“They did not give notice of the pupil leaving.” Here, the leading idea is leaving. Pupil should, therefore, be subordinate by changing its form to the possessive; as, “They did not give notice of the pupil’s leaving.” Better still, “They did not give notice that the pupil had left.”
The word to which the participle relates should stand out clearly. “By giving way to sin, trouble is encountered.” This implies that trouble gives way to sin. The relation of the participle is made clear by saying, “By giving way to sin, we encounter trouble.”
“By yielding to temptation, our peace is sacrificed.” This should be, “By yielding to temptation we sacrifice our peace.”
“A poor child was found in the streets by a wealthy and benevolent gentleman, suffering from cold and hunger.” Say, “A poor child, suffering from cold and hunger, was found,” etc.
Awkward Construction
Such awkward sentences as the following should be avoided. In most cases they will require to be recast.
“But as soon as the whole body is attempted to be carved, a disproportion between its various parts results.”
“The offence attempted to be charged should be alleged under another section of the statute.” The following is a better arrangement:
“But as soon as an attempt is made to carve the whole body,” etc. “The offence which it is attempted to charge,” etc.