Definition and Examples of Free Relative Clauses

Definition and Examples of Free Relative Clauses In English grammar, a free relative clause is a type of relative clause (that is, a word group beginning with a wh-word) that contains the antecedent within itself. Also called a nominal relative clause, a  fused relative construction, an independent relative clause,  or (in traditional grammar) a noun clause. A free relative can refer to people or things, and it can function as a subject, a complement, or an object.Examples and Observations Nobody knows it, because nobody knows what really happened.(Donald E. Westlake, The Hook. Mysterious Press, 2000)We want to make sure that what were doing is really what we ought to be doing.(General Abrams in Vietnam Chronicles: The Abrams Tapes, 1968-1972, ed. by Lewis Sorley. Texas Tech University Press, 2004)You can say what you please. I burnt my English books and I didnt get a degree. All Im saying now, if Im allowed, is that Willie should get a degree.   (V.S. Naipaul, Half a Life. Alfred A. Knopf, 2001)A man wearing the uniform of the Military Police had stepped into the unit and was just turning toward where she was standing.  (Michael Palmer, The Fifth Vial. St. Martins Press, 2007)Look, Cynthiayou have a perfect right to disapprove. You go ahead and think whatever you want. Even if you want to be angry, then you be angry.   (Philip Roth, Letting Go. Random House, 1962)The way I hear it you can really put it away.Whoever told you that is a liar. Bledsoe straightened a way from the rail, started toward the barn.  (Michael Joens, Blood Reins. Thomas Dunne Books, 2005) Antecedents in Free Relative Clauses The relative word in the nominal relative clause has no antecedent since the antecedent is fused with the relative: I found what (that which; the thing that) you were looking for; He says whatever (anything that) he likes. Because they are free of antecedents, such clauses are sometimes called independent or free relative clauses.  (Tom McArthur, Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. Oxford University Press, 2005) A Headless Relative A relative clause which apparently lacks a head is called a free relative clause, also sometimes called a headless relative (though some argue that the head is present syntactically but phonologically empty, and hence that this is a misleading term).  (R.E. Asher and ‎J.M.Y. Simpson, The Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics. Pergamon Press, 1994) Characteristics of Free Relative Clauses [The] free relative clauses . . . [are] italicised in: (117a) What you say is true(117b) I will go where you go(117c) I dont like how he behaved toward her They are characterised by the fact that the wh-pronoun what/where/how appears to be antecedentless, in that it doesnt refer back to any other constituent in the sentence. Moreover, the set of relative pronouns found in free relative clauses is slightly different from that found in restrictives or appositives: e.g. what and how can serve as free relative pronouns, but not as appositive or restrictive pronouns; and conversely, which can serve as a restrictive or appositive relative pronoun but not as a free relative pronoun.  (Andrew Radford, Analysing English Sentences: A Minimalist Approach. Cambridge University Press, 2009) Two Types of Free Relative Clauses: Definite and Indefinite The first type of free relative clause, the definite free relative clause, is introduced by a wh- word such as what, where, or when, as shown in (64). (64) Mark eats what he orders. . . . [V]erbs that are followed by definite free relatives beginning with what must be capable of being followed by nonhuman NPs. What Jim chose in (65a), a free relative, passes this test, as shown by (65b). (65a) Sally ordered what Jim chose.(65b) Sally ordered a hamburger/coffee/a piece of pie. Another test for definite free relatives is substituting that (thing) which for what, as shown in (66). (66) Sally ordered that (thing) which Jim chose. . . . The second type of free relative clause is an indefinite free relative clause, also called a conditional free relative clause because the words that introduce the clause (who(m)ever, whatever, whichever, whenever, and however) can be paraphrased with if, as show by (68a) and (68b), or regardless of, as shown by (68c) and (68d). (68a) Joan dances with whoever asks her to dance.(68b) If someone asks Joan to dance with him, she dances with him.(68c) Fred eats whatever Alice offers him.(68d) Regardless of whatever Alice offers Fred, he eats it. (Ron Cowan, The Teachers Grammar of English: A Course Book and Reference Guide. Cambridge University Press, 2008)

Sharpen Up Your Writing A Quick Guide to Sentence Types

Sharpen Up Your Writing A Quick Guide to Sentence Types Sharpen Up Your Writing: A Quick Guide to Sentence Types Writing in grammatical sentences helps you to express yourself clearly, but there’s more to sentence structure than syntactical construction alone. It’s also important to consider the type of sentences you use. The four sentence types you need to know are simple, compound, complex and compound-complex sentences. Simple Sentence Structure At its most basic, a simple sentence combines a subject and a verb to express a complete thought: I run. In the above, the subject is â€Å"I† and the verb is â€Å"run.† This is all the sentence needs to express that the speaker is someone who runs. Of course, not all simple sentences are quite so basic: My fitness-obsessed brother and I run at least five miles every day. This example includes more detail, but remains a simple sentence because it expresses a complete thought in itself. Another term for a simple sentence is an â€Å"independent clause.† Compound Sentences A compound sentence is a sentence with two or more independent clauses connected by a coordinating conjunction (e.g., â€Å"and,† â€Å"but,† â€Å"or,† â€Å"so,† etc.): I love my brother, and my brother loves running. I love my brother, but I hate running. In each of these cases, the statement on either side of the conjunction could work as a standalone sentence; however, by combining them in a compound sentence we clarify the relationship between the two thoughts expressed (e.g., that my hatred of running is why I don’t run). Complex Sentences Unlike simple and compound sentences, complex sentences contain both an independent and a dependent clause. A dependent clause is one that contains a verb, but doesn’t express a complete thought and begins with a subordinating conjunction (e.g., â€Å"although,† â€Å"after,† â€Å"while†, â€Å"unless†, etc.): I like to watch TV, whereas my brother enjoys running. Here, â€Å"I like to live watch TV† is an independent clause (i.e., it would work as a simple sentence without modification). The dependent clause â€Å"whereas my brother enjoys running,† on the other hand, would not work as a sentence by itself since the subordinating conjunction whereas implies a comparison and expresses a particular relationship between the two parts of the sentence. It’s worth noting here that subordinating conjunctions can also come at the start of a complex sentence (this is known as a periodic sentence): Whereas my brother enjoys running, I like to watch TV. Compound-Complex Sentences A compound-complex sentence is one which contains three or more clauses (at least two independent and one dependent): While I enjoy watching TV, my brother loves running, and my sister is a body builder. In the above, we have one dependent clause beginning with a subordinating conjunction (â€Å"While I enjoy watching TV†). This is followed by two independent clauses (â€Å"my brother loves running† and â€Å"my sister is a body builder†) joined by a coordinating conjunction. Now that you know how these different sentence types work, we hope youll use a variety of them in your writing!