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Syntactic and Semantic Functions of Subordinate Clauses

This document discusses the syntactic and semantic functions of four types of subordinate clauses: nominal clauses, adverbial clauses, relative clauses, and comparative clauses. Nominal clauses function like noun phrases, adverbial clauses function like prepositional phrases, relative clauses modify noun phrases like attributive adjectives, and comparative clauses resemble adjectives and adverbs in their modifying functions.

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Petra Bajac
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31 views

Syntactic and Semantic Functions of Subordinate Clauses

This document discusses the syntactic and semantic functions of four types of subordinate clauses: nominal clauses, adverbial clauses, relative clauses, and comparative clauses. Nominal clauses function like noun phrases, adverbial clauses function like prepositional phrases, relative clauses modify noun phrases like attributive adjectives, and comparative clauses resemble adjectives and adverbs in their modifying functions.

Uploaded by

Petra Bajac
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Syntactic and semantic functions of subordinate clauses

 subordinate clauses may function as subject, object, complement or adverbial in a


superordinate clause
 they can also function as a 1) postmodifier in noun phrase
2) prepositional complement
[It depends on what we decide ]
3) adjectival complement [We are happy to see you ]

 4 major categories of subordinate clauses


1. nominal
2. adverbial
3. relative
4. comparative

 NOMINAL CLAUSES
o may function as subject, object, complement, appositive and prepositional
complement, just as NPs
o occurrence is more limited than that of NPS  nominal clauses are abstract (refer
to events, facts, ideas)  exception : nominal relative clause (only it can function as
indirect object indirect objects normally refer to persons)
o unlike NPs, nominal clauses can function as adjective complementation without a
preposition
I’m not sure that I can remember the exact details.

 ADVERBIAL CLAUSES
o function as adjuncts or disjuncts (8.40)
o they are more often like prepositional phrases
We left after the speeches ended.

 RELATIVE CLAUSES
o generally function as restrictive or non-restrictive modifiers of noun phrases 
functionally parallel to attributive adjectives
a man who is lonely
o positioned like postmodifying prepositional phrases

 COMPARATIVE CLAUSES
o resemble adjectives and adverbs in their modifying functions
She has more patience than you have.
He’s not as clever a man as I thought.
I love you more deeply than I can say.

1
o comparative clauses together with their correlative element are equivalent to degree
adverbs

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