Await him who we don't know who he is?

Question

Hello,How can we combine two sentences with a relative pronoun clause?Await himWe don't know who he isSomething like " Await him who we don't know who he is"?Thanks for help.

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

Well, that certainly seems wrong.  'We await we know not who(m)' is not what you are looking for, but it seems to me to be the way to do that.

Zazzex · Answer

"Await him who we don't know who he is"?

Is this correct?

"Await him who we don't know who is"?

Mister Micawber · Answer

I have already indicated that it is not.

Zazzex · Answer

Thanks for reply

I am sorry to say this, but in my view, your sentence 'We await we know not who' does not seem to be right to me gramatically.

And in my second question, I suggested a little different version in the last line, which seems better to me, so I asked again. Could you please explain why that is not correct? I would appreciate it.

Mister Micawber · Answer

Well, you explain first what seems wrong grammatically with my sentence and makes you sorry to say it.

Zazzex · Answer

'We await we know not who'

Sorry my English is not that good, so I feel hard to explain.

I think it should be in the form of "We await + noun form of someone"

"we know not who" is not in that form.

and I think it should be corrected to "we do not know who"

but "we do not know who" who standing by itself does not seem to be grammatically correct .

So it should be changed to "we do not know who he is"

Then, it makes "We await we do not know who he is" This does not sound good either.

So, my suggestion is how about "We await him who we do not know he is"

or

"We await him whom we do not know he is"

I am not sure any is correct.

CalifJim · Answer

zazzexHow can we combine two sentences with a relative pronoun clause?

Await him

We don't know who he is

Something like " Await him who we don't know who he is"?

I assume you already know the correct procedure for combining pairs of sentences in this way. However, note that not all pairs of sentences can be combined naturally using a relative clause. Specifically, a sentence in which the element to be pronomialized is buried in a subordinate noun clause is impossible to combine in this way -- with few exceptions.

In the case at hand, the he in the second sentence is the element to be pronomialized. (It becomes who.) Applying the usual procedure creates an ungrammatical nonsense sentence.

*Await him who we don't know who is.

___

Here are other examples where the usual procedure for combining sentences using a relative clause absolutely does not work. Ungrammatical nonsense sentences are generated in every case because the element to be pronomialized is buried in a subordinate noun clause. The element to be pronomialized is underlined and the subordinate noun clause is placed in parentheses for your convenience in analyzing these anomalous cases.

I heard about it.

I have no idea (what it looks like).

> *I heard about it which I have no idea what looks like.
___

Lucy found them.
Nobody saw (what they were).

> *Lucy found them which nobody saw what were.
___

Marian didn't mail the letter.
Larry didn't know (why the letter was on the table).

> *Marian didn't mail the letter which Larry didn't know why was on the table.

CJ

Zazzex · Answer

Thanks for clarifying.

So in this case, I guess I just have to say as follows:

"Await him and we don't know who he is."

Thanks.

CalifJim · Answer

zazzexSo in this case, I guess I just have to say as follows:

"Await him and we don't know who he is."

Yes. In these cases you have leave the sentences uncombined, or you have to reword in some way. You could also reword like this:

Await the man whose identity is unknown to us.

But that's changing almost everything, and I don't think that's what you wanted to do.

CJ

Khoff · Answer

CalifJim*Marian didn't mail the letter which Larry didn't know why was on the table.

NOTE -- This sentence was given as an example of a BAD sentence! Do not try this at home!

CJ -- I think I have developed an unhealthy obsession with this sentence. It's so awful, so wrong, and yet -- so perfectly comprehensible! And it keeps leading me farther and farther into oblivion .. ..

Marian didn't mail the letter when which Larry didn't know why was on the table?

Marian didn't mail the letter which which Larry didn't know was on the table -- Larry Jones or Larry Smith?

Marian didn't mail the letter to who/whom which Larry didn't know was on which table?

and so on....

Await him who we don't know who he is?

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