Attributive Clauses

Like attributive adjuncts in a simple sentence, attributive clauses qualify the thing denoted by its head word through some actions, state or situation in which the thing is involved.

It has been customary to make distinction between two types of attributive sub-clauses: restrictive and continuative or amplifying clauses¹. This division is however too absolute to cover all patterns.

Restrictive clauses are subordinate in meaning to the clause containing the antecedent; continuative clauses are more independent: their contents might often be expressed by an independent statement giving some additional information about the antecedent that is already sufficiently defined. Continuative clauses may be omitted without affecting the precise understanding of the sentence as a whole. This is marked by a different intonation, and by a clear break preceding the continuative clause, no such break separating a restrictive clause from its antecedent. The presence or absence of such a pause is indicated in writing and in print by the presence or absence of a comma before as well as after the sub-clause.

It may also be pointed out that a sentence with a restrictive clause contains a single statement, and a sentence with a continuative clause contains two statements.

¹ The two types of clauses are also known as "defining" and "non-defining".

Compare the following:

I.a) There was a machine in the kitchen which could extract the juiceof two hundred oranges in half an hour. (Fitzgerald)

b) The room was long with windows on the right-hand side and a door at the far end that went into the dressing-room.(Hemingway)

c) He made frequent references to the plan that had already beenput in. (Gordon)

d) And to think of it, I dreamed in my innocence that the persons whosat in the high places, who lived in fine houses and had educations and bank accounts, were worth while!(London)

II. a) A sensation of comfort would pass through Winton, which would lastquite twenty minutes after the crunching of the wheels and the mingled perfumes had died away. (Galsworthy)

b) Soames, who had never studied the question and was hampered by not knowing whether he wanted an Englishman to do it, was hesitating. (Galsworthy)

c) And he only stared at Michael, who was gazing out of thewindow. (Galsworthy)

d) Up on the lawn above the fernery he could see his old dog Balthazar. The animal, whose dim eyes took his master for a stranger,was warning the world against him. (Galsworthy)

Continuative clauses may well illustrate the statement that it is impossible to draw a rigid line of demarcation between subordination and coordination. The relative which may refer to a preceding sentence or part of a sentence.

The conference was postponed, which was exactly what we wanted.

A word should be said about attributive clauses introduced by relative adverbs functioning as conjunctions: when, where, why. This is the case when the antecedent meaning time, place, reason.

We met where the roads crossed.

Iremember the day when the war broke out.

We understand the reason why you did not want to come.

These clauses are commonly referred to as attributive qualifying a noun in the main clause.

We cannot fail to see, however, that the above sentences are suggestive of adverbial relations. This is especially prominent when the clause is -continuative:

In those days, when she lived with us...

Overlapping relations will be observed in clauses introduced by as, after an antecedent qualified by same or such:

We found such things as you never saw.

In literary English a noun in a negative sentence may be defined by a clause introduced by but: When a but-clause has a subject of its own, adverbial relations are quite prominent, e. g.:

Not a day went by but some news came from our correspondent.

Synonymic alternatives of attributive clauses are following.

a) Infinitival nominals:

Cowperwood was not the man to loose a chance of this kind.(Dreiser)

There is nothing to prevent you from making as great a success as Mr. Butler has made. (London)

But Ihad no thought. I didn't even have the words with which to think.(London)

Brian wished they could eat breakfast there, but saw nothing on the table except a, mug of tea to be drunk byhis father.(Sillitoe)

b) Gerundive nominals:

The idea of its being barbarousto confine wild animals had probably never ever occurred to his father, for instance. (Galsworthy)

He doesn't know very much about Tom, though he says he's read a Chicago paper for years just on the chance of catching a glimpse ofDaisy's name. (Fitzgerald)

c) Participial nominals:

A look of effort marked everyone: they came down with kukris no longer used, and loads bearing no resemblance to the neat shape ofa pack. (Sillitoe)

It was warm, and frightening if he thought too much, but he went on a few feet until reaching drifts of hot dust piled almost to the top bricks.(Sillitoe)

Clauses of Cause

Introduced by the conjunction because sub-clauses of cause indicate purely causal relations.

And because they were all laughingit seemed to Leila that they were all lovely. (Mansfield)

... You remember the other time I was here I said I couldn't talk about books and things because I didn't know how?(London)

Clauses introduced by as and since have sometimes overlapping relationships of cause and time. The necessary meaning is signalled by the context.

Pouring out a pot he drank it neat and, as its warm glow spread through him,he felt he could face the evening more easily. (Gordon)

Later when they had managed to compose themselves they went to the theatre. Since he gave her free choiceshe selected "Saint Joan". (Cronin)

I could not stay as it was late.

Causal relations may find their expression in clauses introduced by the conjunction for. Patterns of this kind are on the borderline between co-ordination and subordination. Only in some contexts of their use for-clauses come to be synonymous and go quite parallel with causal clauses included by because.

He had to be cautious, for he was so rapidly coming to be influential and a distinguished man. (Dreiser)

Soames was alone again. How long, alone, he didn't know for he was tired,and in spite of his concern, he dozed. (Galsworthy)

In most cases clause-patterns with for differ essentially from clauses introduced by because. They generally give an additional thought to the completed part of sentence to extend the meaning of the utterance; they often come after a full stop and seem to function as separate sentences having much in common with clauses introduced by the conjunctions but and and.

Subordinate clauses of cause have their synonymic alternatives:

a) Infinitival nominals:

She was angry now to think her father would make a public spectacle of her.Cowperwood started to follow. (Dreiser)

He was proud tohave been privileged to publish a poemwhich in psychological content, quality of workmanship, and direct human interest, was by far the most striking of this generation. (Galsworthy)

b) Gerundive nominals:

Cursed was the day he had met her, and his eyes for seeing in her anything but the cruel Venus shewas. (Galsworthy)

c) Participial nominals:

The afternoon being grey and cold, we did not go anywhere. This being the case,they had to change their plan.

d) reduced sub-clauses of cause (verbless predicatives):

... The lines at the sides of the eyes were deepened. Naturally dark of skin,gloom made him look slightly sinister. (Dreiser)

Would they like him? They would not — too unshackled, too fitful, and too bitter; all that was best in him he hid away, as if ashamed of it; and his yearning for beauty they would not understand! (Galsworthy)

Not much give and take about Desert restless, disharmonic, and a poet! And proud— with that inner self-depreciative pride which never let upon a man! (Galsworthy)

Clauses of Place

Clauses of place do not offer any difficulties of grammatical analysis; they are generally introduced by the relative adverb where or by the phrasefromwhere, to where, e. g.:

They passed alongside the Royal Enclosure where book-makers did not seem to be admitted.(Galsworthy)

The sun-blinds were down, for the sun was streaming on its front, past the old oak, where was now no swing.(Galsworthy)

Where there's a will, there's a way. (Proverb)

... „Show me", he said, and moved in the tail-light of thecar to where the chauffeur stood pointing.(Galsworthy)

Like in other types of complex sentences, clauses introduced by the adverb where are sometimes on the borderline between subordination and co-ordination, meant to continue the narrative associated with the previous statement rather than indicate the place where action took place, e. g.:

... And a sob that shook him from head to foot burst from Soames' chest. Then all was still in the dark, where the houses seemed to stare at him, each to each with a master and mistress of its own, and a secret story of happiness or sorrow.(Galsworthy)

Temporal Clauses

Temporal clauses cover a wide and varied range of meanings.

Relations of time between the action of the main clause and that of the subordinate may differ: the two actions or states may be simultaneous, one may precede or follow the other, or, say, one may last until the other begins, etc.

When she moved to put a chair for him, she swayed in a curious, subtle way, as if she had been, put together by some one with a special secret skill. (Galsworthy)

As he passed through the stray groups of couples,he was conscious of a pair of pale grey eyes peering at him through a cloud of blue tobacco smoke. (Gordon)

Sit down, when I've taken off my thingswe shall go into the next room and have tea and be cosy. (Mansfield)

When he had finished his tea Andrew withdrew. (Cronin)

Reduced sub-clauses of time will be illustrated by such patterns as:

When at Rome, do as the Romans do. (Proverb)

When angry count a hundred. (Proverb)

Back in his study, he sat in thought. (Galsworthy)

Back with her accounts, she could not settle to them, and pushing them into a drawer, went to find her husband. (Galsworthy)

Synsemantic in their character, temporal clauses have often a mixed meaning. In some patterns there is only a suggestion of the secondary meaning, in others it is fairly prominent.

In different contexts of their use sub-clauses of time may change their primary meaning. In some patterns there is a suggestion of conditional relations, as in:

Women did strange things when they were driven into corners.(Galsworthy)

When the pinch comes, you remember the old shoe. (Proverb)

Instances are not few when temporal clauses are suggestive of causal relations, e. g.:

She made a little curtsy as he bowed.(Mitchell)

It is to be noted that secondary meanings are generally signalled not so much by the grammatical organisation of the sentence as by the lexical context which is the first to be considered relevant.

Studying syntax in relation to vocabulary presents here its own point of interest.

Not less characteristic are the secondary meanings implied in a sub-clause of time in such contexts when it comes to indicate an action or state as contrasted to that of the main clause.

Examples of such sentences may be found in numbers.

She neared her father's house, driven this way and that, while all the time the Forsyte undertow was drawing her to deep conclusion that after all he was her property.(Galsworthy)

"So you came, didn't you?" he went on, looking at her steadily, while she fronted his gaze boldly for a moment;only tolook evasively down. (Dreiser)

While Mackenty meditated as to how in two years he should be able to undo this temporary victory, and Cowperwood was deciding that conciliation was the best policy for him, Schryhart, Hand and Arneel, joining hands with young Macdonald, were wondering how they could make sure that this party victory would cripple Cowperwood and permanently prevent him from returning to power. (Dreiser)

Why should he be put to the shifts and the sordid disgraces and the lurking defeats of the Divorce Court, when there was she like an empty house only waiting to be retaken into use and possession by him who legally ownedher. (Galsworthy)

He turned about again, and there stood with his back against the door, as hers was against the wall opposite, quite unconscious of anything ridiculous in this separation by the whole width of the room.

The implication of contrast is often clear in reduced clauses of time, e. g.:

His manner, while warmly generous at times,was also easily distant except when he wished it to be otherwise. (Dreiser)

Synonymic alternatives of sub-clauses of time:

a) Gerundive Nominals:

Dartie, on being told,was pleased enough. (Galsworthy)

The crime seems to have been committed late in the evening, and the

body was found by a gamekeeper about eleven o'clock, when it was examined

by the police and by a doctor before being carried up to the house.

(Doyle)

Then after having Kathleen tighten her corsets a little more,

she gathered the train over her arm by its train-band and looked again.

(Dreiser)

b) Infinitival Nominals:

The door was not fastened within, and yielded smoothly to her hesitating hand. She was surprised to find a bright light burning;still more surprised, on looking in, to see that her Mama, but partially undressed was sitting near... (Dickens)

His head, now grey, was encircled by her arm, and he frowned to think that never, never had it rested so before. (Dickens)

c) Participial Nominals:

Arrived, however, at thisother white house,also desirable, situated on the slope above the river, he almost had a fit while waiting for them in the car. (Galsworthy)

Being released, his face discovered to be very hot, and red, and damp; and Miss Tox took him on her lap, much exhausted. (Galsworthy)

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 918