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GMATDemiGod
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Question about absolute phrases 24 May 2016, 14:10
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Can an absolute phrase have this construction

MAIN CLAUSE + , + gerund + participle ?

How is this different from a present participle modifier?

Does the gerund + participle Absolute phrase allow us to focus on 1 part of the clause?

thanks

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Question about absolute phrases 24 May 2016, 16:13
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GMATDemiGod
Can an absolute phrase have this construction

MAIN CLAUSE + , + gerund + participle ?

How is this different from a present participle modifier?

Does the gerund + participle Absolute phrase allow us to focus on 1 part of the clause?

thanks
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Dear GMATDemiGod,
I'm happy to respond. :-)

An absolute phrase certainly can have the form of [gerund] + [participle].
Cindy decided to use a quick aerobic workout to stay in shape, running taking so much time.
Quite surprisingly, Albert chose a jazz piece for his recital, playing Brahms having been his ideal at one time.

This is different from an ordinary noun modifier. In the first sentence, it would appear the Cindy is not running: running is mentioned as an activity that unknown others do, but not Cindy.

I am not sure what your final question means. What do you mean, "focus on the first part of the clause"?

Mike :-)
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Question about absolute phrases 24 May 2016, 16:22
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Thanks Mike!

Unfortunately, I am still a bit confused. I would not think your answers were right, if I read them on the GMAT.

The 2nd part of my question I was basically comparing the function of a traditional past participle with a Gerund+Participle absolute phrase.

What are the advantages of one other the other?

Has this construction appeared on the GMAT before?
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Question about absolute phrases 24 May 2016, 16:40
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GMATDemiGod
Thanks Mike!

Unfortunately, I am still a bit confused. I would not think your answers were right, if I read them on the GMAT.

The 2nd part of my question I was basically comparing the function of a traditional past participle with a Gerund+Participle absolute phrase.

What are the advantages of one other the other?

Has this construction appeared on the GMAT before?
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Dear GMATDemiGod,
I'm happy to respond. :-) Admittedly, I concocted those examples to fit them into a Procrustean grammatical structure, so they are not the ideal way to express that information.

Using [gerund] + [participle] for an absolute phrase is a quite uncommon structure. I have never seen it on any official question, but I suppose it is possible.

Understand, your question "what are the advantages of one or the other?" is an unusual abstract question. As a general rule, rhetoric often doesn't lend itself to general rules. I am not sure that I would compare this structure to a past participle. For example, if I were going to improve my first sentence, I probably would opt for a subordinate clause:
Cindy decided to use a quick aerobic workout to stay in shape because running is so time-consuming.
Obviously, that makes the logical relationship very clear, and this is a little more natural sounding. Because the [gerund] + [participle] is already rare, any use of it is likely to sound a little unusual.

Do you have any specific examples in mind?
Mike :-)

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