COMPLEMENT CONTROL - LOGICALLY STRUCTURED ENGLISH GRAMMAR: COMPLEX SENTENCE SYNTAX

Corollary Theorems: COMPLEX SENTENCE SYNTAX

English Grammar Notes #13:

COMPLEX SENTENCE SYNTAX

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Definitions (fragment from LSEG Definition S2.0.1)

"Complex sentence" is a superior logic form of lexical structure, in which "clauses" are the basic building blocks. In a complex sentence, all "constituent clauses" work together towards building the meaning. As a minimum, a complex sentence contains:
A. one "main clause" (plus)
B. one or more "subordinate clauses"

"Clause" is the name used to mark the "constituent units/elements" in a complex sentence. A clause may or may not have total/perfect meaning; therefore, it needs other clauses to fulfill it.

"Main clause" is the "constituent clause" containing the main/principal verb in a complex sentence. Main clause may or may not have a complete/perfect meaning; if it doesn't, then it needs subordinate clauses to fulfill it.

"Subordinate clause" is a secondary/dependant clause in a complex sentence. Subordinate clauses help building the meaning in main clause, or in other subordinate clauses.

"Complex sentence syntax" is a superior form of grammatical analysis performed on complex sentences. Complex sentence syntax studies relational functionality developed between "constituent clauses" using:
1. "analogy to morphology" (and/or)
2. "analogy to sentence syntax".

ATTENTION
The terms "sentence" and "clause" are not synonyms/equivalent. The term "clause" names "a structural unit" used only in complex sentence syntax. Outside the complex sentence syntax frame, the term "clause" does not exist. Note that a clause can be named "a (component) sentence" in certain contexts, though a sentence cannot be a clause. (Details are presented in LSEG.)

Complex sentence syntax is summarily presented according to the following simplified structure:
1. Coordination and Subordination
2. Analogy to Morphology
3. Analogy to Sentence Syntax
4. Conditional Complex Sentence

ATTENTION
These Grammar Notes are far from being sufficient to understand the topics presented. For accurate and detailed information we recommend LOGICALLY STRUCTURED ENGLISH GRAMMAR.

COORDINATION AND SUBORDINATION

The component clauses in a complex sentence may develop between them two types of main relations:
1. of coordination (or of equality), when the component clauses are of the same type;
2. of subordination (or of inferiority), when the component clauses belong to different (ranking) categories.

Assembling clauses in a complex sentence is achieved using:
1. juxtaposition
2. connecting words

Juxtaposition means joining two clauses together using the following orthographic marks: commas, semicolons, and colons. This method should better be discouraged because it forms elliptical meanings. In contrast, using connecting words helps clarifying the meaning of the complex sentence, and it helps identifying particular subordinating relations developed between clauses.

Connecting words are divided in two main groups, each marking the existing relation between clauses:
A. of coordination
B. of subordination

The words used to achieve the coordination and subordination relations are:
1. conjunctions
2. phrases working as equivalent-conjunctions
3. interrogative and relative pronouns and adjectives
4. relative adverbs
5. adverbs working as conjunctions

Fragment from LSEG: forming complex sentences.

ANALOGY TO MORPHOLOGY

Subordinate clauses exhibit a few basic, primary functions, similar to the morphologic sentence elements. Complex sentence analogy to morphology is an introduction needed to understand the more complex topics presented in analogy to sentence syntax.

Complex sentence analogy to morphology groups the subordinate clauses into:
1. noun clauses
2. adjective clauses
3. adverb clauses

Fragment from LSEG: subordinate clauses analogy to morphology.

ANALOGY TO SENTENCE SYNTAX

In addition to analogy to morphology, subordinate clauses in a complex sentence perform functions similar to syntactical elements. Therefore, subordinate clauses may also be analyzed as being:
1. subjective
2. predicative (or predicate complement)
3. attributive
4. object
5. prepositional
6. adverbial

Fragment from LSEG: analogy to sentence syntax.

Relative clauses (attention: relative clauses include relative adverbial clauses) are introduced by relative adjectives, relative pronouns, or relative adverbs which could be either explicit or implicit.

All relative clauses are categorized as being either:
1. restrictive
2. descriptive

The introductory words presented above are common to many different categories of subordinate clauses, and that aspect makes difficult the process of identifying relative clauses appropriately. Therefore, a new group of subordinate clauses was created, named simply "relative", which includes the following categories of subordinate clauses:
1. principal
2. adjectival/attributive
3. noun
4. relative adverbial

ATTENTION
"Relative clauses" are "the" most difficult topic in English grammar. For details, please consult LSEG.

Fragment from LSEG: relative subordinate clauses classification.

CONDITIONAL COMPLEX SENTENCE

Using correctly conditional complex sentences is a tough skill. In most grammar books this topic is presented fairly confusing, or insufficiently detailed--though, not in LSEG.

Definition
In its complete form, conditional complex sentence has two clauses:

1. a main clause containing the "determined predicate";
2. a conditional subordinate clause expressing the condition on which depends the action of the determined predicate in main clause.

Between the predicate-verb in conditional subordinate and the predicate-verb in main clause there are specific tense agreement relations, dependant on the action expressed (in meaning) by the verb in conditional clause. Therefore, the action of the predicate-verb in conditional clause can be:
A. real
B. unreal

Each scenario above is handled by specific rules. Fragment from LSEG: conditional complex sentence, real action verbs rules.

LSEG: conditional complex sentence, real action verbs rule

When the verb in conditional clause describes unreal action (a non-existent, a wished, or an utopian one) the rules are far more restrictive. However, there are numerous exceptions. Fragment from LSEG: conditional complex sentence, unreal action verbs.

LSEG: conditional complex sentence, unreal action verbs

LSEG: conditional complex sentence, unreal action verbs

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