What sort of a fragment is this?
Marina dove into the ocean depths, her tail slapping the surface dismissively.
I want to know if this is a comma splice, or if it's actually correct. I don't think it's an adjective clause, but if it is, please add an explanation as to why.
Marina dove into the ocean depths, her tail slapping the surface dismissively.
There are two clauses.
The first clause is a complete sentence:
The second clause is a participle clause, with subject her tail, and verb phrase slapping the surface dismissively. This is an adverbial, so it may be placed either at the beginning or the end.
As with most adverb clauses, there is the possibility of introducing it with a preposition or conjunction. Here the usual preposition would be with
Nominative absolute is not a helpful phrase. It's not used in syntax (nominative is reserved for noun case, and absolute doesn't mean anything in particular), but rather is a handwaving term that refers mostly to participles in ancient literary forms. A syntactician would simply say it's a participle.
This sentence is neither a fragment nor an instance of a comma splice. It is a complete sentence and is called a nominative absolute. If you enter "nominative absolute" into the search box on the upper right top of the page, you will find much more information, if needed.
