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What's the term for a sentence that ends with a verb and adjective like the example below? Note that I'm not trying to modify the verb, which would necessitate an adverb, but the subject. Is this a technically appropriate construction?

Example:

He smiled, happy.

Billy
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    Does this answer your question? "Thirsty, we drank." It's an absolute (in the sense of 'standing independently outside the grammatical frame of the matrix sentence') construction; when as here an adjective, it has the name 'absolute adjective' (cf 'attributive adjective') but there are two other senses in which the term is used. In the earlier example, the absolute adjective was fronted; here, it's in terminal position. – Edwin Ashworth Feb 08 '21 at 16:47
  • This could be analyzed (in traditional grammar terms) as a reduced adverb clause: Because he was happy, he smiled. --> Being happy, he smiled --> Happy, he smiled. It's a bit unusual to do this at the end of the sentence, and the middle reduction doesn't work here: He smiled because he was happy. --> *He smiled, being happy. (incorrect) --> He smiled, happy. – Tinfoil Hat Feb 08 '21 at 22:42
  • //*He smiled, being happy. (incorrect)// An inversion should correct it, like "Being happy, he smiled." @TinfoilHat. Are these different in modern grammar? Just out of curiosity, because you mentioned 'traditional grammar'. – Ram Pillai Feb 09 '21 at 01:29
  • @RamPillai: Yes, Being happy, he smiled works – that's why I showed the inverted examples first. I don't know exactly why He smiled, being happy doesn't work. In any case, I don't know if (for example) CGEL has a term for reduced adverb clause, or if such a concept even exists in its framework. – Tinfoil Hat Feb 09 '21 at 03:11
  • @TinfoilHat, This gives some information: https://www.thoughtco.com/reduced-adverbial-clause-1691902#: Participial phrase used in the end should be preceded by a comma. E.g., The residents often saw Ken wandering through the streets. (The phrase modifies Ken, not residents.) Tom nervously watched the woman, alarmed by her silence. (The phrase modifies Tom, not woman.) (Source; Purdue....) – Ram Pillai Feb 09 '21 at 07:51

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