[Grammar] Is this a dangling infinitive?

[Mike MC]

In this study, to evaluate the performance of the proposed method, nine different data sets, acquired by different high resolution and medium resolution sensors, were used.

Does it make sense to say, "Nine different data sets evaluate the performance of the proposed method"?

 

[GoesStation]

Are sets of inanimate data capable of evaluating things?

 

[Mike MC]

Are sets of inanimate data capable of evaluating things?

That's what I thought until I saw the following examples in Oxford dictionaries, where the subjects are inanimate:

• The study will critically evaluate whether this technology is useful.
• The trial will evaluate the effectiveness of the different drugs.
• The test evaluates a driver's ability to multitask.
• The first phase will evaluate and assess the current status of the Egyptian insurance market.

 

[Rover_KE]

The answer to your title question is no.

The sentence is an inversion of 'In this study, nine different data sets ... were used to evaluate the performance of the proposed method'.

 

[jutfrank]

The answer to the question in the title is no and the answer to the question in the OP is no.

The original sentence is fine, but would probably be better reconstructed in a more direct way, using:

... nine different data sets were used to evaluate ...

 

[Mike MC]

The answer to your title question is no.

The sentence is an inversion of 'In this study, nine different data sets ... were used to evaluate the performance of the proposed method'.

But the subjects of were used (data sets) and evaluate (they/researchers) are not the same, so it seems to fall under the category of dangling infinitives unless we accept that data sets can be the subject of evaluate too.

 

[Mike MC]

The answer to the question in the title is no and the answer to the question in the OP is no.

The original sentence is fine, but would probably be better reconstructed in a more direct way, using:

... nine different data sets were used to evaluate ...

Would you mind seeing post #6?

 

[jutfrank]

But the subjects of were used (data sets) and evaluate (they/researchers) are not the same, so it seems to fall under the category of dangling infinitives unless we accept that data sets can be the subject of evaluate too.

No, data sets is not the subject of evaluate. That doesn't even make sense. It is the researchers who evaluate.

There's no ambiguity about this, and nothing is dangling. I think you're confused because you're focusing on grammar rather than meaning. Forget about what is the grammatical subject of what and focus on who is 'performing' the actions. The researchers are the agents of both verbs—they both use the data sets and evaluate the method. The complicating factor grammatically is that the verb phrase were used in set in the passive voice.