Learn English – What kind of phrase? …while walking down the stairs

grammarphrases

Is walking a gerund in this sentence? I think while is acting as a conjunction. . .

Gloria tripped and fell while walking down the street.

Best Answer

Walking is a participle in your example. While is a subordinating conjunction.

Gloria tripped and fell while [she was] walking down the street.

This is an elliptical adverbial clause of time: with certain conjunctions, subject pronouns and finite forms of be can be left out, as here. It is only possible if the subject is the same as that of the main clause.

Happy, though [she was] crying, she accepted the prize.

While [she was] on the floor, she remained unnoticed by her adversary.

She could be ruthless when offended.

This origin of this ellipsis may have been influences by appositional phrases:

Displeased with her lover, Cleopatra shut her bedroom door. — (adjectival apposition)

Cleopatra, a fairly competent ruler, failed to expand the power of Egypt and died delivering her country to the Romans. — (nominal apposition)

A few others conjunctions can also be used without a finite verb, but in a different and more limited way:

He was perceived as lacking vigour

Queen Cleopatra, if passionate, still displayed great cunning and tact when necessary.

He was beaten until dead/?crying.

The floor was cleaned where dirty.

In certain limited cases, relative and interrogative pronouns can also have constructions that can be interpreted as ellipsis:

The street [that one is] to take is on the left. — (least clearly ellipsical)

Who [is one] to blame for this incident?

Why [would you] cry if you can laugh?

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