ABSOLUTE CONSTRUCTIONS

A) Absolute Constructions and Construcciones absolutas

An ABSOLUTE CONSTRUCTION (or Absolute Clause) is an adverbial clause that has its
own subject and has a present participle as its verb:
The dinner having been prepared, I had no time to take a nap before the guests arrived.
Here, the verb is the participle phrase having been prepared and the subject is the dinner.
Contrast the adverbial participle clause in
Having prepared the dinner, I had no time to take a nap
where the subject of having prepared dinner is understood to be identical to the main subject I.
(THIS IS NOT WHAT WE CONSIDER AN ABSOLUTE CONSTRUCTION. IN A SENTENCE
THAT BEARS AN ABSOLUTE CONSTRUCTION THE SUBJECT OF EACH CLAUSE HAS
TO BE DIFFERENT).
An absolute construction is NOT introduced by a subordinating conjunction: after having
prepared dinner and while preparing the dinner are not absolute constructions.
Absolute Constructions can be used in similar ways to full adverbial clauses, expressing
condition, reason, time relations, etc. (This can only happen, of course, when the idea of
condition, reason, etc. is so clear that no conjunction is needed to signal it).
Note that Absolute Constructions can be made with the verbs be or have which are not
normally used in progressive tenses. In these cases, the absolute construction usually expresses
reason or cause.
Construcciones Absolutas
Proposicin Adverbial de Gerundio: el gerundio (-ando, -iendo) es la forma adverbial del
verbo, es el adverbio formado directamente sobre un verbo. Las proposiciones constituidas con
gerundio denotan tiempo, modo, condicin, concesin y causa. Ejemplos:
1. Estando yo en el cine, se desat un incendio. TIEMPO
2. Estando tu conforme, no hay problemas. CONDICIN
3. Habindose terminado el cupo de hoy, no se despachan ms localidades. CAUSA

Notemos que la nocin expresada por la proposicin de gerundio, salvo, en general, cuando es
de tiempo, queda ms o menos teida de otras nociones posibles, de modo que a veces, sin
conocer la situacin a que alude la oracin, no es fcil seleccionar la que se quiso exponer.
Proposicin Adverbial de Participio: el participio (-ado, -ido) es la forma que toma el verbo
para funcionar como adjetivo. Pero puede ocurrir que no acte como adjetivo referido a un
nombre que es sujeto o complemento de la oracin, sino que se refiera y acompae a un
nombre que no desempea otra funcin que la de sujeto del propio participio, con el cual forma
una construccin unitaria incrustada dentro de la oracin. Esta construccin funciona como
complemento del verbo adverbial, con idea fundamental de tiempo.
1.

Terminada la fiesta, todos se fueron a casa.

2.

Muerto el perro, se acab la rabia.

La nocin de tiempo puede ir reforzada o precisada por algn adverbio antepuesto al participio.
1.

Una vez cumplidos todos los requisitos, se celebr la representacin.

TANTO LAS PROPOSICIONES ADVERBIALES DE PARTICIPIO COMO LAS DE

GERUNDIO CUYO SUJETO ES DISTINTO DEL DE LA ORACIN RECIBEN
TRADICIONALMENTE LA DENOMINACIN DE CONSTRUCCIONES ABSOLUTAS.
B) Further comments and examples on absolute constructions
In absolute constructions that structure is always in subject position, that is, there is a participial
phrase that contains its own subject. Eg.:
The holder having presented the cheque, the funds were credited to his account.
Look at the translations of these sentences from Spanish into English and see how the absolute
constructions have been used.
1) Como no haba fondos suficientes en la cuenta, el cheque fue rechazado.
There being no sufficient funds / The funds not being sufficient, the cheque was
dishonoured.
2) Puesto que la letra se libr pagadera a 60 das vista, se la present para la aceptacin
con el fin de establecer la fecha de vencimiento.

The Bill of Exchange having been made / being made payable 60 days after sight, the
payee presented it for acceptance so that the maturity date could be fixed.
C) More examples and comments
1) Should more than one original, all of this tenor and date, be issued on request of
shipper, one of them being accomplished, the others are to be void.
This is an example of an absolute construction, which is a structure that is literary rather
than colloquial. Notice that the construction in the example is in the passive voice, its
subject being one of them. Absolute constructions have their own expressed subject
and they are used to introduce the ideas of time and reason. In this example the
absolute construction makes reference to time. This can be seen more clearly if the
construction is rephrased into an adverbial clause: when one original is
accomplished, the others are void.
2) [] a trust not being a charitable trust in order to be effective must have ascertained
or ascertainable beneficiaries.
This is another case of absolute construction. If compared with example number 1, we
can see this example is in the active voice, its subject is a trust and the construction
introduces the idea of reason, i.e. the embodied concept is: the reason why a trust to
be effective must have ascertained or ascertainable beneficiaries is that it is not a
charitable trust.
3) A negotiable instrument is one which passes from hand to hand without notice being
given to the party who is liable on it, and without the recipient having to take it.
4) The bank now owns the bill, it having been endorsed to them.
5) Proof of special damage is not required, damages being assessed without reference to
pecuniary loss.
D) General practice exercises on absolute constructions
Paraphrase the following sentences.
1) Now that autumn has come, we may perhaps look forward to less hot weather.
Autumn having come, we may perhaps look forward to less hot weather. OK
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2) I found I had wasted my time going to the sale. The best bargains had already been
snapped up earlier in the day.
I found I had wasted my time going to the sale, the best bargains having (being) already
been snapped up earlier in the day.
3) The children had a weeks holiday. The school had been closed because of an influenza
epidemic.
The children had a weeks holiday, the school having been closed because of an
influenza epidemic. OK
4) No one was surprised at the change in bank rate. It had already been confidently
expected by investors.
No one was surprised at the change in bank rate, it having been confidently expected by
investors. OK
5) We decided not to visit Oxford. It was then the time of the summer vacation. There were
few students in residence.
There being few students because of summer vacation, we decided not to visit Oxford.
OK
6) He had to put off buying a house. The bank was unable to lend him any money at that
time.
He had to put off buying a house, the bank being unable to lend him any money at that
time. OK