The Detached Secondary Parts of the Sentence

1. The detached secondary parts of the sen­tence³ (обособленные второстепенные члены предложения) are those parts which acquire a certain independence in the sentence and are consequently much looser connected with the parts of the sentence on which they depend. This independence and looseness of connection with the other members of the sentence is- shown by the fact that the detached parts are separated by a pause (usually, but not always, marked in spelling by a comma) and receive a logical stress of their own.

Both extended and unextended secondary parts of the sentence- may be detached although the use of extended parts in that func­tion is more common.

Compare the following sentences:

In the east the day was breaking, pale and desolate. (Ma­son.) The morning has broken clear, the day was sunny and cloudless. (Mason.)

In the first sentence the two adjectives joined by the conjunc­tion and fpale and desolate) are pronounced with a logical stress and there is a certain pause before them — they are detached attributes.

In the second sentence the adjective clear is not detached, it forms a double predicate together with the verb had broken (had broken clear.)

The detached secondary parts of the sentence comprise an addi­tional communication and thus bear a predicative character. In their meaning and pronunciation the detached parts of the sentence often approach subordinate clauses.

The candle, wasted at last, went out (= which was wasted at last...) (Brontё.) Having sealed and posted this letter, he went into the dining-room (=when he had sealed and posted this letter...) (Galsworthy.)

2. A detached attribute expressed by an adjective or a participle.

A detached attribute expressed by an adjeсtive or a participle may stand before or after the word which it modifies. A detached attribute may refer not only to a noun but also to a pronoun.

1. When a detached attribute expressed by an adjective or a participle stands before the word which it modifies, it has often additional adverbial meaning (cause, condition, time, concession, comparison.) Such an attribute modifying the sub­ject at the same time refers to the predicate as an adverbial mod­ifier:

Surprised at that unexpected question, I hardly knew what to answer (surprised at that unexpected question — a detached attribute to the subject I and at the same time an adverbial modifier of cause to the predicate knew.) Arrived at the edge, old Jolyon stood, noting another water-lily opened since yester­day. (Galsworthy.) (arrived at the edge — a detached attrib­ute to the subject old Jolyon and at the same time an adver­bial modifier of time to the predicate stood).

Impatient for the lignt of spring, I have slept lately with the blind drawn up... (Gissing.) Restless, unhappy, puzzled, he wandered round and about all the afternoon. (Galswor­thy.) Thus encouraged, Oliver tapped at the study door. (Dickens.) Slow, silent, the river lapses between its daisied banks... (Gissing.), Weary with watching and anxiety, he at length fell asleep. (Dickens.)

2. When a detached attribute expressed by an adjective or a participle stands after the word which it modifies, it may follow it directly or be placed at some distance from it at the end of the sentence. When the detached attribute imme­diately follows the word which it modifies, it is often synonymous to a subordinate clause:

We entered a forest, dark and gloomy (= which was dark and gloomy). Again the sun was warm, again the streams, de­scending from glaciers and snowy caverns, were refreshing to drink at. (Dickens.) A sound of singing came down the wa­ter to him, trailing, distant, high and sweet. (Galsworthy.) And — yes — here was the little fountain, broken, and discol­oured now. (Galsworthy.) There were two figures, middle- aged and young. (Galsworthy.)

If a detached attribute expressed by an adjective or a participle stands at the end of the sentence, it may either have an .additional adverbial meaning or express a state of the subject attending an action. In the latter case it approaches in its meaning that of a predicative in a double predicate (see “The Double Predicate”, p. 350) the difference con­sisting only in that the predicative in a double predicate is never detached.

Compare:

Mont Blanc appears — still, snowy, and serene. (Shelley.) (= detached attributes.) The sun rose hot and unclouded. (ВгоМё.) (= predicatives in a double predicate).

He was a bright boy, ...healthy and strong... (London.) ...then he sat up, offended, glaring at her. (Cronin.)

3. A detached attribute expressed by a noun with a preposition.

A detached attribute expressed by a noun with a preposition is usually extended, but it may also be unextend­ed. In most cases it is placed after the word which it modifies, rarely before it:

It is at the age of eighty that I picture him, without the vestige of a stoop, rather above middle height, of very well proportioned figure... (Galsworthy.) But his greatest joy in life had been his long summer holidays, in Italy, or among the Alps... (Galsworthy.)

4. A detached (loose) apposition.

A detached apposition (see “The Apposition”, p. 377) stands either directly after the word to which it refers or at some distance from it.

The predicative character of a detached apposition is shown by its association with the same articles that are used with the pre­dicative (see “The Article”, p. 58):

The road between the trees was covered in all its length and breadth with fallen leaves — a carpet of pale gold. (Gissing.) Lizzy, a black-eyed child of seven, looked very shy... (Eliot.) In the east mountain peaks — fingers of snow — glittered above the mist. (Galsworthy.)

5. A detached adverbial modifier.

A detached adverbial modifier (of place, time, condi­tion, concession, manner or comparison, attending circumstances) may be expressed by an adverb, a participle, an adjec­tive, a noun or a gerund with a preposition.

A detached adverbial modjfier is usually extended, but some­times also unextended. It is joined to the word which it modifies either a) asyndetically orb) by means of a conjunc­tion. The conjunction stresses the independent character of the detached adverbial modifier.

A detached adverbial modifier may stand either at the be­ginning or at the end of the sentence, sometimes in the m i d d 1 e of it:

1. She glanced, sideways, at the old couple. (Mansfield.) He spoke slowly, with cutting deliberation^ (Cronin.) A soft rain had begun to fall, hissing gently on the leaves... (Gals­worthy.) Without saying anything to Christine, he began to look for a convenient consulting-room up West. (Cronin.) He sat still a long time, to all appearance watching the little blue butterflies playing round the red and tawny roses. (Gals­worthy.) Fleur rose from her chair — swiftly, restlessly, and flung herself down at a writing-table. (Galsworthy.) Slowly, very silently, she went. (Galsworthy.)

2. Though extremely weak, he had no sensation of pain. (London.) In the night, as always, things looked unfamiliar... (Galsworthy.) While skating along at full speed, they heard the cars from Amsterdam coming close behind them. (Dodge.) One bird going to bed later than the others was uttering a half-hearted twitter, as though surprised at the darkness. (Galsworthy.)

A detached adverbial modifier may be expressed by a com­plex a) the “Nominative Absolute” or b) “The Con­struction Introduced by with (without):

1. ...it (the apple tree) was just in leaf, and all but in flow­er— its crimson buds just bursting. (Galsworthy.) She was silent, her eyes downcast, upon her knitting (Cronin.) She shrunk slowly away from him, and stood quite still, her eyes wide with horror, her face as white as the kerchief at her neck. (Voynich.) Below me, but far off, is the summer sea, still, silent, its ever changing blue and green dimmed at the long limit with luminous noontide mist. (Gissing.)

2. It was wonderful up here, with the sun burning hot in a sky clear-blue already. (Galsworthy.) And after we had taken off our respective hats, he reseated himself, with his hands on his knees. (Galsworthy.) He was lying very still, ...with the sunlight falling across the foot of his bed... (Galswor­thy.)

6. The detached specifying parts of the sen­tence.

A specifying part of the sentence (уточняющий член предложения) makes the meaning of some other part of the sentence more precise, but is not homogeneous with the lat­ter.

The specifying parts of the sentence may be extended or unex­tended. They may be expressed by the same part of speech as the words to which they refer or by some other part of speech.

The specifying parts of the sentence may be connected with the word to which they refer either a) asyndetica 11 у or b) by" means of conjunctions: that is, namely, etc.:

We walked a very long distance, about six miles — here one noun (distance) is specified by another noun (miles). There, in the wonderful pine forests, we spent a delightful fortnight — here an adverb (there) is specified by a noun (forests). It all happened many years ago, namely in 1932. Now, in the depth of winter, it is hard to traverse those forests. Ten members, that is the majority of the commission, were in favour of the proposal. There, in the little clearing, where they spread the rug, was a singing solitude which belonged only to them and to the birds. (Cronin.) The field was oblong, sixty yards in length, forty in breadth. (O’F1 a her t y.)