ICLPCP and participle groups

According to the VISL definitions of clause and groups, clauses have at least a verbal constituent, while groups typically do not have a predicator or verbal constituent but are structures in form of Head and dependentes. Both are complex forms and what really distinguishes them is the verbal constituent.
Being so, there is no question as to consider a complex structure like <verb> <constituent> a clause. The typical examples are the relative clauses, with or without the relative pronoun expressed. An example would be for instance: O João comeu um bolo feito pela namorada. 'feito pela namorada' is a clause, infinite main clause type. If we had the related relative clause with the pronoun expressed, then the type would be a finite main clause: O João comeu um bolo que foi feito pela namorada.

With just one argument, the word class  distinguishes between clause or group. If there is a verbal constituent, a clause should be considered. If not,  a group. Some examples:

 C150-4  Quadros falsos descobertos em Paris ( descobertos em Paris is an infinite clause).

 Quadros de Rembrant descobertos em Paris (de Rembrant forms a group, as there is no verbal constituent. Therefore, the structure H: prep and P<:prop is applied and a prepositional group is formed).

How to distinguish verbal groups from clauses, since both possess verbs?

In this respect one must take in consideration the different levels. Under a clause you may have groups or clauses. The predicate under a finite clause at the top level will form a group (if it is complex (sequence of auxiliary and main verb)). Dependents (N<; P<; N<PRED) are likely to form other clauses under the top level clause, and being a clause it follows the same principles:

    e.g.

        A jovem, que acena da janela, foi uma conhecida atriz. ('que acena da janela', N</N<PRED:fcl)
        O facto de ter estado muito calor contribuiu para a seca que se instalou.( 'ter estado muito calor', P<:icl)
 

Taking the following sentence:

Vi o João a sair / saindo do carro.

In this case, there are two possibilities, not in terms of group/clause but the syntactic function the clause holds.
On one analysis, one could have 'o João' as the direct object, and the clause a sair do carro, the object complement. All the constituents are at the same level:

STA:fcl
P:v-fin Vi
ACC:np
=>N:art o
=H:prop João
OC:icl
=PRT-AUX:prp a
=MV:v-inf sair
=ADVL:pp
==N<:prep de
==P<:np
===>N:art o
===H:n carro

Another view point was to consider 'o João a sair do carro' as a unit, and all of it holding the syntactic function of direct object, being 'o João' , the subject of sair:

STA:fcl
P:v-fin Vi
ACC:icl
=SUBJ:np
==>N:art o
==H:prop João
=P:vp
==PRT-AUX:prp  a
==MV:v-inf sair
=ADVL:pp
==N<:prep de
==P<:np
===>N:art o
===H:n carro

Still the level of the icl is the same, the syntactic function changed.