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1UNIT 7
SUBORDINATE CLAUSES
DEFINITIONS
A clause1 is the smallest grammatical unit that can express a complete proposition 2. A subordinate or
dependent clause3 is a clause which cannot stand alone as a sentence, but which adds information to a
main or independent clause4. Subordinate clauses can function like nouns, adjectives or adverbs.
Examples:
The divisional director5 got in touch with a corporate lawyer6.
When he moved to England in 2002, he found a job in the accounts department 7 of a large
construction company.
The first sentence consists of an independent clause, while the second one consists of a subordinate
clause and an independent clause.
NOUN CLAUSES8
Noun clauses are subordinate clauses that function like noun phrases. A noun clause may therefore be
the subject or the direct object of a verb.
Noun clauses are introduced by conjunctions like that, if and whether. Examples:
I wonder whether we ought to hire9 a new deputy sales manager10.
I wonder if I ought to recommend him for the post of construction manager 11.
That American English has influenced contemporary German is undeniable 12.
He said that it would be impossible to carry out the project in Iraq 13.
The conjunction that is frequently omitted after say, but not after point out. Examples:
The premier pointed out that many textile companies were in the red14.
The Treasury Secretary15 said the company was deep in the red16.
After the verb know a that-clause may be replaced by an accusative and infinitive construction in
literary English, and a that-clause preceded by the verb promise may be replaced by an infinitive with
to. Examples:
I know that this is true > I know this to be true.17
1
Teilsatz
2
Aussage
3
Nebensatz
4
Hauptsatz
5
Spartenleiter
6
Anwalt für Gesellschaftsrecht
7
Buchhaltungsabteilung
8
Nominalsätze
9
einstellen / anstellen
10
deputy sales manager: stellvertretender Verkaufsleiter
11
Bauleiter
12
is undeniable: lässt sich nicht leugnen / ist unbestreitbar
13
In contemporary English Iraq ( )ﺍﻠﻌﺮﺍﻕis much more common than Irak although Irak was quite common in the
1920s and 1930s (Time Archive, Search Tips, section 6).
14
be in the red: rote Zahlen schreiben
15
Treasury Secretary is the American equivalent of Chancellor of the Exchequer (Br. Engl.).
16
be deep in the red: tief in der Kreide stecken / tief in den roten Zahlen stecken
17
Cf. Lat. scio hoc esse verum.
, 2
He promised that he would come. > He promised to come.
It should, however, be noted that it is impossible to use an accusative and infinitive construction after
know if the word group that depends on know refers to the future or the past. Examples:
We knew that the company would have to file for bankruptcy18.
We know that the company will have to file for bankruptcy.
We knew that the company had filed for bankruptcy.
We know that the company has filed for bankruptcy.
It should also be noted that promise must be followed by a that-clause if the main and subordinate
clauses have different subjects. Example:
He promised that the money would be repaid by the end of March.
Finally, it must be pointed out that a German nominal clause introduced by dass may correspond to an
accusative and infinitive construction in English. Example:
Wir möchten, dass das Honorar sofort auf unser Konto überwiesen wird: We would like the
fee to be transferred to our account immediately.
RELATIVE CLAUSES19
Relative clauses are subordinate clauses that function like adjectives. This is why they are sometimes
called adjectival clauses.
Relative clauses are introduced by relative pronouns 20 (who, whom, whose, which and that). A relative
pronoun always refers back to a noun which is called an antecedent 21. Examples:
The economist who enunciated this theory22 lives in the United States.
The theorist whom you mentioned in your lecture has just published another article in an
academic journal23.
The candidate whose application has been accepted comes from Amsterdam.
The book which / that you recommended is temporarily out of print24.
Whose can never be omitted, but whom, which and that are frequently omitted. Examples:
The author (whom) you cited in your article has just died.
Don’t forget to mention the compulsory module25 (which / that) you took last year.
Note that in both cases the antecedent is the direct object of the verb in the relative clause ( You cited
the author, you took the compulsory module).
Relative clauses fall into two broad categories: defining and non-defining relative clauses 26. A defining
relative clause can never be omitted, while a non-defining relative clause can be omitted without
rendering a sentence meaningless. A non-defining relative clause has to be separated from the rest of
the sentence by commas. Examples:
18
file for bankruptcy: Konkurs anmelden
19
Relativsätze
20
Relativpronomina
21
Bezugswort
22
enunciate a theory: eine Theorie aufstellen
23
Fachzeitschrift
24
zur Zeit vergriffen
25
Pflichtmodul
26
notwendige und ausmalende Relativsätze
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