Exclamation

Question

Please check the sentence below.One of the biggest problems that I have with the UK is how expensive things are here.In the sentence, I don't understand the complement clause "how expensive things are here." Is the clause changed from an exclamation "How expensive things are!"? My question sounds some weird, but anyway I don't understand how the sentence was composed.

Enoon · Accepted Answer

The exclamatory construction would be, "How expensive are things!" But the meaning of "how" is the same in that and in your sentence: "One of the biggest problems that I have with the UK is how expensive things are here." It is an adverb meaning "to what degree". Its use is somewhat idiomatic, though, I agree.

RandomGuy · Answer

Gu-Hoon KwonIs the clause changed from the exclamation "How expensive things are!"?

Yes, that would be its main clause counterpart. It expresses that things are remarkably expensive there.

CalifJim · Answer

Gu-Hoon KwonOne of the biggest problems that I have with the UK is how expensive things are here.

~ ... is the degree to which things are expensive here.

"how expensive things are here" is called a noun clause in traditional grammar.

Similarly,

One of the biggest problems in this city is how heavy the traffic is.
_________________

The exclamation uses the same words in the same order, but in that form it's not called a noun clause.

CJ

RandomGuy · Answer

CalifJim"how expensive things are here" is called a noun clause in traditional grammar.

And an exclamative content clause in modern grammar.

CalifJim · Answer

Aspara GusAnd an exclamative content clause in modern grammar.

What are you seeing that makes you say that in preference to this?

And an interrogative content clause in modern grammar.

CJ

RandomGuy · Answer

CalifJimWhat are you seeing that makes you say that in preference to this?
And an interrogative content clause in modern grammar.

In the first place, the clause is unambiguously exclamative: it presupposes that things in the UK are remarkably expensive; it doesn’t express the question “How expensive are things here?”, where the degree of expensiveness is to be indicated in the answer. Second, exclamative how can modify another degree modifier such as very (…is how very expensive things are here. / How very expensive things are here!), but interrogative how can’t (*How very expensive are things here?).

Sometimes there is ambiguity between exclamative and interrogative content clause constructions, as in She forgot how old they were, which means either "She forgot what their ages were” (the interrogative reading) or “She forgot how remarkably old they were” (the exclamative reading).

CalifJim · Answer

So the context makes a difference?

One of the biggest problems that I have with the UK is how expensive things are here. (exclamative)

I don't know how expensive things are here. (interrogative?)

Or does the "very" argument outweigh the context argument?

How very expensive things are here!
Therefore,
I don't know how expensive things are here. (exclamative?)

CJ

RandomGuy · Answer

CalifJimHow very expensive things are here!
Therefore,
I don't know how expensive things are here. (exclamative?)

I don’t understand the reasoning here. In any case, an exclamative interpretation there would be extremely unlikely, but very likely in She doesn’t know how expensive things are here (= She doesn’t know how remarkably expensive things are here).

I presented the very argument as syntactic evidence after establishing that the content clause in the OP’s sentence was unambiguously exclamative, since the main clause interrogative counterpart *How very expensive are things here? is not possible while the exclamative one How very expensive things are here! is.

CalifJim · Answer

Aspara GusI don’t understand the reasoning here.

The reasoning is the same as your reasoning.

You reasoned that the clause 'how expensive things are here' can be expanded to 'how very expensive things are here' without creating an ungrammatical sequence of words; therefore, 'how expensive things are here' is an exclamative content clause rather than an interrogative content clause.

I reasoned the same as you did, and called 'how expensive things are here' an exclamatory content clause in I don't know how expensive things are here. I noted that the clause 'how very expensive things are here' is grammatical, which is what you said about the previous case as support for the classification "exclamative content clause" in that case.

Now you seem not to believe that the reasoning involving the addition of 'very' is valid. From the very beginning I didn't believe it was valid either. So it's my way of saying that all the talk about adding 'very' is irrelevant to determining whether we're dealing with an exclamatory or an interrogative clause — unless we have already decided which it is by other means, namely, context, by which I mean the rest of the sentence. The "very argument" is just obfuscating icing on the cake as I see it. Don't you think?

CJ

CalifJim · Answer

Aspara Gusas in She forgot how old they were, which means either "She forgot what their ages were” (the interrogative reading) or “She forgot how remarkably old they were” (the exclamative reading).

Right. That makes me ask what of any importance hinges on separating the two types of content clause, i.e., recognizing the difference? Can't they be combined into one type without disturbing anything in the world of grammar?

CJ

Exclamation

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions