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Floppy3334 Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
Complex sentences / Tree diagram
Hi! I have problems analysing this sentence:
"I met Mary when I went to the cinema before I had talked to you"
As to the subordinate clause "before I had talked to you", is it dependent upon the when-clause or the main clause?
"I met Mary when I went to the cinema before I had talked to you"
As to the subordinate clause "before I had talked to you", is it dependent upon the when-clause or the main clause?
Top answer
I like this question because I am trying to understand fine details about complex sentences too. I can only take a guess here and say that every dependent clause depends on the independent clause. Both the dependent clauses depend on the independent clause, and in your example specifically, neither of the dependent clauses need another dependent clause.
- I like this question because I am trying to understand fine details about complex sentences too.
- I can only take a guess here and say that every dependent clause depends on the independent clause.
- Both the dependent clauses depend on the independent clause, and in your example specifically, neither of the dependent clauses need another dependent clause.
- Although this might not be the case where the clauses are embedded.
- The man who ate the dog which ate the bird which ate the poison which came from the sky.
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2 Answers
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I like this question because I am trying to understand fine details about complex sentences too.
I can only take a guess here and say that every dependent clause depends on the independent clause. Both the dependent clauses depend on the independent clause, and in your example specifically, neither of the dependent clauses need another dependent clause.
Although this might not b
I can only take a guess here and say that every dependent clause depends on the independent clause. Both the dependent clauses depend on the independent clause, and in your example specifically, neither of the dependent clauses need another dependent clause.
Although this might not b
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Both possibilities are allowed by the grammar, so there is an ambiguity here, though one that is not really associated with any plausible difference in truth conditions. In other words, there can be two meanings, but if one is true then so is the other.
It's a sad fact that the more adjuncts there are at the end of a sentence, the more ambiguity there is.
BillJ
It's a sad fact that the more adjuncts there are at the end of a sentence, the more ambiguity there is.
BillJ
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