Participle phrase; is the grammar correct?

Question

> Beatrice, nine, sent a letter to the actor **asking** for piracy lessons to help lead a mutiny against the teachers.What does the *asking* participle phrase act as? Why is participle phrase used instead of multiple clause?

Answer 1

I consider this phrase incorrectly used. In the participle phrase, "asking" is a nonfinite verb, indicating that Beatrice asked for piracy lessons. However, the way the sentence is actually phrased means that the actor was asking for piracy lessons. I would correct the sentence with something like, "Nine-year-old Beatrice sent a letter in which she asked for piracy lessons..." This way, you are directly connecting the subject (Beatrice, "she") to the verb ("asked") rather than using a misplaced modifier. I hope this helps!