absolute phrases
A noun plus a modifier that sits outside the main clause and describes the whole situation.
An absolute phrase is a noun (or pronoun) with a participle or other modifier, not joined to the sentence by a conjunction. It adds circumstance—time, cause, or accompanying detail—and is set off by a comma. It is not a dangling modifier: its noun is named inside the phrase. Do not turn it into a full clause unless you mean to.
Examples
UseThe weather being fine, we left at dawn.
UseHer work completed, she locked the office.
UseHe rode on, the dog trotting beside him.
AvoidBeing fine, we left at dawn. (The weather is unnamed; the phrase dangles.)
Absolutes are more at home in narrative and formal prose than in tight news writing. They are standard English, not an error.