Re: USAGE: Garden paths

Hi, all

re:   "The horse, raced past the barn, fell down."

Though this construction is awkward in my idiolect, I don't know that I
could rule it out as ungrammatical.   The result of omitting non-restrictive
"which" along with the finite copula looks sort of like a participle
modifier.

As far as who gets what done to whom, I'm with Tom Wier.   The sentence only
makes sense if "racing" is something done to the horse.

The horse, (which was) raced past the barn (by its cruel rider), fell down.

c.f. "The dog, walked without a leash, ran amok."

"The parcel, rushed past the inspector, exploded."

"The boy, hustled through the bus station, threw up."

Jim