Introduction to English Syntax Level 1 Course Ron

Introduction to English Syntax Level 1 Course Ron Kuzar Department of English Language and Literature University of Haifa Chapter 11 Subordination: Relative Clause

A Sentence within a Sentence • The following sentences contain a sentence in them: – The Minister, who is the chairman of the Committee against Violence, will raise the issue of security in football stadiums during the upcoming committee meeting. – What does the thought that we may be forgotten in eternity do to us? • A sentence within a sentence is a clause, more specifically – a subordinate clause. • The containing sentence is the matrix clause.

Terminological note • Subordinate clause • Also: – Embedded clause/sentence. • Matrix clause • Also – Main clause

Types of Clauses • There are 3 types of subordinate clauses: – Relative clause – Content clause – Situation clause • This chapter is devoted to the relative clause (RC). • The next chapter will discuss the other two types.

Antecedent • Antecedent = the noun to which the RC is attached. – The Minister, who is the chairman of the Committee against Violence, will raise… • The RC is part of the NP in which the antecedent is the head. • It is an attribute of the head (=its antecedent) just like an adjective (the responsible minister). • Adjectives are simple attributes. RCs are complex attributes.

Terminological Note • Antecedent (of a RC) • Also – Head word

Subj of RC =/≠ Antecedent • The subj. of the RC = the antecedent: – The university sued the student who [subj. ] sent the defamatory letter. • The subj. of the RC ≠ the antecedent: – The president fired the worker to whom [not subj. ] the floor manager [subj. ] sent a warning letter.

Subj. of RC ≠ Antecedent: Formal Forms • There are formal and informal forms: • In the formal forms: 1. Preposition precedes the Wh-word. 2. Wh-word is in the accusative case. – The salesperson, to whom I talked. (animate) – The house at which I looked. (inanimate)

Subj. of RC ≠ Antecedent: Informal Forms • In the informal forms: • When the subj. of the RC ≠ the antecedent: 1. Preposition stranded at the end. 2. Wh-word is in the nominative case. 3. Wh-word may be replaced by that or ø. – The person who/that/ø I talked to. (animate) – The house which/that/ø I looked at. (Inanimate)

Possessive RC • with Animate Antecedent: – The customer, whose name I don’t remember, left an hour ago. • With inanimate antecedent: – The book, whose name I do not remember, has been returned. • OR – The book, the name of which I do not remember, has been returned.

Pied-Piping • The part before of which may be long: – The book, the very strange name of which I do not remember, has been returned. • This phenomenon is called pied-piping. • The word which drags with it the whole noun phrase.

The Pied-Piper of Hamelin

Restrictive RC • When the RC selects (=restricts) the antecedent as a particular member out of its group, it is a restrictive RC. • In that case, who/which, ø, or that may be used: – The workers who/that went on strike were fired. [There must have been other workers that didn’t strike. ] – The picture which/that/ø I loved was not for sale. • [As opposed to other pictures. ] • A restrictive RC is usually uttered without pauses. In writing, no commas are used.

Descriptive RC • When the RC provides a description of the antecedent without selecting it out of its group, it is a descriptive RC. • In that case, who/which may be used, but not that or ø: – The workers, who went on strike, were fired. [This may refer to ALL the workers. ] – The picture, which I loved, was not for sale. [This could have been the only picture. ] • A descriptive RC is usually uttered with pauses around it. In writing, commas are used.

Terminological Note • Descriptive RC • Also – non-restrictive RC

Postponed RC • Consider the following sentences: – A camera-man came up. – A truck drove by. • Note that such sentences typically have an indefinite subject and an intransitive (presentative) verb. • Here they are again with descriptive RCs: – A camera-man, who wanted to check out the scene, came up. – A truck, whose driver was humming country music, drove by.

Weight Considerations • Note that the relative clause is longer, i. e. “heavier”, than the presentative VP. • In English, heavy parts of the sentence are sometimes preferred at the end. • Here, the heavy RC is not inside its NP, but rather at the end of the sentence, beyond the relatively light VP: – A camera-man came up, who wanted to check out the scene. – A truck drove by, whose driver was humming country music.

Terminological Note • Postponed RC • Also – Extraposed RC

Sample Question • For each sentence do the following: – Identify the relevant NP. – Identify the antecedent and determine if it is or is not the subject of the relative clause. – Where applicable, determine if the RC is in formal or informal style. – If the RC is possessive, check if pied-piping occurred. – Identify the RC as restrictive or descriptive. – Identify postponed RCs in presentative sentences. – Note: some sentences have more than one RC.

Sample Question (continued) – He used the only tool he possessed, which was a wrench. – The captain, who was sitting at his regular table, nodded to himself again and again. – I’ve implemented a kind of tagging system, the details of which would be too involved to describe here. – Don’t tell me you have never seen the photo that I showed you yesterday. – Only another planet, whose orbit lay beyond the known ones, could explain the behavior of the nearer planets.

Sample Question (continued) – The ticket which I purchased from ISSTA was cheaper than John’s. – Her request, which he paid no attention to, went unanswered. – He had to apologize for his behavior, for which he had no explanation. – In the next stretcher, a radiology patient arrived, who required acute interventions.

Answers – NP: the only tool he possessed, which was a wrench. Antecedent: tool. RC 1: he possessed. Antecedent ≠ SUBJ. Restrictive. RC 2: which was a wrench. Antecedent = SUBJ. Descriptive. – NP: The captain, who was sitting at his regular table, Antecedent: captain. Antecedent = SUBJ. descriptive.

– NP: a kind of tagging system, the details of which would be too involved to describe here. Antecedent: system. Possessive. Pied-Piped: The details of which. Descriptive. – NP: the photo that I showed you yesterday. Antecedent: photo. Antecedent ≠ SUBJ. Restrictive. – NP: Only another planet, whose orbit lay beyond the known ones, Antecedent: planet. Possessive. Descriptive.

– NP: a radiology patient, who required acute interventions. Antecedent: patient. Antecedent = SUBJ. Descriptive. Postponed RC. – NP: The ticket which I purchased from ISSTA Antecedent: ticket. Antecedent ≠ SUBJ. Restrictive. – NP: Her request, which he paid no attention to, Antecedent: request. Antecedent ≠ SUBJ. Descriptive. Informal.

– NP: his behavior, for which he had no explanation. Antecedent: behavior. Antecedent ≠ SUBJ. Descriptive. Formal.

Homework – We met the lady whose son works in the library. – Then suddenly a scream was heard, which curdled our blood. – They brought up an idea I couldn’t agree with. – This is a major disaster, the exact reasons for which I cannot discern. – I don’t want to touch food I don’t know, which may make me sick. – The disc which you have mentioned arrived today. – The prime minister, who seemed to be in a grave mood, refused to answer any questions.

– I remember an anecdote the source of which I forget. – Putting a preposition at the end of the sentence is something I cannot put up with.