Dangling participle A participle o participial phrase, often found at the beginning of a sentence, that appears from its position

to modify an element of the sentence other than the one it was intended to modify, as plunging in Plunging hundreds of feet into the gorge, we saw Yosemite Falls. Most usage guides warn against the DANGLING PARTICPLE and usually suggest revising any sentence that has one. The example plunging hundreds of feet into the gorge, we saw Yosemite Falls would, by such guidelines, be recast as we saw Yosemite Falls plunging hundreds of feet into the gorge. Constructions that may technically be classified as DANGLING PARTICPLE have, however, long been a feature of standard literary English and are today commonplace in speech and edited writing: looking to the west, a deep river valley can be seen in the distance. Obviously, it is not the river valley that is looking to the west, but the sentence is nonetheless immediately clear and stylistically unexceptionable. Modern British writers are much less timid than their American counterparts about the use of such phrases. Some participial constructions are never felt to be dangling or unattached. Some of these are simply, independent phrases: Generally speaking, the report is true. Others have come to function as conjunctions or prepositions: Considering she has been trough so much illness, she looks wonderful. Owing to the whether, the performance was canceled. Assuming congressional approval, the bill will go to the President on Friday. Despite many criticisms, Dangling Participles continue to appear in edited prose. Only when an unintentionally ridiculous meaning is suggested (having finished our breakfast, the boat was loaded and launched) are dangling participles deliberately avoided.

WEBSTER, Noah (1993) Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, New York , Gramercy Books

Absolute constructions: A reduced adverb or adjective clause which includes its own subject. The subject of the absolute construction differs from the subject of the main clause in the case of the adverb clause or from its antecedent in the case of the adjective clause. Like participial phrases resulting from sentence reductions, absolutes can indicate time and/or

cause. To indicate same-time activity, the present participle is used in the absolute construction, just as it is in a participial phrase. However, the only way to indicate time sequence in an absolute construction is to employ the perfect participle, since clause markers indicating time sequence aren't permitted. Passive forms are possible. The children playing quietly for once, their mother was able to read a chapter or two in her new library book. (Reduced adverb clause--cause/ same time) The children having gone to bed, their parents relaxed by listening to music. (Reduced adverb clause--time sequence) His father having been admitted to the hospital, Bob was unable to concentrate in class. (Reduced passive adverb clause--cause and/or cause + time sequence) The young men, all of them prospective SDSU football players, enjoyed themselves at the party given by the Alumni Association. (Reduced adjective clause--same time) The trees in the forest, all of them having caught fire as a result of a carelessly tossed away cigarette butt, were completely burned. http://www.sdstate. edu/writingcente r/language_ terms.htm