| Acknowledgements | 第1-8页 |
| Abstract | 第8-10页 |
| 内容摘要 | 第10-11页 |
| Chapter One Introduction | 第11-15页 |
| ·Background of the Study | 第11-12页 |
| ·Aims and Significance of the Study | 第12-13页 |
| ·Methods and Data | 第13页 |
| ·Layout of the Thesis | 第13-15页 |
| Chapter Two Literature Review | 第15-35页 |
| ·Absolute Clauses | 第15-23页 |
| ·Jespersen's Description | 第17-20页 |
| ·Biber et al.'s Description | 第20-21页 |
| ·Cui Yong's Description | 第21页 |
| ·Wu Shuqi and Wang Yinxiu's Study | 第21-23页 |
| ·Cognitive Construal | 第23-34页 |
| ·Definition of Cognitive Construal | 第24页 |
| ·Dimensions of Cognitive Construal | 第24-34页 |
| ·Specificity | 第24-25页 |
| ·Focusing | 第25-28页 |
| ·Salience or Prominence | 第28-30页 |
| ·Perspective | 第30-34页 |
| ·Summary | 第34-35页 |
| Chapter Three Internal Cognitive Construal (ICC) of ACs | 第35-55页 |
| ·Theoretical Framework of the Thesis | 第35-36页 |
| ·Recomparison Between Some Grammatical Categories and the Internal Structure of ACs | 第36-39页 |
| ·The Postpositive Noun Modifier vs. the Second Component of an AC | 第37-38页 |
| ·The Finite Profile Determinant vs. the Nonfinite or Verbless Profile Determinant | 第38-39页 |
| ·Cognitive Interpretation of Acknowledged Motivations for ACs | 第39-40页 |
| ·ICC of Verbless ACs | 第40-46页 |
| ·ICC of Adjectival ACs | 第40-41页 |
| ·ICC of Adverbial ACs | 第41-43页 |
| ·ICC of Prepositional ACs | 第43-45页 |
| ·ICC of Nominal ACs | 第45-46页 |
| ·ICC of Nonfinite ACs | 第46-51页 |
| ·Similarities in ICC of Infinitival and Participial ACs as to the Profile Determinant | 第46页 |
| ·Distinctive Features in ICC of Infinitival and Participial ACs as to the Profile Determinant | 第46-47页 |
| ·ICC of Present-and Past-participial ACs as to the Profile Determinant | 第47-51页 |
| ·ICC of Present-participial ACs as to the Profile Determinant | 第47-48页 |
| ·ICC of Past-participial ACs as to the Profile Determinant | 第48-51页 |
| ·ICC of Special ACs | 第51-54页 |
| ·ICC of Non-referring-it ACs | 第51-52页 |
| ·ICC of Existential-there ACs | 第52-53页 |
| ·ICC of with-headed ACs | 第53-54页 |
| ·Summary | 第54-55页 |
| Chapter Four External Cognitive Construal (ECC) of ACs | 第55-61页 |
| ·Specificity of Complex Sentences with ACs | 第55-57页 |
| ·One Important Factor of the Motivation for ACs in Lieu of Finite Adverbial Clauses (FACs) | 第57-60页 |
| ·Tenuous Nature of the Subordination Between Matrix Clauses (MCs) and FACs | 第57-59页 |
| ·Clearness of the Subordination Between MCs and ACs | 第59-60页 |
| ·Summary | 第60-61页 |
| Chapter Five Conclusion | 第61-65页 |
| ·Major Findings | 第61-63页 |
| ·Implications | 第63-64页 |
| ·Recommendations for Future Study | 第64-65页 |
| References | 第65-67页 |
