33.1869, Qs: Matrix/Main Clause within a Complex-compound Sentence

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-33-1869. Fri May 27 2022. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 33.1869, Qs: Matrix/Main Clause within a Complex-compound Sentence

Moderator: Malgorzata E. Cavar (linguist at linguistlist.org)
Student Moderator: Billy Dickson
Managing Editor: Lauren Perkins
Team: Helen Aristar-Dry, Everett Green, Sarah Goldfinch, Nils Hjortnaes,
        Joshua Sims, Billy Dickson, Amalia Robinson, Matthew Fort
Jobs: jobs at linguistlist.org | Conferences: callconf at linguistlist.org | Pubs: pubs at linguistlist.org

Homepage: http://linguistlist.org

Hosted by Indiana University

Please support the LL editors and operation with a donation at:
           https://funddrive.linguistlist.org/donate/

Editor for this issue: Everett Green <everett at linguistlist.org>
================================================================


Date: Fri, 27 May 2022 19:58:22
From: Magdalena Andromak [mandromak6 at gmail.com]
Subject: Matrix/Main Clause within a Complex-compound Sentence

 
Dear Sir/Madam,

my question is regarding the main clause within a complex-compound sentence. 

Can the main clause be verbless? I will send you an example of a sentence that
needs to be analysed in the sense that you need to identify all of the
subordinate clause types and syntactic functions.

A number so surprisingly large | it made me | think | there must be a lone guy
in a box somewhere | obsessively making one-minute calls all day to random
numbers.

Is this part of the sentence "A number so surprisingly large" the main clause?
I am guessing it could be paraphrased into "A number which was so surprisingly
large". I know that the main clause needs to be finite, but can it be
verbless?

Please do elaborate. I appreciate the time and effort and thank you in
advance.

Kindest regards,
Magdalena
 

Linguistic Field(s): General Linguistics

Subject Language(s): English (eng)



------------------------------------------------------------------------------

***************************    LINGUIST List Support    ***************************
 The 2020 Fund Drive is under way! Please visit https://funddrive.linguistlist.org
  to find out how to donate and check how your university, country or discipline
     ranks in the fund drive challenges. Or go directly to the donation site:
                   https://crowdfunding.iu.edu/the-linguist-list

                        Let's make this a short fund drive!
                Please feel free to share the link to our campaign:
                    https://funddrive.linguistlist.org/donate/
 


----------------------------------------------------------
LINGUIST List: Vol-33-1869	
----------------------------------------------------------