My passions being tennis and soccer, I practiced most days of the week, enjoying every minute of it, except when I was losing.

My passions being tennis and soccer, I practiced most days of the week, enjoying every minute of it, except when losing.

1)Which version is better?

2)Is it o.k. to have an adverb clause modifying a participle phrase? (I can’t see why not, but it just seems weird as an adverb clause normally just modifies another clause…)

3)Is except a conjunction here?

Thanks.

My passions being tennis and soccer, I practiced most days of the week, enjoying every minute of it, except when I was losing.
My passions being tennis and soccer, I practiced most days of the week, enjoying every minute of it, except when losing.

I like the second one because the ending has more punch. A long sentence at the beginning works better when followed by something with more impact.

Is it o.k. to have an adverb clause modifying a participle phrase?

A verbal acts likes a verb in many respects, so yes.

Is except a conjunction here?

Yes

A verbal acts likes a verb in many respects, so yes

But could it also be modfying the adjective aspect of the participle?

Do you think this is slightly unusual or weird to have an adverb phrase modifying the participle? Some may read this and think at first that it modifies the main clause, not the participle phrase..

Would you personally write this sentence as is, or how would you?

Ta

My passions being tennis and soccer, I practiced most days of the week, enjoying every minute of it, except when losing.

Would you prefer this:

I practiced my passions, tennis and soccer, most days of the week, and I enjoyed every minute of it, except when (I was) losing.

Now the adverb phrase more clealy and naturally modifies a main clause “I enjoyed…” rather than modifying a participle phrase..

But could it also be modifying the adjective aspect of the participle?

I’m not sure that I see an adjective aspect of the participle.

Would you prefer this: I practiced my passions, tennis and soccer, most days of the week, and I enjoyed every minute of it, except when (I was) losing.

No, because it seems to me that you should emphasize tennis and soccer instead of practicing. Placing them at the first of the sentence does this.

Would you personally write this sentence as is, or how would you?

I don’t know. I don’t like tennis and soccer.

My passions being tennis and soccer, I practiced most days of the week, enjoying every minute of it, except when I was losing.

You don’t see an adjective aspect of the participle in bold??

What do you see it as then? I definitely see it as adjectival…

Enjoying every minute of it, I practiced most days.

I, who was enjoying every minute of it, praticed most days of the week.

My passions being tennis and soccer, I practiced most days of the week, enjoying every minute of it, except when I was losing.

I see it as a reduced adverbial from “...I practiced most days of the week and enjoyed every minute of it….”

Reduced adverbial? But it appears to be reduced from a compound predicate, not an adverbial.

http://tinyurl.com/oxz4fw

(link shortened with tiny url to fix right margin expansion for some browsers. Vikki)

This site here explains how when there is a compound predicate, one can be changed to the ing form, creating a participle phrase.

My passions being tennis and soccer, I practiced most days of the week, enjoying every minute of it, except when I was losing.

I see your point. However, consider this sentence:

“I raised my hand and asked a question” (same basic structure of your sentence).

You can say, “I raised my hand, asking a question,” but not, “Asking a question, I raised my hand.” The actions of the verbs are in the wrong order.

I find the same problem with “…enjoying every minute of it, I practiced most days of the week.” The enjoyment (which is a result of practicing), seems out of order.

Maybe I’m thinking too hard about the sense of the sentence. But if enjoying every minute of it is adjectival, it’s stuck where it is, because the enjoyment is a consequence of practicing and can’t predede it without sounding strange.

Ideas?

You can say, “I raised my hand, asking a question,” but not, “Asking a question, I raised my hand.” The actions of the verbs are in the wrong order.

I can understand why you think it is adverbial. The phrase says in what manner did you practice?

But I think your argument here is slightly invalid. PP’s as adjectives can often only be located in certain places in the setence, for the reason you indicate-that is, they have to follow a logical order, a causal relationship.

So I don’t think that by saying it can only exist after the predicate shows why it’s not a adjective PP.

So do you have another reason to explain why you don’t think it can be adjectival, because at the moment, I see it could be both adverbial and adjectival :/

I think the subject of participles is far more complex and perhaps subjective than all sites explaining them believe.

Most state they always function as adjectives. Some state they are formed by simply changing the second verb in a compound predicate into the ing form; others state there only certain instances where they can exist.

Apparnetly Quirk has a good book explaining this.

So do you have another reason to explain why you don’t think it can be adjectival, because at the moment, I see it could be both adverbial and adjectival

I need to give this some thought. To me, the grammar and the sense of the sentene are somehow in conflict, unless you want to call it an adjverb or advertive.

unless you want to call it an adjverb or advertive.

I like it, but we’re both obsessed, so let’s keep digging.