Substantive and Adjective Propositions in Sentences

Posted on Mar 11, 2025 in Linguistics and Applied Languages

Substantive Propositions

A substantive proposition is equivalent to a noun and functions as such in a complex sentence. It can have syntactic functions such as:

  • Subject:
    1. We need to get up early.
    2. The rationale is that you continue working.
  • Direct object:
    1. I see what you say.
    2. They said they would come today.
  • Complement of an adjective:
    1. Peter is sorry for what he did.
    2. The jury is convinced that the defendant is innocent.
    3. The child is tired of not being taken seriously.
  • Complement of an adverb:
    1. She is far from the invite.
    2. The town is closer than you know.

Adjective Propositions

Subject

Adjective propositions change the core of the subject. Consider these sentences:

  1. The husband who respects his wife does his duty.
  2. The table bought yesterday is worth what they paid.
  3. That club, which joined yesterday, carries out its duties.
  4. The newspaper, whose director resigned, rises in prestige.
  5. The chair where you sit is broken.

The highlighted propositions clearly modify the noun, the core of the subject, which is its antecedent.

Direct Object

Adjective propositions can change the core of the direct object (the noun affected by the verb’s action). The noun immediately following the proposition becomes the direct object.

  1. I wrote a letter informing you to pick up your new car.
  2. You should appreciate the gift that Bertha made you.
  3. Someday I will visit the house in Cancun.
  4. I’m still waiting for the dinner you promised me.
  5. I took the wheel, and it hurt a lot.

Indirect Object

Adjective propositions can change the core of the indirect object (always preceded by the prepositions to and for). Analyze the following compound sentences:

  1. I gave away clothing and blankets to the Red Cross, which needs all of us.
  2. They chose a beautiful basket for the young woman who is fifteen years old.
  3. The various social clubs of the city gave their contribution to children suffering from polio.
  4. They brought the credit card for the man who lives next door.
  5. There came a telegram to the man whose father lives in Europe.

The propositions are modifying the noun that is the nucleus of the indirect object.

Circumstantial Complement

Adjective propositions can modify the core of the circumstantial complement.

  1. Juan is in the house where they found gold.
  2. You are in the coffee shop that is on Morelos Street.
  3. I was invited to Acapulco, whose beaches are great.
  4. I’ll take the truck that has more substance.
  5. I’m not going to the cinema that shows war films.

Predicate

Adjective propositions can modify the core of the predicate when it is a noun or equivalent, as in the following sentences:

  1. Hortensia is the person whom I have been looking for.
  2. Children are beings who are more innocent.
  3. Love is the activator that makes us better.
  4. To appreciate this painting is how you reconcile with the world.
  5. These are the poems whose authors have not written without actually feeling desolate in the universe.

In these cases, the adjective propositions are directly modifying the nouns that function as predicate cores: 1) person, 2) beings, 3) activator, 4) how, 5) poems. The subordinating conjunctions are, respectively: whom, who, that, how, whose.

Explanatory Adjective Propositions

These add an attribute to the noun they modify directly and are placed between commas. Commas are the primary way to differentiate them from specifying adjective clauses. The proposition itself is not essential to the sentence’s full meaning.

  1. Relief came to the mother, who was screaming.
  2. Choose the red tie, which is the finest of all.
  3. The children, who started the game, came first.

Specifying Adjective Propositions

These limit the noun they modify, restricting the sentence’s meaning. The proposition itself is indispensable to the sentence’s full meaning. Examples:

  1. Children who started the game came first.
  2. We buy books that were on sale.
  3. The pool that was recently painted was opened.