Sal applied himself in his new job, arriving early every day, skipping lunch regularly, and leaving late every night. Manhattan 语法的解释是， the -ing phrase provide additional information about how Sal applied himself.
2.OG30. For members of the seventeenth-century Ashanti nation in Africa, animal-hide shields with wooden frames were essential items of military equipment, a method to protect warriors against enemy arrows and spears.
(A) a method to protect
(B) as a method protecting
(C) protecting
(D) as a protection of
(E) to protect
Logical predication; Rhetorical construction
The underlined part of the sentence begins a phrase describing items of military equipment. It is awkward and inaccurate to describe items themselves as a method. Replacing the underlined phrase with the participle protecting creates a modifying phrase that clearly explains the purpose of the items of military equipment.
A A method to protect is awkward and inaccurate in reference to items.
B The singular method should not refer to the plural items; as a method protecting is awkward and not idiomatic.
C Correct. In this sentence, protecting properly introduces a modifying phrase revealing the purpose of the items.
D The prepositional phrase as a protection of warriors is awkward and imprecise; using the noun form protection creates wordiness and is awkward in reference to items.
E Although the infinitive to protect would work if it were not preceded by a comma, it cannot act as a nonrestrictive adjectival phrase modifying items.
3.Manhattan 第四章的句子和这本书对-ing phrase的解释。
Sal applied himself in his new job, arriving early every day, skipping lunch regularly, and leaving late every night.
Manhattan 语法的解释是， the -ing phrase provide additional information about how Sal applied himself.
4.OG12#65
In a plan to stop the erosion of East Coast beaches, the Army Corps of Engineers proposed building parallel to shore a breakwater of rocks that would rise six feet above the waterline and act as a buffer, absorbing the energy of crashing waves and protecting the beaches.
我觉得这里的“absorbing… ”这个phrase 也是解释补充整个前句，而不是前句a breakwater of rocks would rise and act as a buffer造成的一个结果。
