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Anonymous Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

Dependent clause?

In the sentence "I've just finished reading the fourth Harry Potter."

Is the object in here "reading the fourth Harry Potter", and is this a dependent/subordinate clause.
  

Top answer

"Is the object in here "reading the fourth Harry Potter" Yes, in traditional grammar, "reading the fourth Harry Potter" is seen as object of "finished". But in modern grammar many people (like me) see it as a catenative complement. Object or catenative, "the fourth Harry Potter" is unquestionably the object of "reading".

— BillJ

  • "Is the object in here "reading the fourth Harry Potter" Yes, in traditional grammar, "reading the fourth Harry Potter" is seen as object of "finished".
  • But in modern grammar many people (like me) see it as a catenative complement.
  • Object or catenative, "the fourth Harry Potter" is unquestionably the object of "reading".
  • Anonymous and is this a dependent/subordinate clause.
  • Yes, "reading the fourth Harry Potter" is a dependent/subordinate clause (a participial clause to be precise).
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2 Answers
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AnonymousIn the sentence "I've just finished reading the fourth Harry Potter."Is the object in here "reading the fourth Harry Potter"
Yes, in traditional grammar, "reading the fourth Harry Potter" is seen as object of "finished". But in modern grammar many people (like me) see it as a catenative complement. Object or catenative, "the fourth Harry Potter" is un
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Thank you for answering my question. I guess I'll have to master traditional grammar before I challenge myself with modern. The reason this sentence perplexed me was that I thought you needed a subordinating conjunction marking the dependent/subordinate clause. I guess that is not always right?
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