John,
   One major factor is intonation. An intonation group is an information unit. Non-restrictive modification adds a tone group.  In your first sentence, both "brave" and "tears" are given emphasis, but "tears" gets a higher default emphasis by being in sentence ending position. The decision might also be made on the basis of what follows. "Trying to appear brave, the little boy fought back the tears. But it was too much, and soon he was wrenched with sobs."  "The little boy fought back the tears, trying to be brave. His father had always told him a man shouldn't cry."
   It would be easy to imagine a single intonation group. "Little boys trying to be brave often fight back tears."  Little boys fighting back tears are trying to be brave." In these cases, the default emphasis is at the end; clause-ending position is the usual place for new information.
   I hope that helps.

Craig

John Crow wrote:

The following sentence has the same participle phrase in three positions:

1. Trying to appear brave, the little boy fought back the tears.
2. The little boy fought back the tears, trying to appear brave.
3. The little boy, trying to appear brave, fought back the tears.

"The little boy" is obviously given information; "tears" and "brave" represent new information.  I know that the decision about where to place the participle phrase in a piece of writing would be made according to context.  However, some overarching principle should apply, it would seem.  So my question is this:  does the placement of the participle phrase bring either "tears" or "brave" into sharper focus?

Here's my very confused take: 

• Fronting an element is supposed to emphasize that element, so #1 emphasizes "brave"? 
  
• The final element in a sentence is emphasized, so in #2, "brave" is prominent?
• Following this same logic, #1 emphasizes "tears" as well as "brave"?  If so, which one is more prominent? 
  
• Putting the participle in the middle of the sentence de-emphasizes it, so #3 clearly emphasizes "brave" and only "brave".
  

Can anybody help me out of the explanatory morass?  I would be most appreciative!
John

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