Expanding Sentences With Absolute Phrases

An absolute phrase (also called an absolute construction) is a word group that can't stand alone but allows us to add details to an independent clause. An absolute is usually made up of a noun and its modifiers, and it may precede, follow, or interrupt the main clause. Here's an explanation of how an absolute construction works:

An absolute construction is one in which a subordinate element is not linked by a conjunction or in any other specific way to the rest of a sentence. E.g. in We left, the wine having run out, the last five words stand in an absolute relation to we left: cf. We left because the wine had run out (with the conjunction because), or We left, having finished the wine (with a direct relation between having and we)."
(P.H. Matthews, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Linguistics, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press, 2007)

This exercise will give you practice in expanding sentences with absolute constructions. To prepare for the exercise, you may find it helpful to review these two articles:

Instructions:
Expand each sentence below by adding information in an absolute phrase that answers the question(s) in parentheses.

Example:
The truck slowed to a gentle stop.
(What were the truck's tires doing?)
The truck slowed to a gentle stop, its tires skidding slightly on the powdery ice.

Of course, there's no single set of correct answers to this exercise. Rely on your imagination to create original sentences, and then compare your new sentences with those of your classmates.
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The van slid off the road.
(What were the van's wheels doing?)
In one corner of the living room stood an old grandfather clock.
(What were the hands of the clock doing?)
Bond edged to one side of the slumped figure on the stairway.
(What was Bond's hand reaching for?)

With every nerve on edge, Melanie strained to see the creature hiding under her bed.
(What was Melanie's heart doing at this time?)
With a deep-throated growl, the beast reared up on its hind legs.
(What were the beast's claws doing at this time?)
Our dusty old bus shuddered to a halt.
(What was belching from the exhaust of the old bus?)
Early this morning I spotted a dog rooting through our garbage.
(What was the dog's tail doing at this time?)
Sheriff Taylor walked up to us.
(Where was the sheriff's flashlight pointing?)
"Just take deep breaths," my grandmother said.
(Describe the grandmother's voice.)
The police car was right behind us.
(What were the lights of the police car doing? What was its siren doing?)
It was a beautiful morning in the forest.
(What were the birds doing on this beautiful morning? What was the sun doing?)
"Now we're really lost," George said.
(Describe George's voice and tell us what his hands were doing as he said this.)