LM-1353 Morphosyntax I - I-2021

176 Pan III: Expanding the Sentence

In che diagram for these sentences, the vertical line betw een the
object o f the preposition and the infinitive indicates the subject—verb
boundary:

•-.e: legislature decision
We are hoping |
\ wm Imatch

Y«.

fans ■a ould like |

Some verbs that can appear in such sentences are also grammatical with-
out the preposition for:

Conchita’s fans would like her to win this match.
In these examples we have treated the infinitive and its subject as a
single unit filling the direct object slot:

Conchita’s fans would like something.
We are hoping something.
But in the following sentence, there are two slots:
We asked the uninvited guests to leave the party.
In this sentence, we have both a “som eone” and a “som ething” fol-
lowing the verb; so rather than analyze the sentence as P attern VII,
we would explain it as Pattern V III, with the “som eone” as an indirect
object:

\ leave party

We asked | Js.

\' guests

You m ight argue that the verb asked is not a “give” verb, as most Pat-
tern VIII verbs are, and that uninvited guests isn’t really a “recipient,” as

Chapter 8: Ihe Noun Phrase Functions: Nominals 177

most indirect objects are. However, the w o slots clearly have different
referents, so the Pattern VTII formula, with its N P , and NP.,, seems to fit.
W e can also transform the sentence into passive voice to show that to leave
the party occupies a separate slot from the uninvited guests:

The uninvited guests were asked to leave the party.

Ocher verbs that follow this pattern include tell, advise, invite, require,
order, and expect.

Underline the nominal verb phrases— both gerunds and infinitives— in
the following sentences. Then identify the function of each nominal verb
phrase. Finally, diagram the sentences. Be sure to think about sentence
patterns.

1. The best thing would be for you to tell the truth.
2. By remaining silent, you arc merely making the situation worse.
3. It would be foolhardy to ignore the judge’s order.
4. Raising the company’s national profile was the new owner’s

long-term goal.
5. Our composition teacher instructed us to write three drafts of every

assignment.
6. I appreciate your proofreading this final version for me.
7. I like to watch the goldfinches at the bird feeder in the morning.
8. The baby’s crying upset the rest of the passengers.

N O M INAL CLAUSES

In the preceding sections you have seen examples of verb phrases— ger-
unds and infinitives— filling N P slots. In this section you will see that
nominal clauses can do so as well:

I understand that several students have launched a protest.
I wonder what prompted their action.

These nominal clauses (also called “noun clauses”) are further examples of
dependent clauses, just as adverbial and adjectival clauses are: They do not
function as complete sentences, as independent clauses do.

178 Pan III: Expanding the Sentence

The trick of substituting a pronoun co determine the boundaries of the
N P slot is especially useful when the nominal slot it filled by a clausc, as
in the two previous examples:

I understand something.
I wonder something.

The pronoun substitutes for the entire nominal slot.
These two examples also illustrate the two kinds o f introductory words

chac signal nominal clauses: the expletive that and interrogative words
such as what. The diagrams will show a basic difference between them:

thar

SCLldeilLS Vhave launched | protesr what prompLed i action
\<^
>
V
wonder 1 / \
understand 1 >

I h e interrogative what fills a grammatical role in the clause it introduces—
in this case, that of subject; the expletive does not.

{Diagramming note: Ihe pedestal can be attached to the nominal clause
wherever it is convenient to do so. Ihe expletive is placed above che clause
it introduces and attached with a broken line, again wherever convenient.)

The Expletive That. 'Ihe term expletive refers to a sentence elemenc that
plays no grammatical role itself; it’s an added element that enables us to
manipulate a structure for reasons of emphasis and the like, ihe expletive
that makes it possible to embed one sentence as a nom inal in another
sencence. This use o f that is sometimes labeled a nominalizer. In the previ-
ous example, the Pattern VII sentence “Several students have launched a
protest” becomes the direct object in another Pattern VII sentence. The
diagram illustrates the addcd-on quality7of che explecive.

The explecive that can cum any declarative sentence into a nominal clause:

’Ihe guests from El Paso -------- ► I hope that the guests
will arrive soon. from El Paso will arrive
soon.
The common cold is
caused by a virus. -------- Thac che common cold is
caused by a virus has been
clearly established by
science.

Chapter 8: The Noun Phrase Functions: Nominals 179

W hen the that clause fills the direct object slot, as in the first example, the
sentence may be grammatical without the expletive:

I hope the guests from El Paso will arrive soon.

W hen the clause is in the subject position, however, the expletive is
required:

*The common cold is caused by a virus has been clearly established
by science.

N om inal that clauses can also function as subject com plem ents and
appositives, as the following examples illustrate:

Subject complement: Your assumption is that interest rates will
remain relatively low.

Appositive: Ihe reviewer’s criticism, that the characters lack convic-
tion' is fully justified.

35

Create a nominal that clause to fill the following slots. Identify the function
of the clause that you’ve added.

1. You should know ________________ _____________________ .

2. . makes everyone angrv.

3. My parents realize .

4. . has not occurred to them.

5. The cruth is .

6. The fact__ disturbs me.

Investigating Language 8.2

Nominal clauses that begin with the expletive that should not be confused
with adjectival clauses that begin with the relative pronoun that. Compare the
following examples:

Nominal clause: I know that I reminded vou about the deadline.
Adjectival clause: You ignored the reminders that 1 gave vou.

Because the expletive that plays no grammatical role in its clause, the nomind
clause will be a complete sentence without the that: I remindedyou about the
deadline. But the relative pronoun that does have a role to play within its clause;
if you remove it, the remaining words won’t be a complete sentence: *1gaveyou.

180 Part HI: Expanding the Sentence

You can also distinguish between that clauses by replacing the that with
which. If the clause is adjectival, the sentence will still be grammatical:

You ignored the reminders which I gave you.

But if you subscicute which for the expletive that in a nominal clause, the
result will be clearly ungrammatical:

*1 know which I reminded you about the deadline.

Here are some more sentences with clauses introduced by that. Decide
which clauses are nominal (introduced by an expletive) and which arc adjec-
tival (introduced by a relative pronoun):

The color that you chose for the walls docsn’c match the rug.

Milcon suspects that someone has been using his computer.

ihe books that I need for chemistry class are expensive.

I suppose that the books that I need for art history will be expensive
to o ._______________ , _______________

The idea that I need your help is absurd._______________
The idea that you proposed to the committee is a brilliant one.

He gave her a look that you could have poured on a waffle. [Ring
L a r d n e r ] _______________

You can check your answers by doing a diagram co make sure that you’ve
identified the that correctly.

. T . g " n a m m ___ aw........... ■___ m sm sss^i = ....... a s s a — m am ssssss........... .... .............-

Interrogatives. O ne of rhe sample sentences we saw earlier included a
nominal clause introduced by che incerrogative what:

I wonder what prompted their action.

O ther interrogatives, or question words, chat introduce nom inal
clauses are who, whose, whom, which, where, when, why, and how.
Unlike the expletive, the interrogacive always plays a gram m atical role
in its own clause. In the previous example, what functions as the sub-
ject o f prompted. In the following sentence, w hat is che direct object
in its clause:

Chapter 8: The Noun Phrase Functions: Nominals 181

I wonder what rhe students are demanding.

students are dem anding | w hat
\*

1 wonder I ^

In both o f these examples, the what clause functions as the direct object.
Another common function of nominal clauscs introduced by interroga-
tivcs is that of subject, as shown in che next two examples:

Where you are going is no business o f mine.

Where is an interrogative adverb, so it acts as an adverb in its clause. The
interrogative pronoun who will be the subject in its own clause:

Who will be at the party remains a mystery.

Who can also be the subject complement in its clause. Here the clause fills
che direct object slot:

I don’t know who that stranger is.

In the following sentences which and what function as determ iners in
their clauses; both clauses fill the direct object slot:

I wonder which brand of vogurt has the least fat.
I can’t decide what brand I should buy.

Nominal clauses introduced by interrogatives can also function as ob-
jects o f prepositions and as appositives:

Object o fa preposition-. Clarice knows a lot about how computers work.
Appositive-. Hie dean’s question, why the students didn’t object

sooner, has not been answered.

S ^ S S S S lg S ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ g £S5aSf£gSgBBgBgSSBaSSSSa3SBBBBB3SaSBS^gBSSBSSBSBaBBS3

36

Both when and where hold membership in two word classes. As subordi-
nating conjunctions they introduce adverbial clauses; as interrogatives they
introduce nominal clauses. Idencify the function o f the where and when
clauses in the following sentences. Are they adverbial or nominal? If the clause
is nominal, identify the NP slot it fills. Also idencify the sentence patterns of
both the independent and dependent clauses.

1. Julie could noc remember where she had left her keys.
2. Rob lost his keys when he misplaced his backpack.

182 Part III: Expanding the Sentence

3. When I get in lace, my roommate gets upsec.
4. When I get home is my own business.
5. The srarship Enterpriseventures where explorers have never gone before.
6. W hen you decide where we are having dinner, give me a call.
7. When you don’t know where you are going, any road will rake you there.
8. They have finally decided where the wedding will be held.
9. W hen I am an old woman, I shall wear purple. [Jenny Joseph]
10. The police asked where we were when the accident occurred.

Y es/N o In te rro g a tiv e s. In C hapter 3 you read about our tw'o kinds
o f questions: those chat ask for specific inform acion, the so-called
^ -q u e s tio n s ; and yes/no questions. Here we’ve seen those same inter-
rogative words used to introduce nom inal clauses, filling N P sloes in
sentences. W e also have nominal clauses based on yes/no qucscions, intro-
duced by cwo expletive-like elements, i f and whether (or not):

I can’t remember if I turned off the television.
W hether or nor I turned it off doesn’t really matter.

W e consider these in tro d uctory words as expletives because, like the
expletive that, they play no part in the clause; they simply act as operators
that allow us to use yes/no questions as nominal clauses:

if W hether or not

%turned off television tu rned off I it

can’t rem em ber A . / \ doesn’t m atter

Unlike the expletive that, which can sometimes be omitted, these intro-
ducers o f interrogative clauses will always be included.

Exercise 37

Underline the nominal clause in cach of the following sentences. Then identify its
function in the sentence: What NP slot does it fill? Diagram the sentences.

1. Until yesterday I never realized how awesome a redwood tree could be.
2. 'Ihe main complaint about his prescntacion was that it was too short.

Chapter 8: The Noun Phrase Functions: Nominals 183

3. W hat Carlos said about his cousin is unfair and inaccurate.
4. Our psycholog)- teacher is writing a book about why people fear

intimacy.
5. iMy sister told her children that they could have a dog.
6. Who invented calculus is a matter of some dispute.
7. We could not tell which twin was F.laine.
8. Percy wondered if we could conic for the weekend.
9. 1 wish he would explain his explanation. [Lord Byron]
10. The decision that they should replay the point upset both contestants.

P u n c tu a tio n o f N o m in al Clauses. As m any o f the previous examples
and exercise items illustrate, sentences with nom inal clauses can get
fairly long. But with one exception, the punctuation of these sentences
remains exactly the same as the punctuation o f the basic sentence: no
single commas between the sentence pattern slots. The exception occurs
when the direct objcct is a direct quotation. The standard convention calls
for a comma between a verb like say or reply and the quotation:

He said, “I will meet you at the gym at five o’clock.”

in this sentence the quoted passage is essentially a nominal clausc in direct
object position.

38

Underline the nominal clauses, gerund phrases, and nominal infinitives in the
following sentences, and identify the function that each performs in the sen-
tences. Also, put parentheses around all adverbials: one-word adverbs, prepo-
sitional phrases, noun phrases, infinitive phrases, and clauses. And finally, put
square brackets around all adjectival phrases (prepositional and participial
phrases) and relative clauscs.

1. In 1874 Major Walter Wingfield registered his patent in London for
the equipment and rules of an outdoor lawn tennis game that was
the first version of what we play today.

2. Some fans dislike how graphite rackets and synthetic strings have
transformed the game of tennis.

3. Multiplying the advantage of a powerful serve has taken away the
finesse and strategy that many spectators enjoy.

4. Introduced in 1970, the tiebreak system revolutionized the sport
of tennis by making the matches shorter and more attractive.

184 Part III: Expanding the Sentence

.5. In the 1980 Wimbledon final, Bjorn Borg failed to convert seven
match points in a fourth-set. tiebreaker, which John McEnroe won.

6. Unless Serena Williams is injured, it’s nearly impossible to beat her,
because she really hates losing.

7. Roger Fcderer’s goal is to win twenty major championships before
he retires.

8. Two years after getting married and having a baby, Kim Clijsters
won her second U.S. Open title.

9. Instead of using a conventional shot, Maria Sharapova often prefers to liit a
powerful “swinging volley” when approaching the net or attacking a lob.

10. Although cheir opponents claim that Bob and Mike Bryan possess
“twin chemistry,” the brothers, who have won more doubles titles
chan any men's team in professional tennis, reject the idea thar
common DNA has resulted in uncommon results.

NO M INALS AS DELAYED SUBJECTS

W e have seen nominal clauses chac fill the subject slot, some of which have
a formal quality more characteristic of writing than spccch; in fact, such
sentences are uncommon in speech:

That the common cold is caused by a virus has been clearly escablished.
That Sherry lefc school so suddenly was a shock to us all.

In conversation we are more likely co delay the information in that opening
clause, substituting for the subject what is called the anticipatory it.

It has been clearly established that the common cold is caused by a virus.
It was a shock to us all that Sherry left school so suddenly.

The infinitive phrase as subject can also be delayed in this way, as you saw
earlier in the discussion of infinitives:

To play compuccr games is fun. -------- ► It is fun to play
computer games.
To be a succcssful farmer requires
stamina and perseverance -------- It requires stamina and
perseverance to be a
succcssful farmer.

The anticipatory it allows us to change the stress o f the sentence, in
much the same way that we saw with the cleft sentence in che discussion
of sencence cransformations in Chaprer 5 (pages 99-100). This use o f it as
a cool for writers is discussed in Chapter 15 (pages 315-316).

Chapter S: The Noun Phrase Functions: Nominals 185

CHAPTER 8

Key Terms

Anticipator}'' it Independent clause
Appositive Infinitive
Clause Interrogative
Dangling gerund N om inal
Delayed subject Nom inal clause
D ependent clause Nominal verb phrase
Direct quotation Subordinating conjunction
Expletive that Tensed verb
Gerund

f°r p r a c tic e

Draw vertical lines co show the sentence slots. Label the form of the struc-
ture that occupies each slot. Identify the sentence pattern for each verb
phrase and clause. Diagram the sentences.

1. I wonder what JefPs problem is.
2. I think that I know what the solution to JefFs problem is.

3. Chondra said that she w'ould call me today when the audition
results were posted.

4. In rejecting Plessy vs. Ferguson in its 1954 Brown decision, the
Supreme Court declared that separate educational facilities are
inherently unequal.

5. W here you will be in ten years is a question you probably think
about sometimes.

6. The defendant’s claim that he was kidnapped by aliens did not
impress the jury.

7. Tknow how men in exile feed on dreams. [Aeschylus]

8. The hen is an egg’s way of producing another egg.

9. My roommate, who will graduate this m onth, wonders
why finding a job in his field, business management, is so
difficult.

186 Part III: Expanding the Sentence

10. 1 haven’c figured out which Shakespeare play is my
favorite.

11. According to the U.S. Customs Scrvicc, smuggling birds from the
Caribbean has become a bisi business.

12. O ur biological rhythms play a crucial role in determining how
alert wc feel.

q a J£STIO;\/£
?

/<>r D I S C U S S ^

1. W hy is the appositive set off with commas in the second o f these
two sentences?
M ark’s brother George coaches basketball in Indiana.
M ark’s brother, George, coaches basketball in Indiana.

W hich sentence tells you that Mark has only one brother?
Which sentence implies that Mark has more than one brother?
Why does the following sentence need commas?

'Ihe senator’s husband, Reuben, accompanied her to
Washington.

2. Consider the differences in meaning in these two pairs o f sen-
tences. How do you account for these differences? Do che differ-
ences involve different sentence patcerns?
Mel scopped to talk to Walt.
Mel stopped talking to Walt.
Mel started talking to Walt.
Mel started to talk to Walt.

3. Show by a diagram how the following w o sentences are differ-
ent. Identify their sentence patterns.
I went co work.
1 want to wrork.

4. Your undem anding of participles and gerunds will help
you understand and explain the ambiguity o f these two
sentences:
Flying planes can be dangerous.
I don’t like burping babies.

Chapter 8: The Noun Phrase Functions: Nominals 187

Diagram each o f them in two ways to show their w o
meanings.
5. W hat are w o possible meanings of the following ambiguous
sentence?

The shooting o f the hunters was a wanton act.

In what way is the traditional diagram inadequate to account
for that ambiguity?

6. In Chapter 5 we examined the passive voice o f predicating verbs.
Can gerunds and infinitives be passive?

7. The traditional grammarian would label the who clause in this
famous line by Shakespeare an adjectival clause. Why? W hy is it
not nominal? H ow would you as a wenty-first-ccntury speaker
word this statement?

W ho steals my purse steals trash.

8. Perhaps the best way to explain this ^/■-filled sentence is to
diagram it.

I know that that that that that student wrote is wrong.

CLASSROOM APPLICATIONS

The following can be organized as either oral or written activities, per-
haps as timed group competitions:

1. The fact that verb phrases and clauses can fill N P slots gives the
language great embedding capabilities. For example, a gerund
phrase could easily fill the direct objcct slot in a nominal clause.
Picture the diagram:

A

A

Here’s a six-word sentence that would fit:
I know that Joe enjoys swimming.

188 P an III: Expanding the Sentence

Now try cwo ocher patterns:

A ___ A \
1

(Hint: Bear in m ind that che explecive that can cum almosc any
sentence into a nominal clause. Now wrice a sencence wich a
gerund in che posicion shown— as subjecc or direcc objecc; then
turn chac sencence inco a nominal clause. In che firsc example, the
sentence “Joe enjoys swimming” has been embedded as the direct
object following the verb know.)

2. This time your task is che opposice of #1: Wrice a sentence in
which a nominal clause is embedded in a gerund phrase.

3. Wrice a sentence in which an adjectival clause is embedded in
a nominal clause.

4. Wrice a sencence in which an adverbial infinitive phrase is
embedded in a gerund phrase.

5. W rite a sencence in which a gerund phrase is embedded in an
adverbial clause.

Note: These exercises can be organized for group or individual com -
petition in the class. To add to the challenge, the copic o f the sen-
tences can be specified: W rite about baseball, summer, winter sports,
health, rap music, competition, the election campaign, movies, and so
forth. And, of- course, other specific directions could be included: Use
a nominal who clausc; use rhe passive voice; include w o preposicional
phrases; include an indirecc objecc, and so forch.