Chinn_asama wrote:Hi there
In the sentence- "Until a formal step is taken to bring it to a close, a state of war may produce certain legal and practical effects as regards, e.g., the internment of nationals of the enemy state and the sequestration of their property, irrespective of the total absence of hostilities."-
What is the highlighted/bold part? An Absolute phrase? Can adjective phrase irrespective of....act as absolute phrase?

Regards

Dear Chinn_asama,
Great question, and I am happy to help.

The word "irrespective" is an adjective, and it begins an adjectival phrase. Here it modifies the nouns "internment" and "sequestration", two activities that will continue regardless of whether the fighting stops --- the continuance of these actions is "irrespective of the total absence of hostilities."

The words "regardless" and "irrespective" are both correct, and the latter is quite sophisticated, but their conflation in the popular American mind has produced the trainwreck mistake word "irregardless". Because of any association with this mistake word, I would be surprised if the GMAT used the word "irrespective" at all.

For more an adjectival phrases, see:
https://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/gmat-gramm ... d-clauses/

Let me know if you have any further questions.
Mike