective (形容词)
adverbs (副词)

Lesson 1 – Action 行为

subject （主语）
object (宾语)

action verbs （行为动词）
transitive (及物动词）

Present Simple – subject verb agreement

Lesson 2 – intransitive verbs and prepositions （不及物动词和介词)

intransitive （不及物动词）
prepositions （不及物动词和介词)

Lesson 3 – Linking Verb (链接动词）

Linking Verb (链接动词 ‘识别’ is/am/are/was/were/will be）
Subject Complement (noun or adjective) (主语补语)

Lesson 4 – Sense verbs (感觉动词）

Sense Verb (look/smell/taste/seem/hear/become/feel)

Lesson 5 – Framework 句子结构 框架 1-2

1 Subject 主语 – Verb (action 行为/transitive 及物 动词) – Object （直接宾语

2 Subject (主语) – Verb (action 行为/intransitive 不及物 动词) – Preposition (介词) – Obj (宾语)

Lesson 6 – Framework 句子结构 框架 3-4

3 Subject – linking verb – subject complement (noun/adjective)
主词 – 连接动词 – 主词补语（名词/形容词）

4 Subject (主语) + linking verb (“is/am/are/was/were/will be”) (链接动词”识别”) +
Subject Complement (noun or adjective) (主语补语)

Lesson 7 – Adverbs 副词

How to use adverbs (帮助动词，帮助形容词，帮助别的副词）
Converting to adverbs （换到副词）
Different positions （副词的位子）

Lesson 8 – Adverb Phrases （副词短语）

Lesson 9 – Framework 句子结构 框架 5-6

5 Subject (主语) + verb (action 行为动词) + (optional可用/可不用: object 宾语) + adverbs (副词)
Emotion verbs (情绪动词)

6 Subject – action verb – adverb phrase (when, where, how, why)
主语-动作动词-副词短语（何时、何地、如何、为什么）

Lesson 10 – Infinitives 不定时动词

infinitive as the object 不定式动词作为宾语
infinitive as the adjective 不定式动词作为形容词
infinitive as the adverb (‘in order’ test) 不定式动词作为副词

Lesson 11 – Infinitive Phrases （不定式动词短语）

Stative verbs (静态动词)
– possession (拥有)
– mental (精神)
– emotion (情感 已完成)
– sense (感觉 已完成)
– measure and cost 测量和成本

Infinitive Phrases (不定式动词短语)

Lesson 12 – Framework 框架 7-9

7 Subject – emotion verb (prefer, want, love, like, hope) – [to verb] (as object）
主词 – 情感动词（偏爱、想要、爱、喜欢、希望）- [不定时动词 作为宾语]

8 Subject – (possession verb) [am/is/have/has] – object – [to verb] (as adjective）
主语-（占有动词）[am/is/had/has] – 宾语 – [不定式动词]（作为形容词）

9 Subject – action verb – (object, optional) – [to verb] (as adverbs)
主词-动作动词-（宾语，可选）-[到动词]（作为副词）

Lesson 11 – 发音

• le
• tle
• est
• me
• ve
• ed
• en
• ke
• oon
• rd
• cious
• sm
• ell

Lesson 12 – more stories (写更多的故事）

Precious the Snake.
Bill the horse.
Danny the dog.

Lesson 13

Past Simple – regular verbs vs irregular verbs
Present Perfect – Subject + [have/has] + [past participle]

Lesson 14

Add ‘ed’ to create an adjective
Past Perfect – Subj + had + [past participle]
Present Perfect vs Past Perfect

Lesson 15

Add ‘ing’ to create an adjective
Gerund vs present participle
Present Continuous – Subject + [am, is, are] + action verb [present participle]

Lesson 16

Present Perfect Continuous – Subject – [have/has] + [been] + [present participle]
Present Perfect vs Present Perfect Continuous

Lesson 17

Past Continuous – Subj + [was/were] + verb + ‘ing’
Past Perfect Continuous

Lesson 18

Future Simple
Future Perfect

Lesson 19

Future Continuous
Future Perfect Continuous

Lesson 20

Academic Writing
– Thesis
– Introduction and merge
– Body paragraphs and mini thesis
– Supporting quotes and creating examples
– Conclusion

Why is pronounciation last?

A simple sentence isn’t actually that simple. We need to form the subject, the verb, and the object, and any complements to make sure we tie up loose meanings. We also need to satisfy those mundane grammatical rules. Just in forming the sentence alone, there are least five things to worry about.

Then we need to make sure we pronounce each word correctly. Does the syllable sound ok? Are the vowels being pronounced correctly? Just in the sound alone, there are a few rules to remember and execute.

This is why pronunciation and the forming of english sentences are done later. There are too many prerequisites that need to be mastered. This is also a reason why so many english learners find spoken english to be so difficult outside of an English speaking envrionment. Because in order to form sentences that make sense, there is a myriad of tasks that needs to be done in a split second.

一个简单的句子其实并不简单。我们需要构成主语、动词和宾语，以及任何补语，以确保我们把松散的意思串联起来。我们还需要满足那些世俗的语法规则。光是造句，就至少有五件事需要操心。

然后，我们需要确保每个单词的发音正确。音节听起来可以吗？元音发音是否正确？光是发音，就有一些规则需要记住和执行。

这就是为什么发音和英语句子的形成要在后面进行。需要掌握的先决条件太多了。这也是许多英语学习者在英语环境之外发现英语口语如此困难的原因。因为要形成有意义的句子，需要在瞬间完成无数的任务。

For example:

A turtle lives in the forest.

Pronounciation:

A –> uh
turtle –> tur dol (le –> O sound: purp[le], sett[le], kett[le]…etc)
lives –> li vzz (vzz: hives, chives, dives…etc )
forest –> for rest (est: best, rest, test…etc)

Structure:

– Subject turtle
– intransitive verb lives
– preposition in
– object forest

– Subject verb agreement √
– quantifier ‘a’ denotes singular item √
– ‘the’ quantifier

ref –

https://www.toppr.com/ask/question/analysis-of-the-tale-of-custard-the-dragon-by-ogden-nash/
https://allpoetry.com/The-Tale-of-Custard-the-Dragon
https://poemanalysis.com/ogden-nash/the-tale-of-custard-the-dragon/

Introduction 介绍

hook

The story of Custard the Dragon by Ogden Nash is a humorous poem that playfully looks at hypocrisy through a girl and her pets.

merge

# of stanza?
stanza lines?
theme?
Rhythm scheme?

thesis 非常重要

The poem explores bravery, cowardice, and hypocrisy by using figurative language to describe Belinda, her animals, and Custard the Dragon.

用来写每一个 paragraph 的第一句：
– bravery
– cowardice
– hypocrisy

Paragraph One – 勇敢 Bravery (Belinda and the pets)

In untested times, the animals loved to show their bravery.

similes:
– Mustard the dog： as shard as mustard (taste). Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage.
– Belinda: as brave as barrel full of bears.

Imagery:
– the pets were over-confident and made fun of Custard
– Custard feinted shyness and weakness by always asking for a cage.
– repetitive usage of ‘little’ to describe the mouse, dog, and kitten.

Hyperbole:
– Belinda giggled until she shook the house.

metaphor:
– chased lions down the stairs (Ink and Blink)

personification:
Ink, Blink and Mustard, they rudely called him Percival. (animals can’t talk)

Paragraph Two – 懦弱 Cowardice (Custard the Dragon)

On the other hand, the dragon is described to have an intimidating appearance, but is weak and cowardly.

Imagery
– Used to describe Custard the Dragon to be intimidating in appearance…

Simile
– Mouth like a fireplace

Metaphor:
– chimney for a nose.
– daggers on his toes.

Imagery –
Custard the dragon had big sharp teeth.
And spikes on top of him and scales underneath,
cried for a nice safe cage.

…but cowardly in personality.

Name describes who he is:
But the dragon was a coward, and she called him Custard.

oxymoron:
– “pet dragon”. belittles the dragon.

————– Revision 3/21 2pm ————–

Introduction

The tale of Custard the Dragon by Ogden Nash is a humorous poem that playfully looks at hypocrisy through a girl and her pets. In this poem there are 14 stanzas with 4 lines of each. The rhyme scheme is AABB. The theme of this poetry is everyone has his own capabilities and should never be judged on the basis of his appearance. The poem explores bravery, cowardice, and hypocrisy by using figurative language to describe Belinda, her animals, and Custard the Dragon.

Bravery

Blinda’s little pets love to show their bravery. The author uses metonymy to name Belinda’s dog Mustard in order to compare his sharpness to the taste of mustard. He also uses the simile of a raging tiger to emphasis Mustard’s bravery. Furthermore, the metaphor of Mustard and Blink chasing lions down the stairs paints a clear picture of their courage. We feel Belinda’s presence through the comparison to a barrel full of bears. The word little is used repeatedly to emphasize the cute appearance of all her pets compared to her. She even keeps a dragon as a “little pet dragon”. This oxymoron hints that the courageous Belinda can domesticate even dragons. Finally the imagery of her giggles shaking her house completes her description as a character with courage and fortitude.

Cowardice

Custard the dragon is described to be a coward but with an intimidating appearance. Ogden uses intimidating imagery to describe the dragon. He uses sturdy word choices, similes, and metaphors such as a fireplace, a chimney, and daggers. The contrast here is that while Custard’s appearance may be intimidating, the author chooses an almost infantile imagery for the dragon’s personality. For example, Custard is a coward, which means the absence of bravery. This is obvious when Custard cries for a nice cage to feel safe in. These are the very definition of an infant’s characteristics. The author also named him Custard, which has the same consistency and color as mustard, but just does not have the same sharpness and kick that Mustard has. Rather, its ingredients are eggs and sugar, which personifies babies and a lack of courage.

Paragraph Three – 伪善 hypocrisy (Pirate’s arrival)

The arrival of the pirate unveils hypocrisy. False bravery melts, and this is exactly what happens to the pets. Onomatopoeias fill the stanza as they run for cover. The seriousness of reality sets in when the author uses words such as fled, paled, terrified, and trickled. We see a clear contrast to what was described in the first few stanzas. Our infantile dragon changes also, but in a positive way. The dragon who just moments before cried for a safe cage to hide in is now a dungeon crawling, charcoal smoke snorting, hungry bird that is looking for his first meal. We see similes instill Custard with brave innuendos. For example, the way he snorts like a locomotive suggests he is bearing down on an unwavering goal. His tail clanging aloud shows his impenetrable determination. And his hungry aggressiveness, when he lunges at the pirate, bares his bravery. His actions are the exact opposite of his personality.

Another way we see hypocrisy is how the pets treat Custard after he eats the pirate. They accept and celebrate with him, but in the end everything returns to how it was. The last two stanzas and the two stanzas in the beginning almost mirror each other. This shows the hypocrisy of what Belinda and the animals think of Custard. Even though he was the only one who showed bravery, they accepted it only momentarily. Truth stared them in the eye, but Blinda and her pets insisted on going back to their old ways and continued to uphold their hypocrisy.

Conclusion

You decide

The Basis campus sits in a tranquil environment. Multiple trail surrounds the campus.

Although Basis uses marketing media to make itself look good, the real face of this school is incredibly dark.

Shekou Basis International School has the highest suicide rate in all of Shenzhen’s schools. Five hundred thousand students have died since it was opened in 2023. They have committed suicide because of unfair scoring. Students experience numerous symptoms because of food poisoning. In addition, parents were always complaining about their ridiculous tuition. Therefore, Shekou Basis International school is terrible because of its high failure rate, poisonous lunches, and ridiculous tuition.

Shekou Basis International School has an alarming failure rate of 98.76%. School is a place to teach students how to be successful, not to fail. But many students have a GPA below 1.0 because of unfair scoring. Teachers are hypocrites. They act friendly in front of their superiors, but in front of students, they act like devils. Teacher are irritable and corrupt. They give points idly without any particular purpose or depend on their mood(which makes students get low scole because they are irritable), but they only give high scores to students who pay. This money supplements their meager salaries. There is a teacher in Basis called Mr Tomato. He is persistent about makes students fail. He gives students homework that is impossible to finish. Students spend their hard earned weekends on his pointless homework for those miniscule ten points. He takes pleasure in the suffering of his students. He loves to steal their youth away.

Shekou Basis International School has failed at food hygiene and safety inspections since its opening day. Everything is premade in the kitchen and the food is perishable. The food looks like sewer drudge. Flies, cockroaches and mold have infested the food supply. They think this is high level protein supplements for students. Also, to cut costs, schools force students to eat foliage. The truth is that 78% students and 67% teachers have contracted E. coli from eating maggot-corrupted hamburgers. Many people suffered from chronic gastritis, peptic ulcers and stomach cancer. There was a food recall to retrieve all the poisonous food, but unfortunately, they have already been eaten. The food poisoning has evolved into cancer, which causes disability. Students’ intestines have incurred unrecoverable injury. They can’t digest solid food anymore, and they realize that they desperately need life saving surgery. The school vaguely explains all of these to avoid punishments.

ref – https://www.grammar-monster.com/lessons/nouns.htm

Nouns are words that represent people, places, or things. Everything we can see or talk about is represented by a word.

Examples of Nouns

Here are some examples of nouns. (Notice that some have capital letters. We will discuss why later.)

• Person: soldier, Alan, cousin, lawyer
• Place: house, Shanghai, Beijing, factory, shelter, apartment
• Thing – This includes:
• Objects: table, car, pants, shoes, nitrogen, month, inch, cooking
• Animals: aardvark, rat, shark, Mickey
• Ideas: confusion, kindness, faith, Theory of Relativity, joy

Common Nouns

A common noun is the word for a person, place, or thing. It’s the word that appears in the dictionary. For example:

• person
• city
• dog

Proper Nouns

A proper noun is the given name of a person, place, or thing. It’s likely to be a personal name or a title. For example:

• Ricky
• Shenzhen
• China

A proper noun always starts with a capital letter.

Common Noun:Proper Noun combos

• boy:David
• sailor:Adam
• lawyer:Sarah
• mother-in-law:Janice
• city:Boston
• bridge:The Golden Gate Bridge
• tower:Eiffel Tower
• street:Norwood Place
• cat:Fido
• monkey:Bonzo

Abstract Nouns

Abstract nouns are things you cannot see or touch.

For example:

• bravery
• joy
• determination

Collective Nouns

Collective nouns are words that denote groups.

For example:

• team
• choir
• pack

Compound Nouns

Compound nouns are nouns made up of more than one word.

For example:

• court-martial
• pickpocket
• water bottle

Countable and Non-countable Nouns

A countable noun is a noun with both a singular and a plural form (e.g., “dog/dogs,” “pie/pies”). A non-countable noun is a noun without a plural form (e.g., “oxygen, patience”).

For example:

These are countable:
mountain (singular) / mountains (plural)
fight / fights
kiss / kisses
With no plural forms, these are non-countable:
food (always singular)
music (always singular)
water (always singular)

Typical day in the life of an American student

Elementary School

• Read a lot of adventure books.
• Write short paragraphs. i.e dinosaur
• Keep a journal.
• Graded on daily journal, short stories, and presentation of books read. This escapes memorization and test taking skills. It concentrates on demonstrating practice and investing time in learning.

Middle School

• Read non-fiction books
• Write Point Evidence Explanation paragraphs
• Discuss characters, storyline, and author’s perspective
• Graded case studies where we wrote about the characters and analyzed the stories. Demonstrate grammar usage and sentence structure. Encourages improving language usage.

High School

• Use figurative language in our essays.
• Essays would have multiple revisions.
• Our scores would depend on essays.
• We were graded mostly on reading, paragraph answers, and how we argued.

College

• Vocabulary usage, clarity, and flow
• quotation – illustrate a point, provide evidence, or add credibility to the writer’s argument
• citation – a word or a few details that tells us where that excerpt is from
• Multiple revisions with professional writer/professor.
• UCI 39A, 39B, 39C – scores depended on essays, their contents, and argument perspective.

A little kind turtle (subj) lives (verb) in a big green forest (obj). (2)

His name is Ted. (4)

Ted lives happily and loves (verb) [to swim] (obj). (3) and (9)

He has swam in a pond his whole life. (8, present perfect)

He (subj) loves (verb) [to eat] (obj) vegetables. (9)

He has a small head and a short tail. (2) and (2)

His heavy shell (subj) sits (verb) on his four short legs (obj). (2)

He (subj) is (verb) slow (adj) but very smart (adj). (6) but (6)

A confident rabbit (subj) lives (verb) in the same forest (obj). (2)

His name (subj) is (verb) Randi (obj). (4)

Randi loves [to run] in the woods. (8)

He looks healthy because he has eaten carrots his whole life. (6) because (8, present perfect)

Randi is too confident, so he challenges Ted to a race. (7) so (2)

Ted agrees. (1)

The race day arrives. (1)

The weather is really beautiful, and the sky is blue. (7) and (6)

All the animals arrive [to watch]. (12)

Randi sprints ahead, and laughs at Ted. (3) and (2)

Ted hears Randi, but he continues to crawl. (5) but (12)

Randi finds a tree to rest under and takes a nap. (12) and (7)

Ted sees Randi fast asleep, but continues to crawl. (5) but (12)

Randi wakes up and sees Ted cross the finish line. (3) and (6)

The animals cheer because Ted is the winner! (1) because (4)

Randi is fast, yet she loses the race. (6) yet (2)

The lesson is that slow and steady wins the race. (4)