Writing Exercise 15

The Nominative Absolute:

How do the following three examples by Saul Bellow differ from the sentences in Exercises 11-14 that used appositives?  How are they created?

Saul Bellow, Example 1)

In the brighter light of the seaward side of the house she looked extremely well, happy, her face tanned and smooth.

Original component sentences:

a) In the brighter light of the seaward side of the house she looked extremely well.

b) In the brighter light of the seaward side of the house she looked happy.

c) *Her face was tanned and smooth.

            A, b, and c combined:

In the brighter light of the seaward side of the house she looked extremely well, happy, her face tanned and smooth.

Saul Bellow, Example 2)

Decisively, but awkwardly, she left the bathroom, her stride hampered by the long ugly skirt.

Original component sentences:

a) Decisively, but awkwardly, she left the bathroom.

b) *Her stride was hampered by the long ugly skirt.

            A and b combined:

Decisively, but awkwardly, she left the bathroom, her stride hampered by the long ugly skirt.

Saul Bellow, Example 3)

She bathed often, and sang as she bathed, her eyes upcast and her lips dainty and tremulous.

Original component sentences:

a) She bathed often.

b) [and] She sang as she bathed.

c) *Her eyes were upcast.

d) *[and] Her lips were dainty and tremulous.

A, b, c, and d combined:

She bathed often, and sang as she bathed, her eyes upcast and her lips dainty and tremulous.

Notice how, in each of the Bellow examples, if you inserted was or were in the sentences that have been marked with an asterisk* you would restore the nominative absolute to a form in which it would stand as an independent clause.  In essence, the nominative absolute consists of a noun phrase and part of the predicate verb phrase.  It is a sentence modifier which takes the entire preceding base clause as its referent.  Here are two more examples:

Original component sentences:

a) He laughed quietly.

b) His shrunken, shrewd eyes were sparkling perceptively with a cynical and wanton enjoyment.

A and b combined:

He laughed quietly, his shrunken, shrewd eyes sparkling perceptively with a cynical and wanton enjoyment.  (Joseph Heller)

Original component sentences:

a) She leaned closer to him.

b) Her brown eyes were popping.

c) Her blond hair in the heat was forming a damp fringe about her brow.

d) Her blond hair in the gloom was forming a damp fringe about her brow.

A, b, c, and d combined:

She leaned closer to him, her brown eyes popping, her blond hair, in the heat, in the gloom, forming a damp fringe about her brow.  (Joseph Heller)

EXERCISE 15 -- Write 3 sentences imitating the Saul Bellow examples.  First catalogue your original component sentences and then combine them into a single sentence which contains a nominative absolute.  Draw a thin line through those parts of your original component sentences that you had to eliminate in order to create the final nominative absolute.

Compiled by Jesse Easley (2005).