The complex sentence

It is a poly predicative construction built up on the principle of subordination. It is derived from two or more base sentences one of which performs the role of a matrix becoming a matrix or slot sentence and the other becomes the insert sentence. Traditionally the matrix sentence is called the main clause and the insert sentence is called the subordinate clause. Structurally the complex sentence is analogous to the simple sentence but in a complex sentence one of the syntactic functions or slots includes not a word but a sentence with its own predicative line which is clearly expressed in the outer structure of the sentence.

For ex.:

Clauses of the complex sentence can be joined like in compound sentences either synthetically (by means of subordinators) or asyndetically (by means of zero subordinator). The subordinators fall into two basic types those that occupy a notional position in the subordinate clause and those that do not occupy such a position hence they fall into positional subordinators and non-positional ones. Bloch distinguishes the following positional subordinators – who, what, whose, which, that, where, when, why, as. – for ex.: I don’t knowwhat has happened really. Non positional subordinator - since, before, until, if, in case, because, so that, in order that, though, however, than, as if, etc.

For ex.: She stood in the corridor as if she didn’t know where to go.

There are two types of the classification of subordinate clauses.

The 1^st – the functional classification, which is based on the similarity of subordinate clauses to parts of the sentence. According to this classification they distinguish:

1. Subordinate clauses of primary nominal positions; (subject, predicative and object clauses)

2. Subordinate clauses of secondary nominal positions; (attributive and appositive clauses)

3. Subordinate clauses of adverbial positions including adverbial clauses of various types such of time, place etc.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16