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Daniel Kies Department of English College of DuPage |
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| Modern English
Grammar English 2126 |
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Functions of Subordinate Clauses
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When a subordinate clause assumes the grammatical function of a noun phrase, that clause is said to be functioning as a nominal subordinate clause. Noun phrases, remember, can function as subject, object, complement, or even occasionally as adverbial. Some examples of nominal subordinate clauses we have studied already are in examples (12), (13), (14), (17), and (18).
Very often, a relative clause is embedded in a noun phrase, functioning as a postmodifier. As noted above, the relative clause is also marked by its distinctive formal characteristics. We have studied relative clauses already in of noun phrase postmodification (see example h) in the noun phrase section. Relative clauses in English may also assume a nominal function, as we have already seen in examples (12), (27), (28), and (29) above.
When a subordinate clause functions like an adverbial, that clause is said to have adverbial function. Sentences (21) through (26) all contain examples of different forms of subordinate clauses functioning as adverbials.
Finally, when a subordinate clause functions to compare one element of a clause with another, that clause is said to have a comparative function. Consider (30) for example.
(30) An example of a comparative clause Emily is not as tall as Liz is Subordinator Subject Verb Comparative Clause Main Clause Subordinate Clause Clause Complex At this point in the discussion of the clause complex, it is not unusual for one's head to spin. There are after all so may different forms, and each form can serve so many distinct functions.
What we need to remember at times like these is that language is our primary means of social interaction; that we are complex creatures filled with ideas and dreams. So too our language through which we express our thoughts must be just as rich as we are ourselves. Although the initial impression appears to be one of confusion, we should console ourselves by observing that the problem is, at its heart, a really quite ordinary human problem. When we think about this problem in its most general terms, we realize that each of us human beings (a "form" so to speak) serves several roles (or "functions") in our lives. In short, we humans are multi-faceted, so it is no wonder that each part of our language is multi-faceted too.
A FORM serves several FUNCTIONS in different CONSTITUENT GROUPS. a human child parents mother/father children wife/husband spouse colleague co-workers friend acquaintances teacher students employee employer citizen local & national governments etc. ... On a much smaller scale, we can see a similar multiplicity of roles is served by each constituent in every human language. The noun phrase, for example, has multiple roles. We have seen noun phrases work as subjects, objects, adverbials, and complements of both the clause and the prepositional phrase.
(31) The council voted to defeat the amendment. [noun phrase as subject]
(32) Citizens then petitioned their representatives. [noun phrase as object]
(33) The citizens are the taxpayers after all. [noun phrase as complement of the clause]
(34) The council capitulated to the wishes of the voters. [noun phrase as complement of preposition]
(35) The next day, the council reversed itself. [noun phrase as adverbial]
However, it is not just elements at the word or phrase rank that must serve many functions in different contexts. So too each clause serves many different functions simultaneously.
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