Rule reminder

In narrative Italian, absolute constructions with the past participle always mark an action COMPLETED BEFORE the main clause event (anteriority). They function like the Latin ablative absolute. Example: 'Scritta l'ultima pagina, Manzoni posò la penna.' — First the page was written, then he put down the pen. Multiple absolutes can be chained to create a rapid sequence of prior events. The present-participle absolute marks SIMULTANEOUS action. The ordering of events in a narrative can be mapped precisely by identifying which actions are 'pre-events' (in the absolute) and which is the 'main event' (in the main clause).