Clauses: Difference between revisions
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English has 3 words whose function it is to mark that a clause is subordinate: <span style="color: blue>that, whether, if</span>. | English has 3 words whose function it is to mark that a clause is subordinate: <span style="color: blue>that, whether, if</span>. | ||
* The complementizer that introduces declarative subordinate clauses: <span style="color: blue>Pat thinks [<sub>S</sub> that [<sub>S</sub> Sandy smokes]].</span> | * The complementizer <span style="color: blue>that</span> introduces declarative subordinate clauses: <span style="color: blue>Pat thinks [<sub>S</sub> that [<sub>S</sub> Sandy smokes]].</span> | ||
* The complementizers whether and if introduce interrogative subordinate clauses: <span style="color: blue>Pat asked [<sub>S</sub> whether [<sub>S</sub> Sandy smokes]].</span> | * The complementizers <span style="color: blue>whether</span> and <span style="color: blue>if</span> introduce interrogative subordinate clauses: <span style="color: blue>Pat asked [<sub>S</sub> whether [<sub>S</sub> Sandy smokes]].</span> | ||
* The complementizer if also introduces conditional subordinate clauses: <span style="color: blue>[<sub>S</sub> If [<sub>S</sub> Pat is ill]], we won't hold the picnic.</span> | * The complementizer <span style="color: blue>if</span> also introduces conditional subordinate clauses: <span style="color: blue>[<sub>S</sub> If [<sub>S</sub> Pat is ill]], we won't hold the picnic.</span> | ||
Revision as of 08:50, 26 April 2017
The Clausal Category S
The distribution of S
A clause (S) can occur in the following environments:
- S can occur as an independent declarative clause: [S Pat is ill.]
- S follows a complementizer: [Sandy thinks that [S Pat is ill.]]
- S follows a subordinate conjunction: [Pat arrived before [S we were fully prepared.]]
The internal structure of S
Obligatory elements:
- S must contain a verb
- S must contain a subject. Usually this is an NP (in nominative case), but it can also be an S ([S That Kim is always late] bothered Pat enormously.) or a VP[inf] ([VP[inf]To have missed the soccer game] bothered Pat enormously.)
Optional elements:
- There may be adverbials at the beginning of S (Last night Pat didn't sleep well., Wisely, Pat locked the door before going to bed., According to recent studies, Germans drink more coffee than beer.)
Complementizer-introduced sentences
English has 3 words whose function it is to mark that a clause is subordinate: that, whether, if.
- The complementizer that introduces declarative subordinate clauses: Pat thinks [S that [S Sandy smokes]].
- The complementizers whether and if introduce interrogative subordinate clauses: Pat asked [S whether [S Sandy smokes]].
- The complementizer if also introduces conditional subordinate clauses: [S If [S Pat is ill]], we won't hold the picnic.
The internal structure of S'
Obligatory elements:
an S
the S is usually preceded by a complementizer, an interrogative constituent or a relative constituent.
S' introduced by a complementizer: Pat knows [S that [S Kim passed the exam]]., Pat wants [S for Kim to pass the exam]
S' introduced by an interrogative constituent: Pat knows [S which book [S Kim is reading at the moment]].
S' introduced by a relative constituent: Pat knows the author [S whose most recent book [S Kim is reading at the moment]].
The structure of an S' that is used as an interrogative clause or as a relative clause will not be considered in this section.
For S' introduced by a complementizer, the following phrase structure rule can be given:
S' -> Comp S