***** NOT A TEACHER ***** ONLY MY OPINION
Tomolonight,
I believe that always wanting to see if I was still there is a
participial phrase.
I think that many books tell us that it can go in many positions:
Wanting to see if I was still there, he made several appearances.
He made several appearances, wanting to see if I was still there.
Maybe you could even write (but probably not say):
He (wanting to see if I was still there) made several appearances.
Because that participial phrase can fit into different locations, some
books call it adverbial. That is, it refers not only to the subject
("He") but also to the verb ("made"). That is, it tells us why he made
several appearances.
By the way, one book reminds us that a sentence like yours can be
changed to an adverbial clause.
Wanting to see if I was still there, he made several appearances
can be changed to:
Because he wanted to see if I was still there, he made several
appearances. / He made several appearances because he wanted ....
I hope that I have given you accurate information. If I have, I wish to
credit two books: Practice Exercises in Everyday English by Mr. Robert J.
Dixson, and especially English Review Grammar by Mr. Walter Kay Smart.
Hopefully, some teachers will answer so that you and I can better
understand this interesting matter.
***** NOT A TEACHER ***** ONLY MY OPINION

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