trying to cheer up the old man/attachment ambiguity

[azz]

a. Jane was singing and Sally was dancing, trying to cheer up the old man.
b. Trying to cheer up the old man, Jane was singing, and Sally was dancing.

What does "trying to cheer up the old man" modify in each of the above sentences?

Common sense would tell us that both Jane and Sally are trying to cheer up the old man. I think both sentences can be construed that way. I suppose in (a) it would be possible to say that Sally was the only one trying to cheer up the old man; and in (b) that only Jane was trying to cheer up the old man.

Would you agree with that?

 

[Barque]

Sentence b doesn't sound natural. I wouldn't use it.

What does "trying to cheer up the old man" modify in each of the above sentences?

I wouldn't say it modifies anything. I think it's modified by the rest of the sentence.

Common sense would tell us that both Jane and Sally are trying to cheer up the old man. I think both sentences can be construed that way.

Yes.

I suppose in (a) it would be possible to say that Sally was the only one trying to cheer up the old man; and in (b) that only Jane was trying to cheer up the old man.

No.

 

[jutfrank]

Would you agree with that?

Yes, I would. In speech, the desired meaning would come from the way the sentence was delivered.