Absolute phrase

今日想介紹的是Absolute phrase,或稱Absolute Construction.請看下句:

It must also be able to implement the Urban Renewal Strategy with minimum delay, the aim being to reduce the time taken to complete projects to an average of six years.

呢句句子有兩句,用comma連接,特別之處在於兩句都都有其subject,分別是it和the aim,為何可以這樣呢?

句子要變長,基本上得三種方法,第一種是加連接詞,第二種是加modifying phrase,包括participial phrase, prepositional phrase, infinitive phrase, relative clause.這些都已介紹了.今日介紹的是第三種:Absolute phrase.

Absolute phrase的構成部份是"subject+ modifier"，這subject是main clause的subject以外的另外一個subject.從佢與主句的主語的關係，可出現三種情況。

第一種，與主句最有關係，就係重覆主句的受詞。這其實是我我另一篇:「延長句子方法系列(3):同位語 (apposition)」提到的"resumptive modifier", 它是同位語，但也是Absolute phrase.例子：

“The woman closed the door, a door made of rough-hewn oak”或

“The woman closed the door, the door she had never before dared to close.”

無論是indefinite article "a/an"或definite article "the", 所跟的名詞都係主句出現過的受詞.

第二種，仍與主句有關，係用一個與主句的主詞／受詞／動詞有關的posessisve pronoun開始，加上一個名詞。例子：

“The woman closed the door, its massive hinges creaking eerily.” 或

“The woman closed the door, her delicate fingers white as she seemed to try to choke the doorknob.”

第三種，真係同主句可以話係無關係了，因為係用完全獨立於主句的字作absolute phrase的主語：

“The woman closed the door, a car alarm beeping in the background”

呢三種absolute phrase可同時用於一句句子中，例如：

(1) They sat down at the table, (2) he quietly awed by the restaurant’s fabled elegance, (3) his left hand admiringly rubbing the silk tablecloth, (3) his right hand tracing the etching on a fine crystal goblet, (2) she distracted by and obviously more interested in the other diners, (3) her eyes drawn to tables at which sat well-known celebrities, (3) her imagination running wild about others she didn’t recognize, (2) the table an altar to excess,(3) its place settings sporting no less than four different kinds of forks, (3) its intricately patterned china giving off a kind of radiance, (2) the overall scene suggesting what it might be like to dine at a restaurant in heaven.

括號內數字代表各子句的level. 

而modifier則不限participial phrase(包括present participial phrase和past participial phrase),可以是簡單adjective、prepositional phrase(介詞短語)、或不定詞短語(to-infinitive phrase).現逐點列舉:

1. subject+現在分詞短語

Time permitting, we can have a gathering.

2. subject+過去分詞短語

The job done, we can relax a bit.

3. subject+形容詞

He asked me to go out, his face red. 

4. subject+介詞短語

He asked me to go out, a bunch of flowers in his hands. 

5. subject+不定詞短語

I have watched the first two episodes, the last one to be watched later. 

另外,還有一種是「subject+副詞」,例如:

Lessons over, the students went home happily.

其實這句是"Lessons being over, the students went home happily." Lesson being over簡化為Lessons over, 原本的over是修飾being的副詞,因being可簡化,所以個結果好似係副詞修飾名詞咁.