Odd syntax?

Question

Hi out there,First, I'd like to thank you for your quick responses to my previous asks.Today, I've come across some strange variation of a newspaper headline. It was: Obama Aides Tamp Down Expectations. What does it really mean? What happened with syntactic order or is there still any?Sorry, but I was taught something different. SVO is not an ultimate rule but the sentence in bold above is a little bit of exaggeration for me. Is it "headline manner" or what? Help me, my English Friends Obama - nounAides - nounTamp Down - phr. verbHmm?

BarbaraPA · Accepted Answer

Hi seroMack,

Here, "Obama" is being used an adjective to say "which aides."

Like "women writers" or even "shoe stores."

And "expectations" of course is the object. So you do indeed have SVO.

SeroMack · Answer

Sorry, I tripped. I asked a wrong question. You see... I read this article ---> http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/06/us/politics/06expect.html?hp

... and according to that, it is Obama who tamps down. This made me confused.
I see your point, Grammar Geek, I knew about this however. As I said, my question was not precise.
Anyway, let's take something different... from the article

Here is another one strange for me:
President-elect Barack Obama has begun an effort to tamp down what his aides fear are unusually high expectations among his supporters.

What is the function of are in here? Does it correspond to fear or to aides?

BarbaraPA · Answer

It is a complicated sentence.

seroMack
President-elect Barack Obama -noun has begun an effort to tamp down - predicate what his aides fear are unusually high expectations among his supporters - object.

What he is tamping down are expectations. Which expections? The ones his aides fear are unusually high. The "are" goes with "what" which refers to "expectations." The expectations are feared.

Here are few other phrases that use similar constructions:

What farmers hope is a moderately dry summer. A dry summer is what is hoped for (by the farmers).

What I expect was his final performance. His final performance is what is expected.

What you plan to be your most successful party of the year. The success party if what you play.

What his aides fear are unusually high expectations.

SeroMack · Answer

So, what his aides fear is a kind of interjection which can be omitted without the meaning of the sentence being changed? Is it the same as in non-defining relative clauses?

Thanks a lot for your help, Grammar Geek.

BarbaraPA · Answer

I don't think it's non-defining. It gives you information about those expectations. Maybe they are not high at all. Maybe they are high, but not unusually high. It's his aides who are afraid they are unusually high.

Let me give you a different example.

His car stereo was blasting what some would call the best kind of music.

Let's say it was rap, something I can barely bring myself to refer to as "music" and that I certainly don't think of as the best kind.

Is that sentence the same as "His car stereo was blasting the best kind of music"? Can "what some would call" be removed from the sentence without changing the meaning?

Odd syntax?

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions