Understanding Substantive, Adjective, and Adverbial Sentences
Substantive Sentences
Frames:
1. Conjunctions (que)
2. Pronouns, adverbs (quién, qué, dónde…)
3. Infinitive
Depending on the insertion procedure, we distinguish four kinds of Substantive Sentences (OSS):
OSS Completives: Inserted in the main clause with que, occasionally si.
Functions:
1. Subject: Introduced with que. Identify a Noun Phrase (NP) replacing it and checking the match with the verb.
2. Direct Object: Subordinate sentence introduced with que/si. Replace with an identified NP. Can be replaced by the pronoun lo.
3. Attribute: Introduced with que. Identified by replacing the adjective phrase. Can substitute with lo.
4. Prepositional Verbal Complement (CRV): Introduced with a subordinate conjunction. Identified by replacing with an equivalent Prepositional Phrase (SPREP). Identified by pronominal replacement depending on the preposition governed by the verb.
Recalls:
* With que, unstressed prepositions (en, a, de, con) are omitted.
* Sometimes, el hecho links the main and subordinate clauses.
5. Name Complement: Complements a name like a SPREP subcategorization. Identified by replacing with an equivalent SPREP. Substitution is only possible in postverbal pronominal position, governed by de.
6. Adjective Complement: An adjective complements the subordinate sentence to the main clause. Introduced with que. Identified by replacing with an equivalent SPREP. Substitution is possible in postverbal pronominal position, always introduced by de.
Infinitive:
Features:
1. Subject (No quiero trabajar en Navidad)
2. Direct Object (Exige salir antes del trabajo)
3. Attribute (El objetivo es poner al cole material escolar nuevo)
4. Adjective Complement (Estoy feliz de aprobar el curso)
5. Prepositional Complement (Se ha arrepentido de haber traicionado a sus compañeros)
6. Name Complement (Tengo la sensación de trabajar para uno)
Question OSS:
Determinants-Interrogative: Cuál/cuáles, cuánto/cuántos, poco (Descubrió cuánta gente acudió al trabajo)
Interrogative Pronouns: quién, qué (Quién había descubierto el trabajo / Descubrió qué pasaba en el trabajo)
Interrogative Adverbs: cuándo, dónde
Relative OSS:
1. Referring to people: (Prep) + quien (Quien come sopa piensa en todos los demás) or (Det) + quien (Contesta quien sepa) or (Prep) + (cualquier/todo) + (Det) + quien (Todos los que deseen venir)
2. Referring to things: (Prep) + este/ese/aquel + el (Mal habla de todos los que le han ayudado) or (Prep) + (todo) + este/ese/aquel + el (De todo lo que dices nada me importa)
Adjective Sentences
Name Complement (CN): The relative pronoun always follows an NP, which is the core of the story. Relative clauses are constructed from a name with two simple sentences together. (Los bomberos salvaron a la niña. Los bomberos fueron condecorados) The NP relative pronoun can replace bomberos and subordinate the second sentence to the first. Los bomberos que salvaron a la niña han sido condecorados.
The relative pronoun has a triple role:
– Acts as a subordinate nexus
– Plays a subordinate role within the sentence
– Is an NP antecedent in the main clause
Rating: Distinguish two types of relative clauses:
a) Explanatory: Does not expand or add an essential explanation to the antecedent. Enclosed in commas.
b) Specificative: Determines or specifies the antecedent and restricts meaning.
Typology:
1. Que: Can refer to things or persons, used when working on a subject, Direct Object, or Time Complement within the subordinate sentence. Only in explanatory sentences, que can be replaced by el cual. (Los especuladores, que ganan muchos millones, son…)
2. Cual/quien: Cual is antecedent to things, quien refers to people. Quien can precede prepositions and make CRV or Time Complement in the subordinate; quien can also be Indirect Object. (La chica que entregó el premio era mi compañera – La obra está dedicada a lo que es muy desagradable) The compound relative can be replaced by el cual.
3. Donde (adverb): Always refers to a locative background and functions as a place complement in the subordinate. (El Vendrell es el pueblo donde nació Pau Casals) Replaceable by en el que/donde.
4. Cual (compound): Has gender and number inflection. Agrees with the antecedent. Used after tonic prepositions or prepositional phrases: en, sobre, alrededor, etc. (Los periódicos, los cuales dicen las noticias… – Los periódicos, que dicen las noticias…)
5. Possessive Relative: To indicate that the relative has a history as a name acting as a subordinate in the CN, Catalan uses: (Nucleus + de + el/la/los/las cual/cuales)
Recalls:
* CRV, Time Complement, and Indirect Object support two forms: tonic quien/cual and the compound relative. However, they do not support hybrid forms like el que, etc.
Adverbial Subordinate Clauses
Plays a role similar to an adverb in a sentence (Mañana pasaré a recoger el encargo – Cuando salga de la escuela pasaré a recoger un encargo)
Two Types:
1. Own Adverbial Subordinate: Supports switching to an adverb.
Three Types:
a) Time: Relationship before (antes de que llegues…), concurrency (cuando él llegue, él…), thereafter (hasta que no veas…), infinitive (al salir el sol, jugaron los dos), gerund (Salí de casa llevándome a Pepe)
b) Place: (Donde, por donde, por dondequiera, etc.)
c) Manner: (Como si, según, conforme)
2. Improper Adverbial Subordinate: Does not support switching to an adverb. Sometimes switching is possible with structures functioning as a circumstantial complement (SPREP).
Types: Comparative, causal (porque, ya que, puesto que, como, dado que…), final (para que, a fin de que, de modo que, así que…), consecutive (tanto que, de tal manera que…), conditional (si, dado que, con tal que, siempre que, a menos que…), concessive (Aunque, a pesar de que, si bien, por más que…)