understanding of grammar may cause a writer to use a construction without thinking exactly what a particular word is supposed to modify. This kind of error is fairly common  in  using  participles  with  other  adjectives  or with adverbial modifiers, as in the following examples: Dangling  Participle:  Returning to the ship, the package was found on his bunk. Improved: Returning to the ship, he found the package on his bunk. (It was he who returned to the ship, not the package.) Dangling   Participle:   Entering   the   halon- flooded compartment, the gas overcame him. Improved:  Entering  the  halon-flooded  com- partment, he was overcome by the gas. Dangling  Participle:  Running rapidly out from the windlass, he caught his foot in the anchor chain. Improved:  He  caught  his  foot  in  the  anchor chain, as it ran rapidly out from the windlass. Misplaced  Prepositional  Phrase:  At the age of two his father died. Improved:  He  was  two  years  old  when  his father died. Misplaced  Prepositional  Phrase:  Baker  saw the  driver  of  the  car  that  had  hit  him  in  the theater. Improved: In the theater, Baker saw the driver of the car that had hit him. Misplaced  Relative  Clause:  The  chief  mess management   specialist   discovered   that   old baking powder had been used in the biscuits, which caused all the trouble. Improved:   The  chief  mess  management specialist discovered that the trouble with the biscuits was the use of old baking powder. A frequently misplaced word is “only.” By moving this one word around in a sentence, you can change the meaning entirely. Study the following example: Correlative conjucntions, (such as not only — but also and either — or) are often misplaced. Their correct “both — and,” “neither — nor” and “whether — or.” Only he could read the strange dialect. (Nobody else could.) He could only read the strange dialect. (He could not write or speak it.) He could read only the strange dialect. (He could read nothing else.) He could read the only strange dialect. (Only one dialect was strange, and he could read it.) MISPLACED  CORRELATIVE CONJUNCTIONS position is just ahead of the words or groups of words they connect. Consider the following examples: Misplaced:  The  Navy  letter  form  not  only omits the salutation  but also the  complimentary close. (The words that should be connected are “salutation” and “complimentary close”:) Correct: The Navy letter form omits not only the  salutation   but  also  the    complimentary close. Misplaced:  Either  secure  lines  to  the  arresting hook  or  the  hoisting  sling.  (As  this  sentence stands, the words that should be connected are “arresting   hook”   and   “hoisting   sling.”   The sentence   will   be   better,   however,   if   two complete   prepositional   phrases   are   used instead.) Correct:  Secure  lines  either  to  the  arresting hook or to the hoisting sling. Other frequently used correlative conjunctions are SPLIT INFINITIVES Splitting an infinitive means placing one or more modifiers between the “to” and the verb form. You will hear  people  say  that  a  split  infinitive  is  no  longer regarded  as  incorrect,  but  that  is  only  a  partial  truth. Some  writers  consider  that  splitting  an  infinitive  is desirable at times for the sake of emphasis; for example, “To deliberately  disobey an order is a serious offense.” Even  this  sentence  will  grate  on  some  ears,  and generally, it is better for you to keep the adverb outside the infinitive construction. That is especially true when you have more than one adverb or a phrase. Awkward Split: The only way for a person to win against afire is  to regularly  and  thoroughly practice the rules of fire prevention. 6-19