"Living behind...in its wake"

Question

"Living behind a trail of death and destruction in its wake,the tornado swept through town".Is "living behind....in its wake" a participial phrase or a clause and is there any predicative?Thanks

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

Leaving behind a trail of death and destruction in its wake, the tornado swept through town.

Traditional grammar label: participial phrase.
Modern grammar label: non-finite clause

Jigneshbharati · Answer

I know "leaving" is a present participle but what we call the different words in participial clause?

Jigneshbharati · Answer

Thanks a lot

CalifJim · Answer

JigneshbharatiIs "leaving behind....in its wake" a participial phrase or a clause

We've been through something like this before.

The more recent books are calling it a clause, as I do, but many books still call it a phrase. The exact name is not so important as long as you understand the structure.

Jigneshbharatiis there any predicative?

I don't understand this part of your question. Maybe you have the wrong word.

Is there any predicate? Is there any predication?

The whole participle clause predicates (says) something of the subject of the main clause (tornado), so yes, the whole clause is a predication or a predicate.

Leaving a trail of death and destruction in its wake, the tornado swept through town. (non-finite version leaving)
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The tornado swept through town, and [as/because] it did so, it left a trail of death and destruction in its wake. (finite version left, which inherits its tense from the main clause - swept)

(in its wake and behind have very similar meanings, so it is not necessary to put both in the same clause.)

CJ

Jigneshbharati · Answer

Thanks a lot CJ.

"Living behind...in its wake"

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