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Would the phrase "needless to say" be an absolute phrase (adverbial phrase that modifies the entire clause after it)?

"Needless to say, I was super happy."

Tim
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    Needless to say, I'd like to know what the definition of "absolute phrase" is with reference or possible link. –  Nov 10 '16 at 19:50
  • http://www.testmagic.com/grammar/explanations/phrases/absolute-phrases-introduction.asp – Tim Nov 10 '16 at 20:09
  • I'd call it a pragmatic marker ... of the modal, veridical (commenting on the [near-] impossibility that the statement in the matrix sentence be wrong]; it's certainly parenthetical. – Edwin Ashworth Feb 21 '24 at 16:47

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One definition of "absolute phrase" that is somewhat more extended than the one in the original question is as follows:

An ABSOLUTE PHRASE is a MODIFIER (quite often a PARTICIPLE), or a modifier and a few other words, that attaches to a SENTENCE or a NOUN, with no CONJUNCTION. An absolute phrase cannot contain a FINITE VERB.

Absolute phrases usually consist of a noun and a modifier that modifies this noun, NOT another noun in the sentence.

Absolute phrases are optional in sentences, i.e., they can be removed without damaging the grammatical integrity of the sentence. Since absolute phrases are optional in the sentence, they are often set off from the sentence with commas or, less often, with dashes. We normally explain absolute phrases by saying that they modify entire sentences, rather than one word. This is an important concept, since many similar phrases that we work with modify other words. For example, adjectives modify nouns, and adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. That said, however, in some cases, it seems to make more sense to say that absolute phrases modify nouns.

The phrase "needless to say" has been used in the same fashion since the 15th century in English (originally "needless to speak") and is an excellent example of an absolute phrase similar to other examples of absolute phrases such as:

  • Her determination stronger than ever, Nexisa resolved not to give up until she had achieved her dreams.
  • The sun shining bright and the pale blue sky forming a backdrop of the Sacre Coeur, Carl stepped into his future as a traveler and observer.
  • Still young boys, Matt and Erin Billy awoke early one Christmas morning with sleepy eyes, completely unaware that they were sleeping not in the beds they had gone to sleep in, but in one of their presents that year -- a new set of bunk beds.
  • We finished the hearty meal quickly, our appetites satisfied, our minds at peace.
  • All things being equal, the active voice tends to be correct more often than the passive on standardized tests.
ohwilleke
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