Attributive Clauses

Like attributive adjuncts in a simple sentence, attributive clauses qualify the thing denoted by its head word through some actions, state or situation in which the thing is involved.

It has been customary to make distinction between two types of attributive sub-clauses: restrictive and continuative or amplifying clauses¹. This division is however too absolute to cover all patterns.

Restrictive clauses are subordinate in meaning to the clause containing the antecedent; continuative clauses are more independent: their contents might often be expressed by an independent statement giving some additional information about the antecedent that is already sufficiently defined. Continuative clauses may be omitted without affecting the precise understanding of the sentence as a whole. This is marked by a different intonation, and by a clear break preceding the continuative clause, no such break separating a restrictive clause from its antecedent. The presence or absence of such a pause is indicated in writing and in print by the presence or absence of a comma before as well as after the sub-clause.

It may also be pointed out that a sentence with a restrictive clause contains a single statement, and a sentence with a continuative clause contains two statements.

¹ The two types of clauses are also known as "defining" and "non-defining".

Compare the following:

I. a) There was a machine in the kitchen which could extract the juice of two hundred oranges in half an hour. (Fitzgerald)

b) The room was long with windows on the right-hand side and a door at the far end that went into the dressing-room. (Hemingway)

c) He made frequent references to the plan that had already been put in. (Gordon)

d) And to think of it, I dreamed in my innocence that the persons who sat in the high places, who lived in fine houses and had educations and bank accounts, were worth while! (London)

II. a) A sensation of comfort would pass through Winton, which would last quite twenty minutes after the crunching of the wheels and the mingled perfumes had died away. (Galsworthy)

b) Soames, who had never studied the question and was ham pered by not knowing whether he wanted an Englishman to do it, was hesitating. (Galsworthy)

c) And he only stared at Michael, who was gazing out of the window. (Galsworthy)

d) Up on the lawn above the fernery he could see his old dog Balthazar. The animal, whose dim eyes took his master for a stranger,was warning the world against him. (Galsworthy)

Continuative clauses may well illustrate the statement that it is impossible to draw a rigid line of demarcation between subordination and coordination. The relative which may refer to a preceding sentence or part of a sentence.

The conference was postponed, which was exactly what we wanted.

A word should be said about attributive clauses introduced by relative adverbs functioning as conjunctions: when, where, why. This is the case when the antecedent meaning time, place, reason.

We met where the roads crossed.

Iremember the day when the war broke out.

We understand the reason why you did not want to come.

These clauses are commonly referred to as attributive qualifying a noun in the main clause.

We cannot fail to see, however, that the above sentences are suggestive of adverbial relations. This is especially prominent when the clause is -continuative:

In those days, when she lived with us...

Overlapping relations will be observed in clauses introduced by as, after an antecedent qualified by same or such:

We found such things as you never saw.

In literary English a noun in a negative sentence may be defined by a clause introduced by but: When a but- clausehas a subject of its own, adverbial relations are quite prominent, e. g.:

Not a day went by but some news came from our correspondent.

Synonymic alternatives of attributive clauses are following.

a) Infinitival nominals:

Cowperwood was not the man to loose a chance of this kind. (Dreiser)

There is nothing to prevent you from making as great a suc cess as Mr. Butler has made. (London)

But I had no thought. I didn't even have the words with which to think. (London)

Brian wished they could eat breakfast there, but saw nothing on the table except a, mug of tea to be drunk by his father. (Sillitoe)

b) Gerundive nominals:

The idea of its being barbarous to confine wild animals had probably never ever occurred to his father, for instance. (Galsworthy)

He doesn't know very much about Tom, though he says he's read a Chicago paper for years just on the chance of catching a glimpse of Daisy's name. (Fitzgerald)

c) Participial nominals:

A look of effort marked everyone: they came down with kukris no long er used, and loads bearing no resemblance to the neat shape of a pack. (Sillitoe)

It was warm, and frightening if he thought too much, but he went on a few feet until reaching drifts of hot dust piled almost to the top bricks. (Sillitoe)