Finite and Nonfinite Clauses

As a working definition, let us say that clauses contain at least a verb phrase:

[MC [VP Stop]]
[MC David [VP composed an aria] when he was twelve]
[MC My solicitor [VP sent me a letter] yesterday]

As these examples show, clauses can also contain many other elements, but for now we will concentrate on the VP. We have already seen that verbs (and therefore the VPs that contain them) are either FINITE or NONFINITE, so we can use this distinction to classify clauses. Clauses are either finite or nonfinite.

Finite verb phrases carry tense, and the clauses containing them are FINITE CLAUSES:

[1] She writes home every day (finite clause -- present tense verb)
[2] She wrote home yesterday (finite clause -- past tense verb)

On the other hand, nonfinite verb phrases do not carry tense. Their main verb is either a to-infinitive [3], a bare infinitive [4], an -ed form [5], or an -ing form [6]:

[3] David loves [to play the piano]
[4] We made [David play the piano]
[5] [Written in 1864], it soon became a classic
[6] [Leaving home] can be very traumatic

These are NONFINITE CLAUSES.

Matrix clauses are always finite, as in [1] and [2]. However, they may contain nonfinite subordinate clauses within them. For example:

[MC David loves [SubC to play the piano]]

Here we have a finite matrix clause -- its main verb loves has the present tense form. Within it, there is a nonfinite subordinate clause to play the piano -- its main verb play has the to-infinitive form.

On the other hand, subordinate clauses can be either finite or nonfinite:

Finite: He said [SubC that they stayed at a lovely hotel] -- past tense

Nonfinite: I was advised [SubC to sell my old car] -- to-infinitive

Subordinate Clause Types

Subordinate clauses may be finite or nonfinite. Within this broad classification, we can make many further distinctions. We will begin by looking at subordinate clauses which are distinguished by their formal characteristics.

Many subordinate clauses are named after the form of the verb which they contain:

TO-INFINITIVE CLAUSE:

You must book early [to secure a seat]

BARE INFINITIVE CLAUSE:

They made [the professor forget his notes]

-ING PARTICIPLE CLAUSE:

His hobby is [collecting old photographs]

-ED PARTICIPLE CLAUSE:

[Rejected by his parents], the boy turned to a life of crime

For convenience, we sometimes name a clause after its first element:

IF-CLAUSE:

I'll be there at nine [if I catch the early train]

As we'll see on the next page, if-clauses are sometimes called conditional clauses.

THAT-CLAUSE:

David thinks [that we should have a meeting]

The that element is sometimes ellipted:

David thinks [we should have a meeting]

Relative Clauses

An important type of subordinate clause is the RELATIVE CLAUSE. Here are some examples:

The man [who lives beside us] is ill
The video [which you recommended] was terrific

Relative clauses are generally introduced by a relative pronoun, such as who, or which. However, the relative pronoun may be ellipted:

The video [you recommended] was terrific

Another variant, the REDUCED RELATIVE CLAUSE, has no relative pronoun, and the verb is nonfinite:

The man [living beside us] is ill
(Compare: The man [who lives beside us]...)

Date: 2015-12-17; view: 830