The use of relative pronouns in attributive relative clauses.

As has already been stated, attributive relative clauses are in­troduced by the following relative pronouns: who, which, that, as. In using these pronouns the following rules should be observed:

1. If the antecedent is a noun denoting a living being, who is
mostly used.

Kate turned to the general, whowas near her, his face expression­less, yet alert. (Lawrence)

2. If the antecedent is a noun denoting an inanimate object,
which is mostly used.

In this room, whichwas never used, a light was burning. (Dickens)

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The castle, whichstood on the highest platform of the clustered hills, was built oJLzough-hewn limestone. (Eliot)

3. The рrоnoun that may be used both when the antecedent is
a noun denoting a rmfig being and when it is a noun denoting
an inanimate object. But it should be noted that the use of this
pronoun in attributive clauses is limited; it is chiefly used in the
following cases:

(a) if the antecedent is the pronoun all, everything or nothing.

All thatshe dreams comes true. (Dickens)

In a word, everything thatgoes to make life precious, that boy

had. (Twain)

(b) if the antecedent is modified by an adjective in the super­
lative degree, by the adjective only or by the indefinite pronoun any.

The door opened, and there entered to us, quietly, the most re­markable-looking man that Ihad ever seen. (Collins) The Moonstone- was the only object thatinterested him in the smallest degree. (Collins) Any evil thatpeople say of him is false. (Eliot)

Note. — In these cases (a, b) the attributive clause may be connected with the principal clause asyndetically.

Time is all I want. (Dreiser)

Everything I could do to free myself came into my mind...

(Eliot)

It was the worst Sunday he had spent in his life. (Dreiser)

I think she is the only really happy woman I have ever met

with. (Collins)

4. If the antecedent is a noun modified by the demonstrative
pronoun such, the-relative pronoun as. 4s used.

For on the evening appointed for the Vauxhall party ... there came on such a thunderstorm as only happens on Vauxhall nights, and as obliged the young people, perforce, to remain at home. (Thack­eray)

Adverbial clauses.

An adverbial clause performs the function of an adverbial mod­ifier. It can modify averb, an adjective or an adverb in the principal clause.

He stopped as Kravat came rushing out. (Heym) He was getting on better than he'd expected. (Lindsay) Frank... returned to the a'uction room as fast as his legs would carry him. (Dreiser)

According to their meaning we distinguish the following kinds of adverbial clauses: adverbial clauses of time, place, cause (reason), purpose, condition, concession, result, manner, and comparison.

10 В. Л. Каушанская и др. 289

Adverbial clauses are joined to the principal clause by means of subordinating conjunctions; they are not joined to the principal clause asyndetically except sometimes adverbial clauses of con­dition.

An adverbial clause may precede the clause to which it is sub­ordinated or follow it. In the first case it is separated from the principal clause by a comma?, in the second, as a rule, no comma is used. An adverbial clause may also interrupt the principal clause, in which case a comma is used at the beginning and at the end of it.

When things are at the worst, they're sure to mend. (Collins) He was sipping the whisky and soda when she returned. (Cronin) The first words, when we had taken our seats, were spoken by my lady. (Collins)

If we have two or more homogeneous adverbial clauses they are separated from each other by a comma.

He (Oliver) was still the same gentle, attached, affectionate crea­ture that he had been when pain and suffering had wasted his strength, and when he was dependent for every slight attention and comfort on those who tended him. (Dickens)

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 1409