Turning a thread on its head.

[SimonDoom]

Lol. I just mentioned a dangling participle because I remember being told, as a boy, that they're bad. I'm not exactly 100% sure I could define what it is.

I'm a guy who knows how to use language without knowing what any of it is called.

We all do that. A dangling participle is a participle or participial phrase that "dangles" because it is not put next to the noun it modifies.

A participle is the version of a verb ending in ing.

Easy example: Lying in wait, the boy walked down the path toward the tiger.


Now, we all know the boy is not lying in wait. But I think most or all of us can tell something is wrong. "Lying in wait" should be placed next to "tiger."

That's the dangling participle problem.

 

[SimonDoom]

If you want dialogue to feel real and natural. You have to forget written grammar rules.
If it's important to the story that it feels like an actual conversation between everyday people, then that's the way it should be written.
That's my preference anyway.

I agree with this, with one wrinkle: don't overdo non-compliance with grammar to sound natural. It can make things too hard for the reader. A little vernacular goes a long way.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

I agree with this, with one wrinkle: don't overdo non-compliance with grammar to sound natural. It can make things too hard for the reader. A little vernacular goes a long way.

Yeah. Unless you really want to make a point with the language, eg Irvine Welsh writing in Scots upthread, using just enough dialect words and spelling accent differences to get the personality across is generally best, if you don't want to deter too many readers. I usually weed out all bar one phonetic spelling or regional term per sentence, unless the sentence is immediately explained by context or conversation.

Still get about 1 in 5 comments complaining about the language. Tempted to just let them rip, some time, ignoring the advice that unless you're Mark Twain, don't try to write 15 distinct regional dialects. I've probably covered a dozen so far...

 

[AG31]

Thought of another one.

Any sentence with this structure cries out for "me" instead of the correct "I."

They are <a comparative... smarter, taller, stupider> than me.

 

[TheLobster]

Any sentence with this structure cries out for "me" instead of the correct "I."

Neither is correct, although “me” is much more prevalent and doesn’t really seem wrong.

The correct form is “They are <comparative> than I am.” The comparison is between entire clauses, not just pronouns, so you need the verb on the other side.

Problem is, of course, that nowadays this may sound a bit stilted. It often feels like a hypercorrection, and for this reason I’d never use it in informal dialogue.

 

[AG31]

The correct form is “They are <comparative> than I am.” The comparison is between entire clauses, not just pronouns, so you need the verb on the other side.

Well, now, that's an interesting observation. I'm guessing that my version, without the 'am,' is correct and has a name. Someone like @XerXesXu might know what it is.