Introduction to English Syntax Level 1 Course

Introduction to English SyntaxLevel 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 responsibleminister). • 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: • Preposition precedes the Wh-word. • 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: • Preposition stranded at the end. • Wh-word is in the nominative case. • 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 nameof 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 notthat orø: • 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. RC1: he possessed. Antecedent ≠ SUBJ. Restrictive. RC2: 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.

Introduction to English Syntax Level 1 Course