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Debpriya De Posted 17 years ago
Grammar
Noun clause
" It's never a good sign when your parents stop trusting you."
Is "when your parents stop trusting you" a noun clause or an adverb clause ?
It seems to be a noun clause , but then how can it refer to "it" ?
Here "it" refers to a sign , whereas " when your parents stop trusting you" is referring to a
point in time.
Is "when your parents stop trusting you" a noun clause or an adverb clause ?
It seems to be a noun clause , but then how can it refer to "it" ?
Here "it" refers to a sign , whereas " when your parents stop trusting you" is referring to a
point in time.
Top answer
Greetings, Depriya De, It's never a good sign when your parents stop trusting you is an example of an extraposition . A simple rule for deriving a sentence with subject extraposition from one of more orthodox ordering is: subject + predicate ~ it + predicate + subject Eg: Some grammarians apply the rule above to a type of sentence you mention. What they get is: When your parents stop trusting you + is never a good sign ~ It + is never a good sign + when your parents stop trusting you Now, you ask whether it is a nominal clause or an adverbial clause.
- Greetings, Depriya De, It's never a good sign when your parents stop trusting you is an example of an extraposition .
- A simple rule for deriving a sentence with subject extraposition from one of more orthodox ordering is: subject + predicate ~ it + predicate + subject Eg: Some grammarians apply the rule above to a type of sentence you mention.
- What they get is: When your parents stop trusting you + is never a good sign ~ It + is never a good sign + when your parents stop trusting you Now, you ask whether it is a nominal clause or an adverbial clause.
- It follows from the analysis above that its function is that of a clausal subject; therefore, it is a nominal wh-clause .
- Finally, it in this instance is devoid of any lexical meaning - it is nothing more than a space filler for the the gap that appeared after the real subject had been extraposed.
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3 Answers
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Greetings, Depriya De,
It's never a good sign when your parents stop trusting you is an example of an extraposition. A simple rule for deriving a sentence with subject extraposition from one of more orthodox ordering is:
subject + predicate ~ it + predicate + subject
Eg:
Some grammarians apply
It's never a good sign when your parents stop trusting you is an example of an extraposition. A simple rule for deriving a sentence with subject extraposition from one of more orthodox ordering is:
subject + predicate ~ it + predicate + subject
Eg:
Some grammarians apply
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Thanks Gleb ,
When your parents stop trusting you + is never a good sign ~ It + is never a good sign + when your parents stop trusting you.
I understand the role of "it" in this kind of construction , but what is the role of "it" in the second kind of construction that you mentioned-
When your parents stop trusting you, it is never a good sign.
When your parents stop trusting you + is never a good sign ~ It + is never a good sign + when your parents stop trusting you.
I understand the role of "it" in this kind of construction , but what is the role of "it" in the second kind of construction that you mentioned-
When your parents stop trusting you, it is never a good sign.
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You are welcome, Depriya De.
In total, It has four uses, two of which were exemplified in my previous post. The first one is anticipatory it - you clearly recognise it. The second one is prop it - it fills the space of a required function - generally the subject - but has little or no meaning. It is particularly frequent in expressions referring to weather and
In total, It has four uses, two of which were exemplified in my previous post. The first one is anticipatory it - you clearly recognise it. The second one is prop it - it fills the space of a required function - generally the subject - but has little or no meaning. It is particularly frequent in expressions referring to weather and
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