2.6 Danglers in Scientific Prose

A modifier whose connection to the sentence is implied or intended but not actually made explicit is said to dangle. Dangling modifiers detract from the clarity of the writing, so the author should make sure modifiers are properly connected to the words they modify. A dangling modifier can be repaired by adding the noun or phrase that the modifier was intended to modify and rephrase the sentence accordingly.

Unfortunately, verbal phrase danglers are abundant in scientific reporting. They contribute substantially to misleading messages and confused writing. In most cases, the problem arises from a lack of logical thinking or poor word order. Many danglers escape the author’s and/or editor’s attention because their brains may deduce the intended message, disregarding the fact that the sentence says something totally different. Needless to say, guesswork is incompatible with science, and it is unacceptable to let readers guess what is meant.

Thus, a misplaced modifier, for example, (sometimes known as a dangling modifier) makes the sentence confusing and illogical:

Incorrect: We purchased rats from a dealer weighing about 250 g (it’s not clear who weighs 250 g).

Correct: We purchased rats weighing about 250 g from a dealer.

Therefore, to ensure clarity, modifiers should be placed carefully and should not interrupt the sentence structure or create ambiguity.

Placing a modifier between the subject and the verb or between the verb and the direct object can weaken the structure of the sentence and make the sentence difficult to interpret. In general, the longer and more complicated the modifier, the more it weakens the sentence.

At the same time, modifiers of nouns (attributes) should be placed either immediately before or immediately after the noun. If another phrase is allowed to separate the noun and its modifier, the modifier may be misinterpreted as applying to a noun in the separating phrase rather than to the original noun.

Adverbs should be placed as close as possible to the words or phrases that they modify. If you allow an adverb to be separated from the word or phrase that it modifies, the interpretation of the adverb may become ambiguous.

A quantity adverb should always be placed immediately before the word it modifies:

For all its richness, today's Everglades is a drastically diminished place.

2.7 Antecedents

An antecedent is a word, phrase or clause to which a pronoun refers. A sentence may be confusing if the pronoun and its antecedent are not clearly identifiable. An ambiguous reference (which may occur after the translation made) must always be corrected. These are the ways:

- by positioning the pronoun closer to its antecedent:

Incorrect	The monkey was operated on by the surgeon when he was six weeks old (not clear who was six weeks old).
Correct	The monkey, when he was six weeks old, was operated on by the surgeon.

- by moving the relative clause to the beginning, where it will not separate the subject from the principal verb:

Incorrect	When he was six weeks old, the monkey was operated on by the surgeon.
Correct	When he was six weeks old, the monkey was operated on by the surgeon.

- by rewriting the entire sentence if the ambiguity can not be avoided by rearranging words:

Incorrect	Sera were prepared by immunizing rabbits and drying and using them in powdered form for blood grouping (this version evokes unfortunate images of rabbits being dried and powdered).
Correct	Sera from immunized rabbits were dried, powdered, and using for blood grouping.