The Subjective Participial Construction is a construction in which the participle (mostly Participle I) is in predicate relation to a noun in the common case or a pronoun in the nominative case, which is the subject of the sentence.
In rendering this construction in Russian a complex sentence is generally used; the principal clause is of the type which in Russian syntax is called indefinite personal (- ).
The peculiarity of this construction is that it does not serve as one part of the sentence: one of its component parts has the function of the subject, the other forms part of a compound verbal predicate.
They were heard talking together... (Collins)
This construction is chiefly used after verbs of sense perception.
The horse was seen descending the hill. (Hardy)
, .
Then Bathshebas footsteps were heard crossing the room. (Hardy)
, .
The Nominative Absolute Participial Construction.
The Nominative Absolute Participial Construction is a construction in which the participle stands in predicate relation to a noun in the common case or a pronoun in the nominative case; the noun or pronoun is not the subject of the sentence.
The door and window of the vacant room being open, we looked in.
(Dickens)
, .
In the Nominative Absolute Participial Construction Participle I (in all its forms) or Participle II is used. This construction is generally rendered in Russian by means of an adverbial clause. It is used in the function of an adverbial modifier. It can be an. adverbial modifier:
(a) of time.
The lamp having, been lit, Mrs. Macallan produced her sons letter. (Collins)
, .
This duty completed, he had three months leave. (Hardy)
, .
(b) of cause.
It being now pretty late, we took our candles and went upstairs. (Dickens)
, .
A knock had come to the door, and there being nobody else to answer it,
Clare went out. (Hardy)
, , ,
.
We were walking by ourselves for an hour, George having remained behind
in the hotel to write a letter to his aunt. (Jerome)
, ,
.
(c) of attendant circumstances. In this function the Nominative Absolute Participial Construction is mostly placed at the end of the sentence. In rendering it in Russian a coordinate clause or is used.
He turned and went, we, as before, following him. (Jerome)
; , .
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|
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One morning he stood in front of the tank, his nose almost pressed to the
glass. (Dreiser)
,
.
(d) of condition. In this function the Nominative Absolute Participial Construction occurs but seldom and is almost exclusively used with the participles permitting and failing.
Weather (time, circumstances) permitting, we shall start tomorrow.
(, ) , .
Conciliation failing, force remains; but force failing, no further hope of
conciliation is left.1
1 The example is borrowed from A Modern English Grammar by O. Jespersen.
, ; , .
The Nominative Absolute Participial Construction very often occurs in fiction and scientific literature; the use of this construction in colloquial English is rare.
