Clauses of secondary nominal position.

 

Subordinate clauses of secondary nominal positions, qualification-nominal or attributive clauses constitute a type of subordinate clauses distinguished on the basis of categorical principle. Attributive clauses function as modifiers to a word of nominal character (noun or pronoun), which is commonly referred to as antecedent. Usually an attributive clause immediately follows the antecedent, although some types may occasionally be distant.

According to their meaning and the way they are connected with the principal clause attributive clauses fall intotwo groups: relative and appositive [8].

An appositive clause defines or elucidates the meaning of the substantive antecedent of abstract semantics (e.g. thing, reason, point, comment, remark, idea, fact, feature, probability) [29]. Sometimes the antecedent may be represented by an anticipatory ‘it’, e.g.: It was clear that she wasn't in the mood to talk.

An appositive clause may be introduced by:

1) conjunctions (that, if, whether, as if, as though): The reason for my departure was that I could no longer stand their company. With his wearisome doubts whether or not they are right for each other, he resumed pacing to and fro.

2) conjunctive pronouns (who, whom, whose, which): I hate those who pretend to be my friends.

3) conjunctive adverbs (how, why): Richard didn't have the slightest idea why he should stay. These was no logical explanation how the cat found them 1000 miles away from home.

These clauses are not separated by a comma and can't be joined asyndetically.

A relative clause qualifies the antecedent in some way, describing persons, things or events. It is similar in function to adjectives, and is therefore sometimes called adjectival clause.

The two major types of relative clausesare restrictive (defining, limiting) relative clauses and non-restrictive (non-defining / descriptive / commenting) relative clauses.

Restrictive relative clause is very closely connected with the antecedent, provides essential information about it and therefore cannot be removed without disrupting the meaning. It performs an identifying role, singling out the referent of the antecedent in the situation. It is not separated by a comma because of its close connection to the principal clause.

Attributive relative restrictive clauses are introduced by:

1) relative pronouns (who, whose, which, that, as): There isn't a soul in this world that hasn't been touched by sadness.

2) relative adverbs (where, when): He's now in that age when a man needs to put down roots.

3) asyndetically: That was the painfullest confession he has ever had to make to himself.

It may be joined by a connective with a preposition: This is the man with whom I fell in love.

Non-restrictive relative clauses contain additional information about the antecedent and may be left out without any serious change in the meaning of the main clause. As the connection between the principal clause and the attributive non- restrictive clause is loose, they are often separated by commas or dashes.

The punctuation is critical for the right interpretation of such sentences. For example, the comma in the sentence We should cut down on carbohydrates, which make us fatter, indicates that the sentence is non-restrictive, the implication being that all the carbohydrates are fattening. However, with the comma omitted, it turns into a restrictive sentence, which applies only to those carbohydrates which are fattening.

A non-restrictive clause may refer to a whole clause, in which case it is called a sentence-relative / continuative clause [19]. It is often introduced by the connective which and separated by a comma, a semicolon or a dash.

Mary claimed she wasn't seeing anybody while her boyfriend was gone, which couldn't be father from the truth.

In formal English this type of clauses might be introduced by prepositional phrases: instead of which, in spite of which, each of which, at which point, etc.

I've procrastinated till the last day before the exam, at which point there was nothing to be done but to pull an all-nighter.

Relative clauses after names and nouns modified by possessive and demonstrative pronouns are normally non-defining. My car, which I bought only last year, needs repairing.

Non-restrictive relative clauses are in most cases introduced syndetically by:

1) relative pronouns (who, which, that): My mother-in-law, who has been bossing me around for almost a year now, has finally moved out.

2) relative adverbs (where, when): He gazed into the flames dreaming of a distant land, where none of his worries would no longer bother him.

Non-defining relative clauses are used mainly in writing rather than speech.

The choice of the relative word in attributive clause depends on the antecedent:

1) If the antecedent denotes a living being, the relative pronoun, whom, whose, or that is used: That was the man for whom she cherished a secret passion.

2) If the antecedent denotes a thing or notion, the relative word which, whose, or that is used: Did you readthe book that I gave you last week?

If the antecedent is expressed by everything, something, anything or nothing the relative pronoun that is used or the clause is joined asyndetically:It seemed as if everything that went though his head, reminded him of Jessica.

Some descriptive attributive clauses are attributive only by form, but from semantical point of view they represent a new event which continues the chain of events described by the sentence; these complex sentences can be easily transformed into compound ones, e.g.: Lora reminded him of his long-lost love which brought back the old passion.