Absolute Phrases

Absolute phrases are often called absolute constructions.

• Vicki stood on the edge of the cliff, her hair blowing in the wind.
• Luther sat in the chair, his arms folded across his chest.

Absolute phrases are hard to define, but—in most cases—they aren't too hard to recognize. A "simple" definition is this:

An absolute phrase is a participial phrase with its own subject.

Consider the following sentence:

• Vicki stood on the edge of the cliff, blowing in the wind.

In this sentence, "blowing in the wind" is a participial phrase. Participial phrases typically refer to the subject of the sentence. Therefore, written this way, the participial phrase "blowing in the wind" refers to Vicki. If we ask the question: What is blowing in the wind? The answer is Vicki. Vicki is blowing in the wind.

But that's not exactly what we are trying to say. Vicki herself isn't blowing in the wind; her hair is blowing in the wind. So we give the participial phrase its own subject (her hair). Now the sentence makes sense.

• Vicky stood on the edge of the cliff, her hair blowing in the wind.

	Sentences with Absolute Phrases
	The dog walked into the room, its tail wagging from side to side.
	Irma got out of the pool, her legs quivering.
	Ramiro struggled back to his feet, his arm broken.
	Neil entered the house, his boots caked with mud.

 

Absolute phrases can be placed at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence.

	Her eyes welling up with tears, Sabrina packed her bags.
	Sabrina, her eyes welling up with tears, packed her bags.
	Sabrina packed her bags, her eyes welling up with tears.

 

In many cases, the absolute phrase can be compared to a close-up shot in a film; it focuses the reader's attention on a particular detail of the scene.

Wide-angle shot	Close-up shot
The monster growled,	it's eyes bulging with fear.
Mellisa buttoned her coat,	her fingers twitching nervously.

 

Sometimes, the absolute phrase describes a condition which allows the main clause to happen.

Condition	Main Clause
God willing,	we shall meet again.
Weather permitting,	we will leave tomorrow.
Her homework finished,	Amelia went to bed.

 

Variations of the Absolute Phrase

There are several variations of the absolute phrase (and that's what makes these phrases hard to define). For example, we sometimes see a prepositional phrase with its own subject:

• Pamela stepped back, her hand on her sword.
• Jacob sat on the edge of the pool, his feet in the water.

Occasionally, we even see an adjective with its own subject.

• Paul tugged on the rope, his face red from exertion.
  • In this example, the subject of the main clause is "Paul", but the subject of the adjective "red" is "his face."
• Her hands raw, Tara reached a flat place at the top.
  • In this example, the subject of the main clause is "Tara", but the subject of the adjective "raw" is "her hands."

Both these variations are considered absolute constructions.

Instructions for the Quiz

Identify the underlined phrase.

• Participial (past or present)
• Absolute

Quiz