EMBEDDING

Is a clause integrated into the structure of a sentence and functioning as one of the main elements such
as subject, or object…

- The fact that John spent the evening at home with his mother / proves / that he cannot have
been involved in the pub brawl that evening.
Proves is the nucleus of the sentence, to the left and right of that nucleus we find the main
constituents and main functions of the sentence.

Chunks = 3. the one in the middle is the predicator, the precedent is the subject and the third is
the Direct Object.
The Subject is a NP introduced by “the fact”, with an embedded clause. The Direct Object
start with “that”.

SoA which are themselves participants in other SoA. Not added to a clause, but very much part of the
clause (sentence).

Embedded Complement Clauses (ECCs)

Subordinated clause, embedded functioning as one of the essential elements in the S. A higher or
matrix clause and embedded clause (complement clause) are inside it. They come in a variety of
forms, determined largely by the very in the higher clause.

NRRCs = Choice of relative pronoun: animacy, formality and syntactic function

intonation represent parenthetical status

CLEFT CONSTRUCTIONS

To emphasise one element = ‘Focus Construction’

TYPES
1. IT-CLEFT
IT + TO BE + highlighted element + that clause

- That can be replaced with which/who

- The form it introducing the it-cleft is a dummy subject
- Main Function — It serves to focus a single constituent of a sentence (the only
candidate from a range of options)
★ Example: It is the sea that he loved most of all in the whole world.

2. WH-CLEFT
WH-clause + TO BE + highlighted element
★ Example: What he loved most of all in the whole world was the sea.
● The structure of the wh-cleft is syntactically more simple than that of the it-cleft.
- (103) What worries him is that…
Temporal Setting — will organise our arguments.
- Example:
In 1914 the First World War broke out. (temporal setting) used in novels,
newspapers discourse, essays…
It was in 1914 that/when the First World War broke out

3. TH-CLEFT
Variant of the wh-cleft is called the th-cleft.
The wh-word in the final wh-clause is replaced by a longer expression forming a noun phrase.
★ Example: The thing that he loved most of all in the whole world was the sea.

what the thing that

why the reason that/why

how the way that/in which

where the place that/where

when the time/minute/day… that

who the person, the one…who

★ Functions of the wh-cleft and the th-cleft construction

Also used to highlight an element, but more specifically:
- Both are an identifying copular construction also are reversible.
- It serves to announce the element expressed by the focused constituent (that
you wish to develop at greater length)
- It is particularly useful at turning points in your argument (where you want to
move on to some new subject)
★ Example: The sea was what he loved most of all in the whole world.

4. DEMONSTRATIVE CLEFT
Variant of wh-cleft (or th-cleft)
It provides a link with the preceding text.
★ Example: That’s what he loved most of all in the whole world.
Other examples:
- This is what I wanted to talk about.
- She eats a lot of fast food; that’s why she is overweight.
- She told me that she was going to get a divorce from her husband. That’s what se
said.