English 120
Spring 2004
E. Malsam
Absolutes, Appositives, and Participial Phrases
Appositives
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The house we had just bought, a sprawling and dilapidated monstrosity, was going to eat up all our savings.
The café’s best selling coffee, a triple shot of espresso topped with steamed milk, costs only two dollars.
Dr. Einstein, my physics professor, is a great teacher.
Read through the examples to devise an answer to this question: What is an appositive? (Describe in
grammatical terms.) ___________________________________________________________
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Non restrictive vs. Restrictive Appositives
Non-restrictive: non essential to the meaning of the sentence, but provides more info about the main
subject (must be enclosed in commas)
Her Husband, Fritz, is a nice guy
Neil Armstrong, the first man who walked on the moon, is a native of Ohio.
Restrictive: identify the noun more closely- specify a noun (do not use commas)
My sister Samantha lives in England while my sister Tabatha works in Hong Kong.
Create three sentences, which use appositives, describing your favorite day of the week.
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Participial Phrases
The participial phrase includes the participial and the object of the participle or any words modified
by or related to the participle. (Commas are recommended for clarity.)
The car sliding out of control is headed towards the building.
The car is headed towards the building standing taller than empire state building.
Identify the participial phrase:
1. The actress walked through the mall with heels that were as tall as a building growing into the sky.
2. Gary Trout bought six candles glowing in the window front of Marshall Field’s.
3. Crashing into the rail the car attracted quite a crowd.
4. Eighteen school children boarded the bus crawling all over each other, which left the parking lot in a
hurry carrying all the children to the Museum.
Create three sentences that use a participial phrase describing the day before the end of the world.
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English 120
Spring 2004
E. Malsam
Absolute Phrases
The absolute phrase does not modify or replace any particular part of a clause; it modifies the whole
clause. An absolute phrase includes a noun or pronoun and often includes a past or present participle
as well as modifiers. Nearly all modern prose writers rely on absolute phrases. Some style historians
consider them a hallmark of modern prose.
Her eyes glistening, Lucy checked out the case of doughnuts.
She stood patiently in line, her arms folded to control her hunger.
She walked slowly to a table, each hand bearing a treasure.
Identify the Absolute in the following sentences:
1. Glaring at the outside world she tugged her headphones over her ears in disgust.
2. Without hesitation he leaped toward the mugger his head aching with anxiety.
3. Bonnie seized the chocolate her eyes dripping with desire.
4. The book folded open she lay on the couch closing the weekend with Jane Austin.
5. He fell to the floor his foot fearing the worst as it rested awkwardly on the ground.
Create three sentences that use absolutes to describe the whole clause. Write about making breakfast in
the morning. _____________________________________________________________________
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Identify the appositives, participial phrases, and absolutes in the following sentences:
1. Fearing the worst, Margaret climbed the hill her hair dragging behind her in braids.
2. Claire and Dan two of the worst skiers in the world tumbled half way down the hill.
3. Jack and Jill slipping out the back door walked through the field their eyes glazed with schemes.
4. Horace smiled at his cat Snickers laying lazily against the window pane and crouched down to pick
him up shaking with excitement.
5. My great aunt lives in Sherwood Forest a mysterious place hidden in the Northeast corner.