When the Music Turns the Volume Down

Welcome to the Grammar Minute, where we’re saving the English language sixty seconds at a time! I’m Lauren Smyth, and if you put a descriptor at the beginning of your sentence, it has to match the subject of that sentence. Let me explain. Here’s a sample: After turning down the volume, the music sounded better. That phrase at the beginning, “after turning down the volume,” is technically an adjective, meaning that it describes a noun. What noun does it describe? The one immediately following: “the music.” So “after turning down the volume, the music sounded better” means that the music turned the volume down. Adjectival phrases used like this always modify the subject of the sentence. Make sure that the subject matches. You could reword the sentence in question by saying: “After I turned down the volume, the music sounded better,” replacing the adjective with a clause. Or you could say: “After turning down the volume, I thought the music sounded better.” That’s your Grammar Minute! Visit thegrammarminute.com for more tips and tricks.