PARTICIPLES

[catoidtang]

"The dogs kept barking all night. They made me unable to sleep."

Which of the followings are correct? :

1) Unable to sleep, the dogs kept barking all night.
2) Kept barking all night, the dogs made me unable to sleep.
3) Making me unable to sleep, the dogs kept barking all night.

Thanks.

EDIT BY MODERATOR: I have added a "t" to your word "he" to form "the" in the first sentence. I believe that was the intention, but the typo made it almost impossible to understand the intended meaning.

 

[TheParser]

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


(1) As you very correctly said, in conversation we might say: I could not sleep because the dogs kept barking all night.

(2) In writing (not speech), we could put this idea in a more elegant manner:

The dogs having barked all night long, I was unable to get any sleep.

With the dogs having barked all night long, I was unable to get any sleep.

(3) I am afraid that your three examples would be labeled "incorrect." In No. 1, for example, the sentence says that the dogs were unable to sleep, so they kept barking all night.

(4) When you have time, please check your books, the Web, or the search box at this website for something called the

nominative absolute.

 

[White Hat]

3) Making me unable to sleep, the dogs kept barking all night.

Out of those three, this one looks more or less correct, but it doesn't sound very natural.

 

[Barb_D]

If you must, MUST use a participle: Barking throughout the night, the dogs kept me awake.