Can participle phrases modify a clause?
As an engineer, it is generally taught that participial/participle phrases function as adjectives modifying a noun (or pronoun).
In a sentence such as:
A major accident occurred on our bus’s route to school, making us late for class.
If
the gas tank exploded, sending shrapnel through air.
the participle and preceding clauses form participle phrases? What are they modifying and what
are they “copying”?
These are “nominate absolutes”, and you may argue that they modify the entire clause to which they are attached or that they are “absolutely” free-standing.
In your example
the gas tank exploded in the air sending shrapnel through the air.
Does the participle tell us what kind of tank it was or does it tell us what was the tank explosion in on the roof? There’s no tank or explosion but that would have taken a tank to send a beam. Is the clause a target of reform or not?
In the famous dangling constructions about
the keys having been found, the car was driven home.
Also, it seems that the finding isn’t much to do with the type of car or in any way be related to all the other things as mentioned either. So free standing seems the better
choice.
