Identifying and Writing Absolute Phrases One Skill at a Time Teacher Overview

Skill Focus:

Remember Understand Apply Analyze Evaluate Create Close Reading Grammar Composition Reading Strategies Parts of Speech Annotation Phrases Absolute Participial Clauses Dependent/Subordinate Independent

Lesson Introduction Used often by professional writers but rarely by students, absolute phrases help student writers achieve a distinctive sound and rhythm to their sentences. The absolute phrase is useful for adding details, explanation, and description to sentences. This lesson is intended to offer clear, practical information for helping students develop a distinctive style in their writing.

Lessons in the LTF guides which deal with absolute phrases: Poetry of Phrases and Subordination Techniques

Definitions and Examples

Note: If students aren’t familiar with participles, then a lesson on participles is necessary before undertaking this lesson. There are lessons on participles on the LTF website that would be appropriate: Is It a Verb or Verbal or Participial Phrases—One Skill at a Time.

Here are two “formal” definitions of the absolute phrase: Absolute phrases consist of nouns and pronouns followed by a participle and any modifiers of the noun or pronoun. Absolute phrases contain a subject (unlike participial phrases) and no predicate. They serve to modify an entire sentence. An absolute phrase (also called a nominative absolute) is a group of words consisting of a noun or pronoun and a participle as well as any related modifiers. Absolute phrases do not directly connect to or modify any specific word in the rest of the sentence; instead, they modify the entire sentence, adding information. They are always treated as parenthetical elements and are set off from the rest of the sentence with a comma or a pair of commas (sometimes by a dash or pair of dashes).

Learning a formal definition of the absolute phrase will not help students very much to actually begin writing sentences containing absolute phrases. This lesson will simplify the definition of an absolute phrase and give students models and plenty of opportunities to practice writing them.

Absolute phrases are made of nouns or pronouns followed by a participle and any modifiers of the noun or pronoun. Absolute phrases contain a subject (unlike participial phrases), but no predicate. They serve to modify an entire sentence.

The absolute phrase is a useful tool for adding detail and description to your sentences. Absolute phrases also lend a distinctive sound to your writing. Read the chart below to get a feel for how absolute phrases sound.

On the left appear italicized dependent and independent clauses. On the right these have been converted to absolute phrases. Notice that each absolute phrase consists of a noun plus a participle.

noun participle

After the conch was blown, Ralph called the boys to order. Conch blown, Ralph called the boys to order.

noun participle

Because her path was diverging in the autumn woods, she knew a momentous Her path diverging in the autumn woods, choice awaited her. she knew a momentous choice awaited her.

noun participle

His hand was aching from the strain. Odysseus carefully aimed his bow at the Hand aching from the strain, Odysseus suitors. carefully aimed his bow at the suitors.

Romeo spied Juliet at the ball, all the Romeo spied Juliet at the ball. All the faculties of his soul were proclaiming that noun (prepositional phrase) participle she could teach torches a thing or two about burning brightly. faculties of his soul proclaiming that she could teach torches a thing or two about burning brightly.

Notice that in the examples above, one important word has been omitted before the participle to produce the absolute phrase: was or were.

An absolute phrase can be a clause if the word was or were is added, creating a noun/verb construction.

Sometimes the participle is omitted in the absolute phrase:

Hat [held] in hand, Ethan waited patiently for Zeena. Heart [lodged] in his throat, Ethan set the table for his dinner with Mattie.

The absolute phrase is useful for adding details, explanation, and description to sentences. Look at the effect of combining two sentences to add an absolute phrase:

Their hearts were racing. Scout and Jem tore away from the Radley house. Hearts racing, Scout and Jem tore away from the Radley house.

The absolute phrase “hearts racing” is subordinate to the main idea in this sentence—the independent clause “Scout and Jem tore away from the Radley house.” Two sentences have been combined into one, lending concision and compactness, with extra details and description added in the absolute phrase. Adding even more absolute phrases would add even more description, details, and explanation in this sentence.

Hearts racing and legs churning, their worst fears imagined, Scout and Jem tore away from the Radley house.

Because of the three absolute phrases, the reader sees much more than just the fact that Scout and Jem tore away from the Radley house. Now the reader knows their heightened emotional condition because of their fear; now the reader sees an image of children’s legs moving as quickly as they can to escape a frightening situation.

In the following exercises, combine sentences to create one sentence containing an absolute phrase. Directions: Underline the verbs in each sentence. Choose one sentence (or more) to convert to an absolute phrase. Remember that you will omit the words was or were to create an absolute phrase. Choose any two of your answers—write an explanation of the effect of combining the sentences to create an absolute phrase.

Example: His glasses were broken under his feet. Atticus aimed carefully at the rabid dog in the street.

Glasses broken under his feet, Atticus aimed carefully at the rabid dog in the street.

Effect: Combining the two sentences adds concision and an accumulation of detail to the sentence. The reader sees details and description about Atticus before reading the basic information provided in the independent clause. The idea that Atticus’s glasses were broken under his feet is subordinated (or made less important) to the idea that Atticus aimed carefully at the dog.

Student Activity: 1. His partner was steadying the mares and stallions in the corral. John Grady branded and inoculated them.

2. His conscience was troubled and his lifelong beliefs were confused. Huck nonetheless decided to risk his eternal soul for Jim.

3. The true beast was finally recognized. Ralph realized that evil resides even in young boys in an idyllic setting.

4. Her eyes were transfixed by false righteousness and retribution. Her cries were piercing the courtroom. Abigail screamed that a yellow bird perched on the ceiling to attack her face.

5. His dreams were deferred for too long. He feared they were beginning to dry up like a raisin in the sun.

6. Grendel raced across the parquet floor of the castle. His eyes were gleaming. His claws were extended. His bloodlust was unsatisfied.

7. His legs were beginning to weaken. His heart was bursting for love of his brother. Doodle struggled to walk.

8. The vast, trunkless legs are standing in the desert. The shattered visage is lying beside. Ozymandias receives his due reward.

9. His hands were holding the reins. His aim was to stop for me. Death found me in my gossamer gown.

10. Her lips were curving into a smile. Janie strode down the streets of Eatonville in her overalls.

Effect:

Sentence Effect: