Antecedent of a relative clause
It is not so much what one has as what one is that matters.
I'd like to know which is the antecedent of "that matters" - "it, "what one is," or "what one has" and "what one is."
Thank you in advance for your help.
Top answer
" We don't use "antecedent" in this situation. We use that term for what precedes a pronoun and is the referent for the pronoun. "
- " We don't use "antecedent" in this situation.
- We use that term for what precedes a pronoun and is the referent for the pronoun.
- "
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It refers to "what one is." We don't use "antecedent" in this situation. We use that term for what precedes a pronoun and is the referent for the pronoun. "That matters" modifies the noun clause "what one is."
0park sang joonIt is not so much what one has as what one is that matters.
This is the cleft form of
What one has does not matter as much as what one is.
Therefore, I would not call 'that matters' a relative clause. It just seems to be a relative clause created by accident when the non-cleft sentence is changed into a cleft sentenc
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