1882 Dangling Participle

Sunday, June 29, 2008

I am amused by a sign in the hotel elevator, the first line in the "Firefighters' Instructions".

I'd love to make some kind of joke about it, but I seem to be constitutionally unable to do so. I read other people's blogs, and am often amazed by an ability to turn a phrase, to make some mundane thing funny, to make a verbal connection between two unrelated thoughts with only a few words, creating an amusing picture. I wonder, "How did they think of that?"

I have what has often been described as a dry sense of humor. I see the humor in a situation, but I'm often unable to convey it in a humorous (to others) way. Half the time people don't "get" my jokes, because they're not aware I'm joking. I don't get laughter - I get a raised eyebrow. I don't think I could make a pun to save my life.

My humor is not just dry, it's strange. I find many dangling participles hilarious. Most people skim right past dangling participles because "they know what they mean". I don't know whether it's my learning disability, or my insistence on rule following, or what, but I read literally, and dangling participles confuse me. They create strange pictures in my mind. I can't just skim right past them.

[Quick lesson. A dangling participle is a verb phrase which modifies a subject (not precise, but good enough), but it seems to have a subject that is not the one the speaker or writer meant. For example, "Walking through the woods, the trees were beautiful." The trees were walking through the woods?]

So my frustration here is that the sign in the elevator cracks me up, but I don't know how to share it. I may be the only person who finds it funny. If anyone can make it funny in a comment, please do. Here are the elements:

Firefighters' Instructions.
First line of instructions: "WHEN FLASHING, EXIT ELEVATOR"
I giggled at the mental picture.
I laughed out loud when I realized I was giggling at a dangling participle.

Have at it.
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