Absolute Phrase

An absolute phrase is a phrase that modifies a noun in a sentence, but it is

not connected to the sentence by a conjunction. It is set off with a comma
only, and it could be removed from the sentence without changing the
meaning of the sentence.

While an absolute phrase often does contain a participial, it does not have to.

noun/pronoun + participle +/- object +/- modifier

Examples :

His hands tugging on his mother’s shirttail, the little boy asked his mother to
buy a toy.

 noun = his hands

 participle = tugging
 modifier = on his mother’s shirttail

Reny ran onto the hill, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

 noun = beads of sweat

 participle = forming
 modifier = on her forehead

The supervisor from the head office looked the machine over carefully, the
name tag pinned on his shirt pocket.

 noun = the name tag

 participle = pinned
 modifier = on his shirt pocket