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How do you fix a dangling participle?

A participle is a verb (action word) that has been used as an adjective (descriptive word). For example, in the phrase "running water", the word "running" is the participle and "water" is the noun that it describes.

So what is a dangling participle? Without careful attention, the noun that a participle describes can be unclear. For example:

"Dave left the water running."

While most of us would interpret this sentence to mean that Dave left the faucet on, it could also describe Dave exiting a swimming pool in a hurry. In this case, the participle "running" is dangling — it could be describing either the water or Dave.

Dangling participles are a common occurrence and can be fixed by carefully structuring your sentences.

Continuing Education offers a wide array courses and certificates in professional and creative writing. Explore our writing programs...

How do you make smart decisions using data?

Business Intelligence (BI) is the field of combining data, technology, business processes and analytics to optimize business decisions and drive success. BI has become a technological priority for organizations, and its tools, approaches and methods are quickly becoming valued skillsets. Turning your data into valuable information is no longer a luxury — it is a necessity for our ever-changing markets.

If you want to learn more about analyzing data to make informed business decisions, be sure to explore the Certificate in Business Intelligence and Analytics.

How do you inspire and motivate employees?

"I have no idea how to motivate these people!"

If you've uttered these words, you're in good company.

A great starting point is to make efforts to understand their expectations and why they come to work every day. With this knowledge, you can begin to create practical strategies for engaging employees in ways that matter to them.

If you would like to learn more about inspiring and motivating people in your workplace, explore the Certificate for Emerging Leaders, Certificate for Front Line Leaders and the Certificate in Professional Management.

In particular, the seminar BUS 144 Energize Your Workplace: Inspiring and Motivating People directly addresses the subject of employee motivation.

How do you say "thank you" in Japanese?

To thank someone in Japanese, you would say "Arigatou".

If you're interested in learning Japanese or another language, explore our language programs. French and Spanish learners can pursue certificates in French Language and Culture and Spanish Language and Culture.

How do adults learn?

Adults learn differently than children do. Adults tend to approach education with a desire to learn, a sense of responsibility towards their learning, and a desire to meet specific goals and needs.

If you would like to learn more about teaching adult learners in the community, workplace, and online, explore our Adult Learning certificates.

How do you give sound career advice?

As an advisor providing career advice to clients, it is important to create a detailed profile that accounts for the unique aspects of your client:

• Their interests
• Their skills
• Their values

This assessment will help your client focus their career search, and will serve as a starting point when determining the suitability of any potential occupation.

If you provide career advice in your job, or would like to learn more about career advising, explore our Career Development and Academic Advising certificates.

In particular, the course ADL 212 Assessment Practice in Career Development will address the process of creating client profiles for career planning.

How do you attract the best talent?

In the increasingly competitive battle for talent, organizations need strategies for attracting qualified employees.

Employer branding is one approach to consider. The term is used to describe an organization's reputation and attractiveness from the perspective of a potential employee. It is critical for employers to be aware of their perceived brand, and to have a strategy for managing it.

If you would like to learn more about recruitment and selection, explore our Human Resource Management Certificate.

In particular, the courses BMC 165 Human Resource Management and BMC 178 Recruitment and Selection will teach you how to attract qualified candidates to your organization.

How do you identify risks and hazards at work?

A key aspect of any occupational health and safety program is the proper identification of any hazards that exist at the workplace, and the associated risk of injury or illness if a worker is exposed to the hazard. Hazards are identified by implementing a hazard identification program involving the following steps:

• Identify hazards and their potential to cause harm
• Evaluate the risk associated with identified hazards
• Determine ways to eliminate or minimize the hazard

If you would like to learn more about managing risks and hazards in the workplace, explore our Occupational Health and Safety certificates and diploma program.

In particular, the course BMC 143 Hazard Assessment and Risk Management will focus on the hazard identification and risk management process.

How do you build a business plan that works?

When starting a new business, it is vital to begin with a well-researched and viable business plan. A comprehensive model for your business will accomplish the following:

• Identify key resources and supports available for starting your business
• Contain research that identifies and validates your business ideas
• Identify risks and explore tactics to mitigate those risks

If you would like to learn more about starting a business, explore our courses and certificates in business and management.

In particular, the course BMC 370 Starting a New Business will focus on the creation of a robust business plan.

What is agile project management?

Agile is an approach to project management that originated in the information technology world in the 1990s, and gradually spread to other industries. Compared to more traditional approaches to project management, agile emphasizes the following:

• Collaboration with customers vs. contract negotiation
• Individuals and interaction vs. process and tools
• Responding to change vs. following a structured plan
• Prototyping and working solutions vs. comprehensive documentation

If you would like to learn more about the various approaches to project management, explore the Project Management Fundamentals Certificate.

In particular, the course BMC 348 Agile Project Management: The Basics will introduce you to the fundamentals of agile project management.

How do you write and debug code?

Computer programming is the process of designing, writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining the source code of computer programs. The purpose of programming is to create a set of instructions that computers use to perform specific operations or to exhibit desired behaviours. At the most fundamental level, computers speak in a language of 1s and 0s called binary. This is where programming languages come in to play — they allow us to write instructions that can be translated into binary for the computer to execute.

If you would like to learn more about programming languages and writing software, explore our Software Development courses and certificates.

In particular, the course ICT 710 Computer Programming Level 1 will serve as an excellent introduction to coding.

How do you apply perspective in drawings?

There are several techniques for drawing three dimensional subjects on a flat surface. They all involve the use of vanishing points to convey a sense that part of the drawing is closer to you than another part. In general, lines in the drawing point toward the vanishing point. Objects far from a vanishing point are drawn larger than those close to a vanishing point. Depending on your composition, you can use one, two, three, or even four vanishing points to achieve perspective in your drawing.

If you would like to learn more about drawing, sculpting, painting, or art history and appreciation, explore our Art courses and certificates.