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Takehisa Tanaka Posted 10 years ago
Grammar
Could you help me understand this excerpt?
Could you help me understand this excerpt?
This excerpt is from my grammar book:
"This division, however, has more to do with the statement as a logical category than with the structural facts of grammar. Thus the subject is often described as the constituent defining the topic of the sentence - that(a) which(b) the sentence is 'about' and which(c) it(d) presupposes as its point of departure; whereas the predicate is that which is asserted about the subject. In general, we shall find little need to refer to the predicate as a separate structural unit in the description of English grammar."
I am wondering what 'that' marked with (a) is parallel. And which,(b), which,(c), it,(d) as well.
I guess a, b and c are parallel to 'topic of the sentence'.
Am I right in thinking in that way?
This excerpt is from my grammar book:
"This division, however, has more to do with the statement as a logical category than with the structural facts of grammar. Thus the subject is often described as the constituent defining the topic of the sentence - that(a) which(b) the sentence is 'about' and which(c) it(d) presupposes as its point of departure; whereas the predicate is that which is asserted about the subject. In general, we shall find little need to refer to the predicate as a separate structural unit in the description of English grammar."
I am wondering what 'that' marked with (a) is parallel. And which,(b), which,(c), it,(d) as well.
I guess a, b and c are parallel to 'topic of the sentence'.
Am I right in thinking in that way?
Top answer
Takehisa Tanaka I am wondering what 'that' marked with (a) is parallel to . "parallel" might not be the right word, but I understand what you mean. What is the [antecedent / referent] of 'that'?
- Takehisa Tanaka I am wondering what 'that' marked with (a) is parallel to .
- "parallel" might not be the right word, but I understand what you mean.
- What is the [antecedent / referent] of 'that'?
- It is 'topic of the sentence', just as you guessed.
- The topic of the sentence is that (thing) which the sentence is 'about', and (that thing) which it (= that topic) presupposes as its point of departure.
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2 Answers
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Takehisa TanakaI am wondering what 'that' marked with (a) is parallel to."parallel" might not be the right word, but I understand what you mean.
What is the [antecedent / referent] of 'that'?
It is 'topic of the sentence', just as you guessed.
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