# Jarrod Studies Grammar

**URL:** https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/t/jarrod-studies-grammar/2139
**Category:** Other
**Tags:** learning, grammar
**Created:** [December 22, 2025, 11:37am UTC](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/t/jarrod-studies-grammar/2139 "2025-12-22T11:37:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 7

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### Author: ![Jarrod](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/user_avatar/discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/jarrod/32/5459_2.png) [@Jarrod](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/u/Jarrod)
#### Post date: [December 27, 2025, 12:15pm UTC](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/t/jarrod-studies-grammar/2139/7 "2025-12-27T12:15:32Z")

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# Phrases that modify the whole clause

> [@Grammar Videos and Peikoff Grammar Course \[AM\]](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/t/grammar-videos-and-peikoff-grammar-course-am/2005/7):
>
> > [@Grammar Videos and Peikoff Grammar Course \[AM\]](https://discuss.criticalfallibilism.com/t/grammar-videos-and-peikoff-grammar-course-am/2005/6):
> >
> > > 1. Coming into the room, Jack began to remove his coat.
> 
> I don’t think “coming” modifies “Jack”. I don’t think it’s telling us the type of Jack. I don’t think it’s a coming-into-the-room-Jack that began to remove his coat. I think it provides context for the whole clause and the action, not just information about Jack.

I was confused by that Peikoff example. And also some other similar examples. So I quickly looked into the issue.

I asked Gemini 3 Pro about the Peikoff example. It said:

> In a strict functional analysis, introductory participial phrases like this act as **circumstantial adjuncts** (specifically of time or accompanying circumstance). They tell us _when_ or _in what context_ the main action took place, effectively functioning like the adverbial clause “When he came into the room…”.
> 
> Under a verb-centric model, circumstantial modifiers belong to the main verb (the root) rather than the subject, even if the subject performs the action of the participle.

Here are some more examples of phrases that I think modify the whole clause:

> In war, men are nothing.

> Her voice trembling with emotion, she accepted the award.

> Laughing, she opened the gift.

> Darting up the wall, the mouse escaped. [Peikoff said “Darting up the wall” modifies “mouse”. But I’m not sure.]

I’m still not sure how to reliably determine when an introductory phrase modifies the whole clause or just a specific part of speech like the subject. I might look into it more at some point. Or maybe it doesn’t matter too much.

> **Some more examples that I struggled to figure out:**
>
> > Humming a cheerful tune, the chef prepared dinner for his guests. [I’d guess that it modifies the whole clause and not just the subject.]
> 
> > Running quickly, he soon tired. [Ditto.]
> 
> > Taking a sip of water, the President predicted the enslavement and destruction of mankind. [Ditto.]
> 
> > Sick with grief, I have been suffering for weeks. [This isn’t a participle/adverbial, so maybe it just modifies the subject? But it provides context. So idk.]
> 
> > Last Tuesday, an event occurred in my life that I shall always remember. [I think “Last Tuesday” modifies “occurred”. As in “An event occurred [on] last Tuesday”.]
> 
> > In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. [I think “In the beginning” modifies “created”. As in “God created stuff in the beginning”. I think it’s the same as the “Last Tuesday” example.]

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