How to Use Absolute Phrases as Modifiers

An absolute phrase adds information to your sentence to create a better picture of the action or idea you're conveying. If you use absolute phrases as modifiers in your writing, your sentences become more lively and more complex. Once you understand how to use them, you'll find yourself relying on absolute phrases on a regular basis.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Recognize absolute phrases when you see and use them. An absolute phrase is a modifier that looks like a complete sentence, but with the auxiliary verb (a form of "be," "have" or "do") missing and sometimes with an implied pronoun. For example, both "her book in hand" and "feet tapping the floor" are absolute phrases.
2. Understand when to use absolute phrases. Absolute phrases help you create a clear relationship between ideas, adding information to your original observation. For example, you could write, "She curled up in bed." Then if you wanted to add information to that idea, you could create another sentence or you could use an absolute phrase as a modifier by writing, "Her book in hand, she curled up in bed." The absolute phrase efficiently combines these two ideas.
3. Know where to put an absolute phrase in a sentence. Its placement is flexible. You can start a sentence with one, as in the example in Step 2. You can end a sentence with one: "He ran to the river, his feet barely missing the sharp rocks that lined the path." Or you can interrupt the subject and verb by putting an absolute phrase between them: "Heather, heels clicking on the pavement, ran after the bus."

Tips & Warnings

• If you remove the absolute phrase from your sentence, it should still make sense and be grammatically correct.