Function of the present participle clauses here

Question

Hello teachers!

I've been trying to learn the structure/formation and functions of English phrases, such as Noun phrases, Verb phrases, adjective phrases, and so on

I have some questions to ask about the following participle verb phrases/clauses, please.

-Seeing the policemen, the thief ran away.

-She came out of the boss' cabin smiling.

- Doing her homework, she fell asleep.

They are not functioning as Noun modifiers there, right? If they are not functioning as Noun modifiers, then what are they functioning as?

BillJ · Accepted Answer

No, they are not nouns. They are all non-finite clauses functioning as adjuncts:

[1] Seeing the policemen, the thief ran away.

[2] She came out of the boss' cabin smiling.

[3] Doing her homework, she fell asleep.

In [1] the clause is a supplementary adjunct (non-modifier). It is interpreted as resultative: the thief ran away because he saw the policemen.

In [2] the clause is a modifier – a depictive adjunct – in clause structure giving descriptive information about the referent of "she". It is interpreted with progressive aspectuality: "she was smiling".

In [3] it's a supplementary adjunct. It has a temporal interpretation: while doing her homework, she fell asleep.

Note that unlike modifying adjuncts, supplementary ones as in [1] and [3] are not tightly integrated into clause structure, but are only loosely attached: in writing by punctuation, and in speech by a slight pause.

Function of the present participle clauses here

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