Parenthetical Clauses

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 488.

Extension Clauses

§ 520. Extension clauses are postpositive adjuncts of adjec­tives, adverbs and adlinks.

E. g. It is indeed doubtful how he had become aware that

Roger was being buried that day. (Galsworthy).

The subordinate clause is an extension of the adlink aware.

I am happy that everythingwent off so nicely.

The subordinate clause is an extension of the adjective happy.

She is so pretty that all our boys are mad about her.

(Heyer).

The subordinate clause is an extension of the pro-adverb so.

His head was still in such a whirl that he felt confused.

(Dreiser).

The subordinate clause is an extension of the pro-adjective such.

The subordinate clauses in the last two sentences have a distinct consecutive meaning, and may be called 'extensions of result' (instead of the traditional 'adverbial clauses of result').

§ 521. Most authors who do not regard parenthetical ele­ments as parts of the sentence treat It is past ten, 1 think as a simple sentence. We do not find this view convincing.

1. If I think is not some part of the sentence, it must be regarded as an independent sentence. But it is not indepen­dent. Its intonation, position and meaning show that it is connected with It is past ten, to which it is appended and on which it depends.

2. The sentence discussed is not simple because it contains two predications. This becomes especially evident when we compare It is past ten, I think with I think it is past ten.

3. Since we regard parenthetical elements as parts of the sentence (see § 473) we must treat It is past ten, I think as a complex sentence, i. e. a sentence having one of its parts (parenthetical element) expressed by a clause (a parenthetical clause).

§ 522. In most cases parenthetical clauses are introduced asyndetically, though now and again the conjunctions as, if, etc. are used.

He is, as I told you, their only son. (Dickens).

The happiness was a private, if you like, a happy one. (Snow).

Like parenthetical words and word-combinations they express the speaker's attitude towards the contents of the sentence or they show the relation of the given thought to some thought previously mentioned or to the source of information.

Nursing a wounded heart, he thought cynically, would not lead to happiness. (Randall).