Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Absolute Clauses in the Literature

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Absolute Clauses in English from the Systemic Functional Perspective

Part of the book series: The M.A.K. Halliday Library Functional Linguistics Series ((TMAKHLFLS))

  • 808 Accesses

Abstract

Absolute clauses form a category of absolute construction. “The term absolute derives from Latin absolūtum, meaning ‘loosened from’ or ‘separated’ ” (Wheelock and LaFleur in Wheelock’s latin. HarperCollins, New York, pp. 155–157, 2005), “standing out of the syntactic connexion” (Jespersen in Analytic syntax. Allen & Unwin, London, p. 126, 1937), “or abnormally connected to the rest of the sentence” (Crystal in A dictionary of linguistics and phonetics. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, p. 2, 2008). For example, the adverb or adjective at the beginning of a sentence in English is an absolute constituent (see 2-1).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Adams, E. (1858[2010]). The elements of the English language. Whitefish: Kessinger Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Al-Hamash, K. I., & Abdulla, J. J. (1968). A course in English linguistics. Baghdad: Al-Sha’b Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Al-Hamash, K. I., & Abdulla, J. J. (1979). A course in modern English grammar. Baghdad: IDELTI.

    Google Scholar 

  • Annema, H. (1924). Die sogenannten absoluten participalkonstructionen im neuhochdeutschen. Groningen: de Waal.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bailie, J., & Kitchin, M. (1979). The Hamlyn guide to English usage. London: Hamlyn.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bain, A. (1863). An English grammar. London: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bain, A. (1904). A higher English grammar. London: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berent, G. B. (1973). Absolute constructions as “subordinate clauses”. In C. Corum, C. Smith-Stark, & A. Weiser (Eds.), You take the high node and I’ll take the low node: Papers from the comparative syntax festival (pp. 147–154). Chicago: Chicago Linguistics Society.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berent, G. B. (1975). English absolutes in functional perspective. In R. E. Grossman, L. J. San, & T. J. Vance (Eds.), Papers from the parasession on functionalism (pp. 10–23). Chicago: Chicago Linguistics Society.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beukema, F. H. (1980). Prepositions and tenseless sentence adverbials in English. In S. Daalder & M. Gerritsen (Eds.), Linguistics in the Netherlands 1980 (pp. 69–79). Amsterdam, Oxford & New York: North-Holland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beukema, F. H. (1982). On the internal structure of free adjuncts. In S. Daalder & M. Gerritsen (Eds.), Linguistics in the Netherlands 1982 (pp. 71–82). Amsterdam: North-Holland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Biber, D., Johansson, S., Leech, G., Conrad, S., & Finegan, E. (1999). Longman grammar of spoken and written English. London: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bright, J. W. (1890). The objective absolute in English. Modern Language Notes, 3, 159–162.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, G. (1861). The grammar of Englsih grammars (6th ed). New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burn, J. (1766[2010]). A practical grammar of the English language. Charleston: BiblioBazaar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Callaway, M. (1889). The absolute participle in Anglo-Saxon. Baltimore: Press of I. Friedenwald.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooper, J. G. (1831). A plain and practical English grammar. Philadelphia: Judah Dobson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crystal, D. (2008). A dictionary of linguistics and phonetics (6th ed.). Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Curme, G. O. (1912). A history of the English relative construction. London: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Curme, G. O. (1931). A grammar of the English language: Syntax. Boston: D. C. Heath.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fowler, W. C. (1860). English grammar. New York: A.S. Barnes.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fowler, H. W. (1965). A dictionary of modern English usage (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frank, M. (1972). Modern English: A practical reference guide. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Genung, J. F. (1885[2010]). The practical elements of rhetoric: With illustrative examples. Charleston: BiblioBazaar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gildersleeve, B. L. (1888). On the stylistic effect of the Greek participle. The American Journal of Philosophy, 9(2), 137–157.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grady, M. (1972). The English absolute construction. Linguistics, 90, 5–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grant, J. (1808). Institutes of Latin grammar. London: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenbaum, S. (1996). The Oxford English grammar. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haiman, J., & Thompson, S. A. (1984). Subordination in universal grammar. In C. Brugman, & M. Macaulay (Eds.), Proceedings of the tenth annual meeting of the Berkeley linguistics society (pp. 510–523). Berkeley: Berkeley Linguistics Society.

    Google Scholar 

  • Halliday, M. A. K. (1994). An introduction to functional grammar (2nd ed.). London: Edward Arnold.

    Google Scholar 

  • Halliday, M. A. K., & Matthiessen, C. M. I. M. (2004). An introduction to functional grammar (3rd ed.). London: Edward Arnold.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hodges, J., & Whitten, M. E. (1977). Harbrace college handbook. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

    Google Scholar 

  • House, H. C., & Harman, S. E. (1950). Descriptive English grammar. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huddleston, R., & Pullum, G. K. (2005). A student’s introduction to English grammar. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Jespersen, O. (1933). Essentials of English grammar. London: Allen & Unwin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jespersen, O. (1937). Analytic syntax. London: Allen & Unwin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jespersen, O. (1949). A modern English grammar on historical principles. London: Allen & Unwin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kane, T. C. (1983). The Oxford guide to writing: A rhetoric and handbook for college students. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kellner, L. (1892). Historical outlines of English syntax. London: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kortmann, B. (1991). Free adjuncts and absolutes in English: Problems of control and interpretation. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kruisinga, E. (1932). A handbook of present-day English part II. English accidence and syntax. Groningen: P. Noordhoff.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lowth, R. (1762). A short introduction to English grammar. London: A. Millar and R. and J. Dodsley.

    Google Scholar 

  • McArthur, T. (1992). The oxford companion to the English language. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCawley, J. K. (1983). What’s with with? Language, 59, 271–287.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McElroy, J. G. R. (1885). The structure of English prose: A manual of composition and rhetoric. New York: Armstrong & Son.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, B. (1985). Old English syntax (Vol. 2). Oxford: Clarendon Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Murray, L. (1808[2011]). An English grammar: Comprehending the principles and rules of the language. Whitefish: Nabu Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Onions, C. T. (1905[2010]). An advanced English syntax. Whitefish: Nabu Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Partridge, E. (1949). English: A course for human beings. London: Winchester Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Poutsma, H. (1929). A grammar of late modern English. Groningen: P. Noordhoff.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quirk, R., & Greenbaum, S. (1972). A grammar of contemporary English. London & New York: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quirk, R., & Greenbaum, S. (1973). A university grammar of English. Essex: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quirk, R., Greenbaum, S., Leech, G., & Svartvik, J. (1985). A comprehensive grammar of the English language. London & New York: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reuland, E. J. (1983). Governing-ing. Linguistic Inquiry, 14, 101–136.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ross, C. H. (1893). The absolute participle in middle and modern English. Publications of the Modern Language Association of America, 8(3), 245–302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scheurweghs, G. (1969). Present-day English syntax: A survey of sentence patterns. London: Lowe & Brydone.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shopen, T. (1985). Language typology and syntactic description. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smart, W. K. (1931). Handbook of effective writing. New York & London: Harper & Brothers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stump, G. T. (1985). The semantic variability of absolute constructions. Dordrecht: D. Reidel Publishing Company.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Talmy, L. (1978). Figure and ground in complex sentences. In J. H. Greenberg (Ed.), Universals of human language (Vol. 4, pp. 625–649). Syntax Stanford: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, S. A., & Langacre, R. E. (1985). Adverbial clauses. In T. Shopen (Ed.), Language typology and syntactic description (Vol. 2). Complex constructions Cambridge (pp. 171–234): Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tipping, L. (1961). Matriculation English grammar of modern usage. London: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vallins, G. H. (1952). Good English: How to write it. London: A. Deutsch.

    Google Scholar 

  • Visser, F Th. (1972). Historical syntax of the English language. Leiden: E. J. Brill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watson, O. (1976). Longman modern English dictionary (2nd ed.). London: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wheelock, F. M., & LaFleur, R. A. (2005). Wheelock’s latin (6th ed.). New York: HarperCollins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zandvoort, R. W. (1972). A handbook of English grammar (6th ed.). London: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of English Language and Culture, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China

    Qingshun He

  2. School of Foreign Languages, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

    Bingjun Yang

Authors
  1. Qingshun He
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Bingjun Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bingjun Yang .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

He, Q., Yang, B. (2015). Absolute Clauses in the Literature. In: Absolute Clauses in English from the Systemic Functional Perspective. The M.A.K. Halliday Library Functional Linguistics Series. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-46367-3_2

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation