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Hugh Riddle Posted 12 years ago
Grammar
Puzzled by simple-looking sentence
I found the sentence below confusing to analyse and wonder whether I have got it right.
'I sat writing down what John had told me.'
1. 'I sat' is the independent clause.
2. 'writing down what John had told me' is a participial adverbial phrase, modifying the verb 'sat'.
3. 'what John had told me' is a clause with: subject John, verb had told, object what, indirect object me.
I can't find much dicussion of 'what' except that it can imply 'that which'; in that case, what part of speech is it? I'd be very glad for any comment or correction.
'I sat writing down what John had told me.'
1. 'I sat' is the independent clause.
2. 'writing down what John had told me' is a participial adverbial phrase, modifying the verb 'sat'.
3. 'what John had told me' is a clause with: subject John, verb had told, object what, indirect object me.
I can't find much dicussion of 'what' except that it can imply 'that which'; in that case, what part of speech is it? I'd be very glad for any comment or correction.
Top answer
Hi, I looked it up for you. ' What John had told me' is identified by Quirk & Greenbaum as a nominal relative clause . ' What' is classified as a pronoun, or more specifically, a nominalized relative pronoun.
- Hi, I looked it up for you.
- ' What John had told me' is identified by Quirk & Greenbaum as a nominal relative clause .
- ' What' is classified as a pronoun, or more specifically, a nominalized relative pronoun.
- It is called that way because essentially it is a combination of 'that+which'.
- 'That' refers to a nominal reference of some kind.
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4 Answers
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Hi,
I looked it up for you. 'What John had told me' is identified by Quirk & Greenbaum as a nominal relative clause. 'What' is classified as a pronoun, or more specifically, a nominalized relative pronoun. It is called that way because essentially it is a combination of 'that+which'. 'That' refers to a nominal reference of some kind. Such sentences can always
I looked it up for you. 'What John had told me' is identified by Quirk & Greenbaum as a nominal relative clause. 'What' is classified as a pronoun, or more specifically, a nominalized relative pronoun. It is called that way because essentially it is a combination of 'that+which'. 'That' refers to a nominal reference of some kind. Such sentences can always
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Thanks dokterjokkebrok, that really helped me understand that one.
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Others would say that it is a fused relative.
Huddleston & Pullum, (2002.1068-79) The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language, Cambridge: CUP
Huddleston & Pullum, (2002.1068-79) The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language, Cambridge: CUP
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