A main clause is any BSP or any BSP + its bound modifiers.
Add a clause subordinator to the beginning of any main clause, then supply a new main clause to support it.
Jim arrived early.
Since Jim arrived early,
Since Jim arrived early, he didn't have to wait.
Clause Subordinators: after, although, as, because, before, even though, if, once, since, though, unless, until, when
The man escaped from jail.
The man was escaping from jail.
Escaping from jail, the man chuckled.
The man bribed the jailer.
The man was bribing the jailer.
Bribing the jailer, the man committed a felony.
Jim is a fireman in Chicago.
A fireman in Chicago, Jim knows the town well.
You can place the noun cluster after the word it modifies:
Jim, a fireman from Chicago, knows the town well.
Jim was angry over the umpire's call.
Angry over the umpire's call, Jim snarled an insult.
The hymn was sung well by the choir.
Sung well by the choir, the hymn moved the worshippers.
Relative Pronouns: who, whom, whose which, that, (somethimes where)
Dogs are mammals.
which are mammals
Dogs, which are mammals, make good pets.
The book was given to Mary.
which was given to Mary
The book, which was given to Mary, contained here life story.
Relative clauses may be either bound or free. If they are essential to the meaning of the sentence, they are bound and are NOT set off with commas. If they can be removed without inter- fering with the meaning of the sentence, they are free, and are set off with commas.
Another way of distinguishing bound from free relative clauses is to ask yourself if the clause contains information that is used to identify the preceding noun, or if it contains information that simply expands the idea. If the information identifies a noun, the clause is bound and does not receive commas. If the information only expands the information, the clause is free and should be set off with commas.
Most free relative clauses referring to non persons are signaled with the pronoun "which." Most bound relative clauses referring to non persons are signaled with the pronoun "that."
The annual report, which was written in only one day, caused a disturbance in administration.
The report that is over there was written yesterday.
FOR EXAMPLE: For BSPs 1 and 2, expand the verb to an -ing form and remove the helping verb. Then add a totally new main clause.
His nose was running.
His nose running, Frank looked awful.
For BSPs 3 & 4, take away the linking verb or change it to an ing form.
His mother was a top executive in the company.
His mother being a top executive in the company, Tom
felt certain he wouldn't have to begin his career
in the mail room.
His hands were blue from the cold.
His hands blue from the cold, Frank huddled over the
fire.
All things are equal.
All things being equal, it was a worthwhile trip.
Try transforming a passive voice.
The letter was delayed by the Post Office strike.
The letter having been delayed by the Post Office
strike, Tom didn't know that his mother had
disinherited him.
Annother way to think of absolutes is to recognize them as consisting of a subject plus one of the clusters, even a prepositional phrase cluster (The cards on the table, there was nothing left to do but to concede defeat.)
2. He sat and watched as the train slowly went past--the large boxcars tilting back and forth, the flatbed carrying semi-trucks piggyback, the rails binding beneath the weight of the train, the wheels endlessly spinning around until, just a short while after eternity, the caboose wandered by.
3. As a designer of clothes, an admirer of beauty, and a collector of artifacts, she enjoyed visiting museums.
4. Frightened, confused, giggling hysterically, Lucille collapsed into the nearest fountain.
5. He drove to school, gazing at the morning sun, wiping the sleep from his eyes, preparing his mind for the coming activities of the day.
6. Gray-bearded and toothless, dressed in jockey shorts and a stash bag, he walked up and down the sidewalk, restlessly waiting to begin.
7. In the early evening, as the sun went down, shining its brilliant colors through the sky, he stood transfixed, watching the playful ponies in the pasture, listening to the sounds of chirping crickets and the nocturnal world of insects and animals coming to life, and realizing with awe that the complex workings of nature made him feel insignificant.
8. In the spring, for example, runoff from melting snow can carry a tremendous amount of silt to the river, causing increased turbidity.
9. Horticulturists usually fall within two distinct categories: 1) those utilizing man-made fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, and 2) those favoring the use of natural agents in garden maintenance.
10. The last period, the twentieth century, is the most difficult to classify, perhaps because we don't yet have the perspective needed to judge.
11. An ascertained from systematic qualitative observation, Baetis shodani and an unidentified chironomid species were co- dominants at the Arkansas River's Udall station, though hydrophilids and notonectids were abundant also, particularly within the sammon community along the depositional eastern shoreline.
12. He strode along the corridor, clumping loudly in his heavy boots, almost imperceptibly pausing every so often to shake his hair back from his face.