"Relative clauses" with no relativized element

[Scheibman, Joanne]

Hi Tom,

Quirk et al. analyze these as appositive clauses (in 17.26 and elsewhere in that chapter). The head of the NP is a general abstract noun, e.g. "fact", "idea", "claim", "belief", (or "condition"), and "that" has no role in the subordinate clause, as you mentioned.

Joanne



on 9/10/10 10:16 AM, Thomas E. Payne wrote:

Can anyone help me name the following structure in English, and maybe point
me to some references? I do not find reference to this in the Cambridge
Grammar of the English Language or any other of my English grammar books.
But then, maybe I just don't know where to look.

  Here are two examples from a play:

His protestations of devotion in the trial scene are, in our opinion,
genuine, as is his confession [that his affair with the Countess is
platonic].

The bracketed clause seems to modify "confession", though there is no
position for a confession in the clause itself.

. . . forced hither with an impious black design [to have my innocence and
youth become the sacrifice of brutal violence].

  Here the bracketed non-finite clause seems to modify "design."

  These are not all that rare. I'm reminded of examples like:

"The claim [that my client is a murderer] is totally false."

  Are these relative clauses? If so what kind? Thanks for any help.

Tom Payne



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