that and what

Question

In the cleft sentence:  It was the excess of authority that caused his anger.  What is the function of that?Is it correct to say:It was the excess of authority what caused his anger?Thanks.

Cool Breeze · Accepted Answer

4444mvIt was the excess of authority that caused his anger. What is the function of that?

That is a relative pronoun.

4444mvIs it correct to say:It was the excess of authority what caused his anger?

No.

CB

CalifJim · Answer

4444mvIn the cleft sentence: It was the excess of authority that caused his anger. What is the function of that?

It's a required element of a cleft sentence. Some analysts call it a relative pronoun, albeit an unusual type of relative pronoun. Personally, I resist that description, because in that sentence, for example, there is no reference in that sentence to the entity "the excess of authority that caused his anger".

In another example, there are two analyses of this.

It was the story that was discussed.

As an answer to Which story was it?, that was discussed is a relative clause.
As an implied negative answer to Did they discuss the novel?it's part of a cleft structure.

4444mvIt was the excess of authority what caused his anger?

It's not correct, but in literature that structure is sometimes used to show that a fictional character is unschooled or is from some particular region or social class.

CJ

4444mv · Answer

Cool Breeze 4444mvIt was the excess of authority that caused his anger. What is the function of that?That is a relative pronoun.4444mvIs it correct to say:It was the excess of authority what caused his anger?No.CB

Thank you CB. If I compare: It was the excess of authority that caused his anger with The boy that broke the window is outside. Is that caused his anger a restrictive relative clause in the same way as that broke the window?
The difference I can see is that after the first sentence a predicate is missing. There is something I can't understand.
Could yo help me?

4444mv · Answer

CalifJim 4444mvIn the cleft sentence: It was the excess of authority that caused his anger. What is the function of that?It's a required element of a cleft sentence. Some analysts call it a relative pronoun, albeit an unusual type of relative pronoun. Personally, I resist that description, because in that sentence, for example, there is no reference in that sentence to the entity "the excess of authority that caused his anger".In another example, there are two analyses of this.It was the story that was discussed.As an answer to Which story was it?, that was discussed is a relative clause.As an implied negative answer to Did they discuss the novel?it's part of a cleft structure.4444mvIt was the excess of authority what caused his anger?It's not correct, but in literature that structure is sometimes used to show that a fictional character is unschooled or is from some particular region or social class.CJ

Oh, that's why there was something I couldn't understand. I compared (1) that caused his anger and (2) that broke the window and something was missing in clause (1). In the cleft sentence, how do we call what follows that that if we consider it is not a relative pronoun?
Thanks CJ!

CalifJim · Answer

4444mvIn the cleft sentence, ~~how~~ what do we call what follows that that if we consider it is not a relative pronoun?

I don't think you meant that. It's not what follows "that" which is sometimes called a relative pronoun. It is "that" itself that is sometimes called a relative pronoun. The whole clause (that and what follows it) is called a relative clause.

1. Many grammarians call the "that" in a cleft sentence a relative pronoun (even though it works somewhat differently than a typical relative pronoun). You may as well call it a relative pronoun, just as they do.

2. I don't like the name "relative pronoun" for that that. I haven't invented a special name of my own, so I just call it "a required element of a cleft sentence". That's probably not what you should call it in any class work you do in English because I'm probably the only one who calls it that. You can invent your own name for your own private use if you want, maybe "a cleft relative clause".

CJ

4444mv · Answer

CalifJim 4444mvIn the cleft sentence, how what do we call what follows that that if we consider it is not a relative pronoun?I don't think you meant that. It's not what follows "that" which is sometimes called a relative pronoun. It is "that" itself that is sometimes called a relative pronoun. The whole clause (that and what follows it) is called a relative clause.1. Many grammarians call the "that" in a cleft sentence a relative pronoun (even though it works somewhat differently than a typical relative pronoun). You may as well call it a relative pronoun, just as they do.2. I don't like the name "relative pronoun" for that that. I haven't invented a special name of my own, so I just call it "a required element of a cleft sentence". That's probably not what you should call it in any class work you do in English because I'm probably the only one who calls it that. You can invent your own name for your own private use if you want, maybe "a cleft relative clause". CJ

I know that that is the relative pronoun. I meant what do we call what follows this 'that' in a cleft sentence. From now on I'll call it a "cleft relative clause".
Thanks CJ!

Anonymous · Answer

Strictly speaking, that is a subordinator, but it doesn’t hurt to consider it a relative pronoun. That caused his anger qualifies as a relative clause per Huddleston and Pullum’s definition (from A Student’s Introduction to English Grammar):

The relation between a pronoun and its antecedent is called anaphora, and it is a crucial property of relative clauses that they always contain an element - actually present or understood - that is anaphorically related to an antecedent from which it derives its interpretation. This is the basis for the term ‘relative clause’, and likewise for ’relative pronoun’.

If you believe a relative clause must answer, e.g., “Which X is it?”, then you end up calling non-restrictive relatives something else as well. That can’t be a good idea.

4444mv · Answer

AnonymousStrictly speaking, that is a subordinator, but it doesn’t hurt to consider it a relative pronoun. That caused his anger qualifies as a relative clause per Huddleston and Pullum’s definition (from A Student’s Introduction to English Grammar):The relation between a pronoun and its antecedent is called anaphora, and it is a crucial property of relative clauses that they always contain an element - actually present or understood - that is anaphorically related to an antecedent from which it derives its interpretation. This is the basis for the term ‘relative clause’, and likewise for ’relative pronoun’.If you believe a relative clause must answer, e.g., “Which X is it?”, then you end up calling non-restrictive relatives something else as well. That can’t be a good idea.

Thank you!

4444mv · Answer

As regards your correction:, ~~how~~ what do we call what follows that..., now I have a doubt: do we use 'how' when we refer to people? For instance, how will you call your baby?
Thanks.

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