Grammatically Correct: The writer's essential guide to punctuation ...

GRAMMATICALLY CORRECT
Thumbing through the newspaper, my eye was suddenly caught by a
small article.
How many thumbs does this person's eye have, exactly?
BETTER: As I thumbed through the newspaper, my eye was suddenly
caught by a small article.
The following sentences contain misplaced modifiers:
Leaning over the hospital bed, she looked into the vacant man's eyes but
could see no spark of recognition.
The man himself is vacant?
BETTER: Leaning over the hospital bed, she looked into the man's vacant
eyes but could see no spark of recognition.
At its next meeting, the Board of Education will debate whether teachers
should be allowed to administer adrenaline to students who experience
severe allergic reactions without written permission.
One has to admire the discipline of those students who do first
obtain permission.
BETTER: At its next meeting, the Board of Education will debate whether
teachers should require written permission to administer adrenaline to
students who experience severe allergic reactions.
The formerly glamorous countess is now continually mocked in the
tabloids for her taste in clothing, weight and overspending.
What's wrong with the countess's taste in weight or her taste in
overspending?
BETTER: The formerly glamorous countess is now continually mocked in
the tabloids for her taste in clothing, her weight and her overspending.
OR: The formerly glamorous countess is now continually mocked in the
tabloids for her weight, overspending and taste in clothing.
The suspect's condition was upgraded from serious to fair after he fell
from a third-story balcony while trying to evade arrest.
Perhaps doctors should try throwing their patients off balconies
to see if this improves their condition.
236
BETTER: The suspect, who fell from a third-story balcony while trying to
evade arrest, has had his condition upgraded from serious to fair.