Clause division, please i have to take an exam into 3 days time

Question

Greenhouse gas emissions increased by a record amount last year, to the highest carbon output in history, putting hopes of holding global warming to safe levels all but out of reach, according to unpublished estimates from the International Energy Agency.

The shock rise means the goal of preventing a temperature rise of more than 2 degrees Celsius – which scientists say is the threshold for potentially "dangerous climate change"– is likely to be just "a nice Utopia", according to Fatih Birol, chief economist of the IEA. It also shows the most serious global recession for 80 years has had only a minimal effect on emissions, contrary to some predictions.

Last year, a record 30.6 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide poured into the atmosphere, mainly from burning fossil fuel – a rise of 1.6Gt on 2009, according to estimates from the IEA regarded as the gold standard for emissions data.

I know that for each verb I should find one clause, but here I dont see many verbs!!

Please help me, I have to take an university exam!

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

Try to underline all the finite verbs that you can find, and then show us.

Clive

Cenni89999 · Answer

Just finite? i would also say non finite...?! no?

however i do it now

Cenni89999 · Answer

Greenhouse gas emissions increased(?) by(?) a record amount last year, to the highest carbon output in history, putting hopes of holding global warming to safe levels all but out of reach, according to unpublished(is it a verb? i dont think so...)estimates from the International Energy Agency.

The shock rise means the goal of preventing a temperature rise of more than 2 degrees Celsius – which scientists say is the threshold for potentially "dangerous climate change"– is likely to be just "a nice Utopia", according to Fatih Birol, chief economist of the IEA. It also shows the most serious global recession for 80 years has had only a minimal effect on emissions, contrary to some predictions.

Last year, a record 30.6 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide poured into the atmosphere, mainly from burning(?) fossil fuel – a rise of 1.6Gt on 2009, according to estimates from the IEA regarded as the gold standard for emissions data.

Is it right??

I would add also "say is", I couldnt underline, i dont know why

Clive · Answer

Hi,

My definition of a clasue is that it contains a finite verb. More modern definitions of a clause do not include that restriction.

What definition are you using? ie What have you been taught as the definition of a clause?

Anyway, make a start by underlining finite verbs.

Clive

Cenni89999 · Answer

My lecturer just told me: 1 verb then 1 clause. So i think she include tha non finite verb to!

But actually we didnt do many exercises in classroom so i m in difficulty

Cenni89999 · Answer

But i ve checked on the book and they write:typically a clause contains a verb phrase which is finite....

My ***, i m going crAzy

Clive · Answer

Hi,

So, start by underlining the finite verbs. I've suggested that several times. I'm not going to suggest it any more.

Clive

CalifJim · Answer

From what you've written above, it seems to me that your teacher is presenting a task far beyond the ability of his students to accomplish. Or, perhaps he has not given enough guidance about how to do this.

________________

You really do seem lost, so I've underlined verbs, and I've put in bold the endings (or 'inflections') that should alert you to the possibility that these are verbs.

"according to" is a compound preposition. It doesn't count as a verb.

The infinitive form (to be, to go, to see, ...) is always non-finite.

An -ing form that does not follow a form of be (is, are, was, ...) is always non-finite.

An -s form (is, has, does, says, ...) is always finite.

Greenhouse gas emissions increased [finite] by a record amount last year, to the highest carbon output in history, putting [non-finite] hopes of holding [non-finite] global warming to safe levels all but out of reach, according to unpublished estimates from the International Energy Agency.

The shock rise means [finite] the goal of preventing [non-finite] a temperature rise of more than 2 degrees Celsius – which scientists say [finite] is [finite] the threshold for potentially "dangerous climate change" – is [finite] likely to be [non-finite] just "a nice Utopia", according to Fatih Birol, chief economist of the IEA. It also shows [finite] the most serious global recession for 80 years has had [finite] only a minimal effect on emissions, contrary to some predictions.

Last year, a record 30.6 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide poured [finite] into the atmosphere, mainly from burning fossil fuel – a rise of 1.6Gt on 2009, according to estimates from the IEA regarded [non-finite] as the gold standard for emissions data.

I'm not sure this is enough to help you on your exam, but maybe ...

CJ

Cenni89999 · Answer

ok, I really thank you but I have got 2 further doubts: isn t holding(in the 1st paragraph) a non finite verb?

And...even if everything is clearer I wouldn t be able to do the clause dvision, would you be so kind to.....

do it?!?

CalifJim · Answer

cenni89999isn t holding(in the 1st paragraph) a non finite verb?

Yes. I went back and added that to my post.

cenni89999would you be so kind to.. do it?!?

Oh, come on! Just find the finite verbs and group together everything around them that is related to them in meaning.

Copy what I've written, and put marks like | between the clauses.

CJ

Clause division, please i have to take an exam into 3 days time

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