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Pructus Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

Toni Morrison's 'Song of Solomon'

Hi, everybody!

Following is from Toni Morrison's 'Song of Solomon'.

*********

But there were properties nobody wanted yet, or little edges of property somebody didn't want Jews to have, or Catholics to have, or properties nobody knew were of any value yet.

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I am not sure how to undestand "properties nobody knew were of any value yet."

Is it, (A) "properties, nobody knew, were of any value yet."........

or, (B) "properties which nobody knew (that they) were of any value yet."

Between A and B, which is correct understanding?

Or can there be another explanation to this difficult sentence?
  

Top answer

B is quite good

  • B is quite good
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4 Answers
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Thanks, Marius!

Then, it should be considered as a wrong sentence, omitting without on solid grammatical rules?
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There's nothing wrong there.

In the structure

*properties that nobody knew that they were of any value yet

the first that is optional1, and the that they must be deleted, thus yielding:

properties (that) nobody knew were of any value yet.

See and, especially, .

CJ

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AnonymousThanks, Marius!

Then, it should be considered as a wrong sentence, omitting without on solid grammatical rules?

Who said anything about the original being wrong?

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