1.獨立結構的實質和類型

“獨立結構”按其結構形式，分為不定式“獨立結構”，-ing分詞“獨立結構”，-ed分詞“獨立結構”和無動詞“獨立結構”，通常在句中起狀語分句的作用。例如：

（1）There being nothing else to do, we left. 由于沒有其它事情可做，我們離開了。（There being…為-ing 分詞獨立結構）

（2）She gazed, her hands clasped to her breast. 她凝視著，雙手叉在胸前。（her hands clasped…為-ed分詞獨立結構）

（3）He went off, gun in hand. 他手里拿著槍離開了。（gun in hand為無動詞獨立結構）

（4）The floor wet and slippery, we stayed outside. 由于地板又濕又滑，我們呆在屋外。（The floor wet…為無動詞“獨立結構”）

2.“獨立結構”的用法和意義

由上述諸例可以看出，“獨立結構”與主語之間通常用逗號隔開，在“獨立結構”中做主語的名詞詞組有時可以省去限定詞。例如：

（7）The manager sat quietly in the office, (his ) eyes closed. 經理靜靜地坐在辦公室里，雙目緊閉。

“獨立結構”的位置是比較靈活的，它可位于句首，句中或句尾。例如：

（8）Their room was on the third floor, its window overlooking the sports ground. 他們的房間在三層樓上，窗戶俯視著操場。

（9）He guiding her, they stumbled through the street. 他引著他，兩個人蹣跚地穿過那條街。

（10）He, God willing, would be in the village before the second next month. 他，如果情況允許，將于下月二日前來到這個村莊。

如果一句中含有幾個“獨立結構”，通常是把表示概括意義的結構置于更后。例如：

（11）The professor was slammed against the wall, his body frisked, his wrists handcuffed, his dignity lost. 教授被猛推倒墻上，被搜了身，手被拷著，尊嚴盡失。

3.“獨立結構”在句中可表示多種含義。

例如：表示時間：

（12）His homework done, Jim decided to go and see the play. =After his homework was done, Jim decided to go and see the play. 家庭作業完成之后，杰姆決定去看戲。

（13）The meal over, we began to work again. =When the meal was over, we began to work again. 吃完飯，我們又開始干活。

表示原因：

（14）The last bus giving gone, we had to walk home. =Because the last bus had gone, we had to walk home. 由于末班車已開走，我們只得步行回家。

（15）Her shirt caught on a nail, she could not move. =As her shirt was caught on a nail, she could not move. 由于裙子被釘子鉤住，她不能移動。

表示條件：

（16）Whether permitting, the football match will be played on Wednesday. =If weather permits, the football match will be played on Wednesday. 假如天氣允許的話，足球賽將在星期三舉行。

表示方式和伴隨狀況：

（17）He put on his socks wrong side out. 他穿上襪子，反面朝上。

（18）The children were watching the acrobatic show, their eye (being) wide open. 孩子們在看雜技表演，眼睛睜得很大。

在上述諸例中，“獨立結構”均可變為由with引導的介詞詞組，即在“獨立結構”前可用介詞with。介詞with在此沒有什么意義，只是比較口語化。例如：

（19）They sat in the room with the curtains drawn. 他們坐在房間里，窗簾拉下來。

With the tree growing tall, we get more shade. 樹長高了，我們得到更多的陰涼。

He came into the classroom with a book in his hand. 他手里拿著一本書走進教室。