HANDOUT

Subordination: recognition, classification,

and formal description of Relative and Noun Clauses.
Task 1: get in groups and complete the following chart comparing and contrasting the subtypes
of relative clauses and noun clauses.
RELATIVE CLAUSES
Restrictive

Non-restrictive

NOUN CLAUSES
Free

Declarative

Interrogative

a. Function in the sentence

b. Category of the phrase
c. Introduced by
(C and/or Operator)

d. Affix
e. Other characteristics

Task 2.1: read the following pairs of sentences and classify the italicized subordinate clauses.
What similarities do you find at surface level between the sentences in each pair?
A. i) And what has happened to that milk which should have been breeding up
sturdy calves?
ii) He seized the gun which always stood in a corner of his bedroom, and let fly a charge of
number 6 shot into the darkness.
B. i) Do you know what Jones would do if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back!
Yes, Jones would come back!
ii) Mrs. Jones looked out of the bedroom window, saw what was happening, hurriedly flung a
few possessions into a carpet bag, and slipped out of the farm by another way.
C. i) But there were constant rumours that Napoleon was about to enter into a definite business
agreement either with Mr. Pilkington of Foxwood or with Mr. Frederick of Pinchfield.
ii) This morning I saw you looking over the hedge that divides Animal Farm from Foxwood.
(Source: Animal Farm by George Orwell)

Trad. Mara Victoria Butti

Adscripta Graduada

Task 2.2: get in groups and write a short answer accounting for the differences and similarities
of the types of clauses you found in the pairs in Task 2.1. Make use of the key words/expressions
provided below.

. to restrict the reference to define the antecedent to qualify the antecedent to give
necessary determination to the noun to involve operator movement

. already defined reference extra meaning abstract nouns Q affix

R affix

the same syntactic distribution as nominals co-referentiality double-binding

. antecedentless overt covert always introduced by

A. _______________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
B. _______________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
C. _______________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

Task 3.1: identify and classify subordinate clauses in the following examples taken from Animal
Farm by George Orwell.
1. They did not know which was more shocking: the treachery of the animals who had leagued
themselves with Snowball, or the cruel retribution that they had just witnessed.
2. "Are you certain that this is not something that you have dreamed, comrades?"
3. Do you give me your word of honour that that man was not stroking your nose?

Trad. Mara Victoria Butti

Adscripta Graduada

4. Old Major so he was always called, though the name under which he had been exhibited was
Willingdon Beauty was so highly regarded on the farm that everyone was quite ready to lose an
hour's sleep in order to hear what he had to say.
5. For some weeks nothing was known of her whereabouts, then the pigeons reported that they
had seen her on the other side of Willingdon.
6. 'No sentimentality, comrade!' cried Snowball from whose wounds the blood was still dripping.
'War is war. The only good human being is a dead one.'
Task 3.2: mark clauses in which it is possible to have the complementiser and operator null, i.e.,
contact clauses.
Task 3.3
Answer the following question: when are contact clauses (not) possible? Draw your conclusions
from your analysis.

Trad. Mara Victoria Butti

Adscripta Graduada