Hi everyone,
I was looking into these sentences:
1. Similarly, the cost of insurance saw a rising trend, growing from only 2% to 8% by 2001.
What growing modifies,the cost of insurance or a rising trend?
2. Globally, 65%degradation is caused by too much animal gazing and tree clearance, constituting 35% and 30% respectively.
Here, constituting clearly modifies animal gazing and tree clearance, if it is, why there is a comma here? otherwise,I think it can modifies 65% degradation?
3.There was an opposite trend in the fugure for rail, dropping steadily to 28 million tones in 1995 and then increasing back to the level in 1974.
What does dropping here modify? an opposite trend or the fugure for rail?
Thank you!
Hi Paul,
Thank you very much for your reply.
It really helps.
But can I consider 'growing ...'of the first sentence as a participle phrase?
Is it just like the example below?
It is also possible to use a participle phrase at the end of a clause and not immediately after whatever it's modifying. For example:
Paul loved his boxing gloves, wearing them even to bed.
(There is a comma when the participle phrase is used farther down the sentence than its noun (Paul in this example).)
Also, how can we write those supplements correctly? Coz I thought those phrases such as 'growing...'were dangling mistakes in participle phrases. Because it is weird to say 'the trend is growing...'.I am kind of confused about supplementary adjuncts and participle phrases(if they are)
Hope it is not a tough question for you
Thank you again!
Ashley