SOME USEFUL TIPS TO DEAL WITH HANGING SENTENCES
1. Check whether the sentence has a subject and a verb.
Every complete sentence normally needs a subject and a finite verb.
Incorrect: “Because she was tired.”
Correct: “Because she was tired, she went to bed early.”
2. Do not start a sentence with a dependent clause and stop there.
Words such as because, although, when, if, while, since, and unless often introduce dependent clauses.
Incorrect: “Although he studied very hard.”
Correct: “Although he studied very hard, he failed the exam.”
3. Connect a dependent clause to an independent clause.
A dependent clause cannot stand alone.
Incorrect: “When I arrived at the station.”
Correct: “When I arrived at the station, the train had already left.”
4. Be careful with -ing phrases.
An -ing phrase at the beginning of a sentence must clearly refer to the subject that follows.
Incorrect: “Walking down the street, the rain suddenly started.”
Correct: “Walking down the street, I suddenly got caught in the rain.”
5. Make sure introductory phrases have a logical subject.
Ask yourself: “Who is doing this action?”
Incorrect: “After finishing the assignment, the computer was turned off.”
Correct: “After finishing the assignment, I turned off the computer.”
6. Avoid separating the main clause from its subject and verb unnecessarily.
Keep the basic structure Subject + Verb + Object/Complement clear.
Incorrect: “The students in my class, after several hours of discussion.”
Correct: “The students in my class discussed the problem for several hours.”
7. Look for missing main verbs.
Some sentences contain a subject but no main verb.
Incorrect: “The new English course very interesting.”
Correct: “The new English course is very interesting.”
8. Check sentences beginning with “which,” “who,” or “that.”
These words often introduce relative clauses that need a main clause.
Incorrect: “Which was very useful for students.”
Correct: “The new software, which was very useful for students, saved a lot of time.”