Is this correct usage? What kind of clauses is this?

Question

0 I saw the following sentence in an article.  "The soldiers marched down the hill, determined to destroy the fortress."  What kind of clause is "determined to destroy the fortress"?  I feel like the clause is modifying the subject soldiers.  Shouldn't the clause be placed as close to the subject as possible?  Is this correct?  Shouldn't the sentence be "The soldiers, determined to destroy the fortress, marched down the hill."?  Thank you very much. 0-

Avangi · Accepted Answer

0Hi bo435,02br
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00Re "determined to destroy the fortress," I don't think it's a clause. There's no 01u00subject02u00. I'd say it's a 01b01i01u00participial phrase02u02i02b00, acting as an 01u00adjective02u00 modifying "soldiers." I expect you can argue that it acts as an 01u00adverb02u00, telling 01b00how02b00 they marched; saying that it modifies the only 01b00real02b00 clause, "01i00The soldiers marched down the hill02i00,"01b00.02b00 This second analysis would tend to justify the arrangement of the sentence, to which you object.0-

Philip · Answer

0 01b00Welcome to the Forums, Bo!02br
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02b00I have to agree with you, although the original flows well [better?] because of the continuity and one fewer of the commas. 0-

Bo435 · Answer

0 Thank you so much for the response.   I thought participial phrases must beginw the the present tense of a verb, such as "Having too much time on his hands, Jim decided to join a book club."  Can partcipial phrases just begin with an form of a verb?  Thanks. 0-

Avangi · Answer

0I think two possibilities, present participle and past participle. 02br
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00After 01i01u00locking02u02i00 himself in the bathroom, Jim began to practice his English diction.02br
02br
00Accidently 01i01u00locked02u02i00 in the bathroom, Jim decided to read a magazine.0-

Is this correct usage? What kind of clauses is this?

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