9 Grammar
Phrases
ABSOLUTE PHRASES
Phrase
 A phrase is a group of words, without
a subject and verb, that functions in a
sentence as one part of speech.
Absolute Phrases
 An absolute is made up of a noun and
its modifiers
 Absolutes function as adjectives in a
sentence
 An absolute allows us to move from a
description of a whole person, place, or
thing to one aspect or part
Absolute Phrases
 High in the air, a little figure, his
hands thrust in his short jacket
pockets, stood staring out to sea.
(Katherine Mansfield, “The Journey”)
Absolute Phrases
 Absolutes are almost complete
sentences
 As a test, you can make any absolute a
sentence by adding was or were
 The absolute phrase provides some sort
of information that works to put the
whole sentence or idea in context - they
modify entire sentences
Absolute Phrases
 She returned to her bench, her face
showing all the unhappiness that
had suddenly overtaken her.
 Theodore Dreiser, An American Tragedy
 CHECK - Her face was showing all the
unhappiness that had suddenly
overtaken her.
Punctuating Absolute Phrases
 Absolute phrases are optional in
sentences and can be removed without
damaging the grammatical integrity of
the sentence.
 Since absolute phrases are optional in
the sentence, they are often set off from
the sentence with commas or, less
often, with dashes.
Improve your Writing
 Absolutes show a special "how"
relationship between two sentences. The
two sentences are combined in a way
that subordinates one to the other.
 Mary
was sitting at her desk. Her head was
slightly lowered over a pile of chemistry
notes.
 Mary was sitting at her desk, her head
slightly lowered over a pile of
chemistry notes.
Improve your Writing
 Check to see if there is a "be" verb in the
sentence you can subordinate, eliminate
it and combine the sentences with a
comma.
 Julie
accepted the award. Tears were
streaming down her face.
 Julie accepted the award, tears streaming
down her face.
Improve your Writing
 If there is a "possessive" relationship between
the two sentences, use possessive pronouns
(its his, their, etc.) to indicate the relationship
between the subjects
 ** Absolute phrases often begin with
possessive pronouns
 The cat confronted the burglar. It arched its
back and bared its teeth.
 The cat confronted the burglar, its back
arched and teeth bared.
Improve your Writing
Number
singular
Person
Gender (of
"owner")
Possessive
Pronouns
1st
male/female
my
2nd
male/female
your
male
his
female
her
neuter
its
1st
male/female
our
2nd
male/female
your
3rd
male/female/neuter their
3rd
plural
Improve your Writing
 Absolute phrases can be used as sentence
openers, subject-verb splits, or sentence
closers.
 His
hands raw, he reached a flat place at the
top. (Richard Connell, The Most Dangerous
Game”)
 Miss Hearne, her face burning, hardly
listened to these words. (Brian Moore, The
Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne)
 He walked with a prim strut, swinging out his
legs in a half-circle with each step, his heels
biting smartly into the red velvet carpet
on the floor. (Carson McCullers, “The
Jockey”)
Improve your Writing
 Although many absolute phrases could be written
with the word being or the words having + PAST
PARTICIPLE in them, formal English does not to use
being when being is optional
 The movie being over, we left the theater.
 The movie over, we left the theater.
 Having been chosen to head the committee,
Angus Ng thought about how he could help raise
money for his chess club at Harvard.
 Chosen to head the committee, Angus Ng
thought about how he could help raise money for
his chess club at Harvard.