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Slide train 180 Posted 9 years ago
Grammar

Relative clauses subject and object

Hi there, I'm writing a term paper about relative clauses in Tok Pisin. To answer this question, you only need to know English Emotion: wink

The sentence in Tok Pisin is

"Wanpela samting tu we mi ting em I gutpela tru long hap.' which is

"There is something else which I thougt was very good there." in English.


I want to determine whether the relative clause is a subject or an object relative clause. Where is the subject and where is the object of the sentence?

Is 'there' a dummy subject?

Is 'something else' the subject? Or the object?

Is 'I' the subject of the relative clause?


Thanks in advance.

  

Top answer

There is something else which I thought was very good there . The relativised element "which" is neither subject nor object of the relative clause itself, but subject of the "was" clause embedded within it. We understand that 'something else was very good there'.

— BillJ

  • There is something else which I thought was very good there .
  • The relativised element "which" is neither subject nor object of the relative clause itself, but subject of the "was" clause embedded within it.
  • We understand that 'something else was very good there'.
  • The relative clause modifies the nominal "something else" It's an existential clause in which the subject is the dummy pronoun "there".
  • "I" is the subject of the relative clause.
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2 Answers
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There is something else which I thought was very good there.

The relativised element "which" is neither subject nor object of the relative clause itself, but subject of the "was" clause embedded within it. We understand that 'something else was very good there'.

The relative clause modifies the nominal "something else"

It's an existential clause in which the subject i

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slide train 180I want to determine whether the relative clause is a subject or an object relative clause.

Neither. The sentence stands complete without the clause. Clauses which can function as subjects, complements or and objects are called noun clauses, not relative clauses. 

There is something else.

BillJ gave you the answer about the sub

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