All

Question

Hello,1. All I want is the truth.I am not able to understand the structure of the  above sentence.All= determinerI want = seems   functioning as a noun phrase ??Could any one here explain it?Thanks.

GPY · Accepted Answer

It is short for "All that I want is the truth."

"all" is a noun.

"(that) I want" modifies "all".

Vsuresh · Answer

GPYIt is short for "All that I want is the truth."

Hi GPY

Then, is it a complex sentence?
I thought over it for a while. If "that I want" is the subordinate clause, the main clause "All is the truth" sounds a little odd.

Vsuresh · Answer

hanuman_2000Could any one here explain it?

I think GPY is right.

All that I want is the truth.

It is a complex sentence.

The portion in blue is main clause and the one in red is subordinate clause- object of the verb want

All is a pronoun. "That I want" is a adjectival clause modifying the pronoun all

RandomGuy · Answer

vsureshAll that I want is the truth.

The portion in blue is main clause and the one in red is subordinate clause- object of the verb want

Actually, the blue part is a noun phrase (the subject) and the red text is a verb phrase (the predicate). The main clause is All (that) I want is the truth, and the object of want is the relative pronoun.

Vsuresh · Answer

Thank you, Aspara Gus.

I have a few questions. Please give your views.

1. I have been thinking that a structure with a subject and finite verb forming a part of another sentence, as a clause. And, that is why I thought All that I want is a clause.

2.

Aspara Gusand the object of want is the relative pronoun.

Yes, it is correct.

3. Then, how do we divide this sentence into main and subordinate clause?

RandomGuy · Answer

vsureshThen, how do we divide this sentence into main and subordinate clause?

main clause: All I want is the truth
subordinate clause: I want

The relative clause is an integral part of the subject noun phrase and therefore an integral part of the main clause. In They arrived late, which caused some delay, by contrast, the relative clause is a parenthetical element sitting outside the structure of the main clause They arrived late.

Vsuresh · Answer

Thank you, Aspara Gus.

Aspara GusThey arrived late, which caused some delay, by contrast, the relative clause is a parenthetical element sitting outside the structure of the main clause They arrived late.

Thank you for this example. I understand this.

Please help me with this.

The book which is based on Tolstoy's life is available here.

Here, when the subordinate clause- which is based on Tolstoy's life- is removed, the main clause The book is available here makes sense. I have always thought that main clause does not have the subordinate clause in it.

Say in a sentence like this " We know he was a great leader.
I divide this into We know- main clause, and (that) he was a great leader - subordinate clause.

Please tell me if I have analysed this correctly.

Since, I am not able to do the same with the original sentence I am a little confused.

Thank you for your time and effort.

RandomGuy · Answer

vsureshI have always thought that main clause does not have the subordinate clause in it

Actually, it’s very common for main clauses to contain subordinate clauses embedded within them, and in both of your examples the main clause is the whole sentence. Whether or not the sentences still make sense after removing the subordinate clause is irrelevant.

1. [The book which is based on Tolstoy's life] is available here. ...[subject]
2. We [know that he was a great leader]. ....................................[predicate]

A basic main clause consists of the words that head the subject and the predicate plus any of their dependents. The subordinate clause in [1] is a dependent of the head noun book (just as the determiner the is), and the subordinate clause in [2] is a dependent of the head verb know.

Vsuresh · Answer

Thank you,Aspara Gus.

All

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