A has a B over which is formed a C.

Question

For three objects A, B & C where A consists of B and C is formed over B, is S1 below grammatically correct (and clear, if that's in doubt too)?

S1: A has a B over which is formed a C.

I'm wondering, shouldn't it be "A has a B over which a C is formed."?

Could something (C) formed on another thing (B) be used in such relative clause?

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

It's unclear what you're asking.

Absent the knowledge of what A, B, and C are, it's difficult to know which shade of meaning to assign to over and to formed.

Ice forms over the surface of water on cold days.
A person can form a piece of wood into a statue.

And so on ...

More specifics are needed.

CJ

Infinik · Answer

More specifically,

"Integrated circuits are formed from a wafer or substrate over which are formed patterned microelectronics layers."

Where A=IC, B=wafer, C=patterned layers

Infinik · Answer

InfinikMore specifically,

"Integrated circuits are formed from a wafer or substrate over which are formed patterned microelectronics layers."

Where A=IC, B=wafer, C=patterned layers

To explain more, patterned layers are etched or added on to the surface of a wafer, and these patterned layers are what IC are based on.

Infinik · Answer

Anyone offering suggestions?

CalifJim · Answer

A has a B over which is formed a C
Integrated circuits are formed from a wafer or substrate over which are formed patterned microelectronics layers.

Hmm. You changed has to are formed. Now it seems awkward with two uses of are formed in the same sentence. Aren't you talking about "printed circuits"? In that case the layers are printed on the wafers, aren't they? That seems more specific, and better, than formed over. I don't know the process, so maybe a verb like etched is better than printed, but in any case it seems to me that formed is too vague to describe the process accurately. are formed almost suggests that the layers spontaneously take on a form on their own, without guidance, through some chemical reaction, for example. And I don't think that's how the process works.

Integrated circuits are made from a wafer or substrate on which patterned microelectronics layers are printed.

Maybe others will have further suggestions.

CJ

BarbaraPA · Answer

...on which layers of microelectoncis are built.

There's etching, yes, but only after you build up a layer to etch into.

Infinik · Answer

CalifJimA has a B over which is formed a C
Integrated circuits are formed from a wafer or substrate over which are formed patterned microelectronics layers.

Hmm. You changed has to are formed. Now it seems awkward with two uses of are formed in the same sentence. Aren't you talking about "printed circuits"? In that case the layers are printed on the wafers, aren't they? That seems more specific, and better, than formed over. I don't know the process, so maybe a verb like etched is better than printed, but in any case it seems to me that formed is too vague to describe the process accurately. are formed almost suggests that the layers spontaneously take on a form on their own, without guidance, through some chemical reaction, for example. And I don't think that's how the process works.

Integrated circuits are made from a wafer or substrate on which patterned microelectronics layers are printed.

Maybe others will have further suggestions.

CJ

A good point made, as your suggestion is much clearer than the sentence in doubt. But to supplement, there's more description following this sentence in the original paragraph so to explain how those are formed in particular. So two "formed" here are understandable and acceptable in context. Secondly, "printed" is as vague as "formed" but both are used frequently in the field when refering generally to the formation of patterned layers or circuits.

A has a B over which is formed a C.

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