Rule reminder

Register determines which type of absolute to use: FORMAL WRITTEN: past participial absolutes ('firmato il contratto'), legal absolutes ('visto/considerato'), fixed expressions ('detto questo', 'vista la situazione'). LITERARY: participio presente absolutes, noun-initial order, stacked absolutes. SPOKEN FORMAL: 'pur + gerundio', 'non avendo', 'tutto sommato', 'detto ciò'. COLLOQUIAL: these constructions are largely avoided; replaced by full clauses with conjunctions.