Question

Define this statement as standard, slang, jargon, dialect, or ungrammatical. While talking on the telephone, the dog spilled his water dish.

Answer 1

Answer:

The statement "While talking on the telephone, the dog spilled his water dish." is: ungrammatical.

Explanation:

The given statement "While talking on the telephone, the dog spilled his water dish." is an example of an ungrammatical sentence. It is ungrammatical because it shows what in Grammar is called a dangling participle.

Subordinate participle clauses do not show subject agreement in terms of the main clause when they have a dangling participle.

In the statement above, what is inferred is that the subject in the subordinate clause (while talking on the telephone) is the dog - that is, that the dog was talking on the telephone when he spilled his water dish.

The correction should imply two different subjects, for example:

1. While I was talking on the telephone, the dog spilled his water dish.
2. While John was talking on the telephone, the dog spilled his water dish.
3. While Jenny was talking on the telephone, the dog spilled his water dish.

Answer 2

It would be ungrammatical because the way it is said sounds like the dog was on the phone and spilled his/ her water but the only thing the dog did was spill the water.