<p>1.) Extending along several city blocks is a row of ginkgo trees, their leaves turning a brilliant yellow now that summer is over. No error</p>
<p>Answer: No Error
My Question: How can the two clause, before and after the comma, be combined in one sentence with only a comma? The clause after the comma has no relative pronoun (like “which”) or a conjunction (“and” “for”).</p>
<p>It has “Gruber’s” written all over it.</p>
<p>There is nothing ungrammatical about that sentence. It’s just awkward.</p>
<p>It is from college board.</p>
<p>I don’t see the construction as awkward. Consider:</p>
<p>(1) The cars screeched to a stop, their tires smoking.</p>
<p>(2) The boy sighed, his face twisted with agony.</p>
<p>(3) She sang with gusto, her right hand waving to the beat.</p>
<p>I just don’t understand how this is possible, even though I know it is commonly used. Every grammar rule has a name. ex: Noun phrase, adverbial clause, etc.</p>
<p>What is the name of this grammar rule and how does this work. When is it acceptable and when is it not.</p>
<p>OP take a look at the following web site:</p>
<p>[Rules</a> for Comma Usage](<a href=“http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/commas.htm]Rules”>http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/commas.htm)</p>
<p>It methodically identifies all situations where a comma is necessary. The case in point (the original and my examples in post #3) is viewed as a “parenthetical element”. Such an element can be removed from the sentence without changing the essential meaning of the sentence.</p>
<p>The terminology that applies to the use in the current situation is “absolute phrase”. The example in the above web page that is closest to ours is:</p>
<p>Their years of training now forgotten, the soldiers broke ranks.</p>
<p>We can reverse the two clauses in this example to make the similarity clearer:</p>
<p>The soldiers broke rank, their years of training now forgotten.</p>