Posted by rfvv on Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 8:19pm.


1. There is a girl who is reading a book with legs crossed on the sofa.

2. There is a girl reading a book with her knees folded and raised on the sofa.

3. There are a dog and a cat sleeping on a big coushion.

4. There is a boy playing the piano looking at music.

(Would you check the expressions? Thank you.)

English - Writeacher, Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 9:18pm
3 and 4 are fine. In 1 and 2, though, you have written what are called "dangling modifiers."

Ask yourself these questions:
1. Are the book's legs crossed...?
2. Are the book's knees folded and raised...?

How can you rephrase 1 and 2 so that these modifiers are clearly describing the girl?
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Thank you. What about the following expressions?

1. There is a girl, with legs crossed on the sofa, who is reading a book

2. There is a girl,with her knees folded and raised on the sofa,
reading a book.

Much, much better!! Good job!

The expressions you have provided are much better and clearer than the original ones. However, there is still room for improvement. Here are a couple of suggestions for rephrasing:

1. The girl, with her legs crossed on the sofa, is reading a book.
2. The girl is reading a book while her knees are folded and raised on the sofa.

These new expressions clearly indicate that the girl is the one performing the actions (reading the book, crossing her legs, folding her knees, etc.).