ADJECTIVE CLAUSE EQUIVALENTS

Section 16-5 ADJECTIVE CLAUSE EQUIVALENTS

The adjectival (appositive) use of a declarative noun clause
The adjectival (appositive) use of an adverb clause
The adjectival (appositive) use of an indefinite noun clause

The AdjC is often equivalent to other adjective constructions. Usually there are no good reasons to take one construction as somehow more basic or prior to the other. In our examples we suffix an "E" to the sentence number to indicate this paraphrastic equivalence or expansion. The nAdjC may be equivalent to a noun phrase.

(1)	The statue, which is a treasure, is old.
	E.	The statue, a treasure, is old.	[appositive-Noun Phrase]
	m.	The statue is old.
	i.	This is a treasure.	nAdjC

(2)	The statue that is where we met is old.
	E.	The statue where we met is old.
	i.	We met in some place.
	m.=i.	A statue is in this place.[=There is a statue in this place.]	iIndNC (Loc as Loc)
	m.	This statue is old.	iAdjC

Like the adjective clause an adjective phrase may be restrictive or non-restrictive. The corresponding restrictive AdjC may be identifying. But the similarity of the adjective phrase to the AdjC is not total. Note that the form of the adverbial modification within the adjective phrase depends on whether the phrase is attributive or predicative. In an attributive use the quantity noun (number and measure) is compounded with the adjective (three year old cf. three-year-old (3E), (4E)); in a predicative use, as it might appear in an AdjC and its paraphrase, the expression of measure is a noun showing number (years in (3), (4)).

(3)	We met by the statue that is three years old.
	E.	We met by the three-year-old statue.	[adjective phrase expansion]
	i.	A statue is three years old. [= There is a three year old statue.]
	m.	We met by this statue.	iAdjC
(4)	We met by the statue, which is three years old.
	E.	We met by the three-year-old statue.	[adjective phrase expansion]
	m.	We met by the statue.
	i.	This statue is three years old.	nAdjC

The same possibility of a non-restrictive interpretation occurs when we choose modification by a participial phrase or a prepositional phrase. The author would normally punctuate (6) and (8) with commas to indicate the non-restrictive nature of the modification. There is no natural pause in the expressions corresponding to their attributive counterparts.

(5)	The statue that is gleaming brightly in the sun is old.
	E.	The statue gleaming brightly in the sun is old.	[participial expansion]
	i.	A statue is gleaming brightly in the sun. [=There is a statue gleaming brightly in the sun.]
	m.	This statue is old.	iAdjC
(6)	The statue, which is gleaming brightly in the sun, is old.
	E.	The statue, gleaming brightly in the sun, is old.	[participial expansion]
	m.	The statue is old.
	i.	It is gleaming brightly in the sun.	nAdjC
(7)	The statue that is presently in the museum is old.
	E.	The statue presently in the museum is old.	[adjectival PP expansion]
	i.	A statue is presently in the museum. [= There is a statue presently in the museum.]
	m.	That statue is old.	iAdjC
(8)	The statue, which is presently in the museum, is old.
	E.	The statue, presently in the museum, is old.	[adjectival PP expansion]
	m.	The statue is old.
	i.	It is presently in the museum.	nAdjC

The non-restrictive interpretation of the adjective in (6) and (8) usually requires paraphrase as a clause not only for better understanding, but simply for the full paraphrastic analysis.

(9)	This was Bomidon, simple, majestic, inspiring. — Bolles.
	m.	This was Bomidon.
	ia.	Bomidon was simple.
	ib.	Bomidon was majestic.
	ic.	Bomidon was inspiring.	nAdjC nAdj; AdjA (Qual)
(10)	Rough work, honorable or not, takes the life out of us. — Ruskin.
	m.	Rough work takes the life out of us.
	ia.	It may be honorable.
	ib.	It may not be honorable (It may be dishonorable).	nAdjC Adj; Disj (Adj)

The adjectival (appositive) use of a declarative noun clause.

The sentence in (2) of the last paragraph illustrates again how an indefinite noun clause may function as an adjective. We discussed in §12-2 how it is also possible for the DecNC to function adjectivally.

(1)	We abhor the fact that he abstained.
	i.	He abstained.
	m.	We abhor this fact.	iDecNC
	E.	We abhor the fact that is that he abstained.	[expanded to full AdjC]
	i.	He abstained.
	m.=i.	This is a fact.	DecNC (Subj)
	m.	We abhor this fact.	iAdjC
(2)	The hall was open to all who came on condition that the guest should leave his weapons at the door. — Besant.
	E.	The hall was open to all who came on condition that was that the guest should leave his weapons at the door.	[expanded to full AdjC]
	i.	The guest should leave his weapons at the door.
	m.=i1.	This is a condition.	DecNC (Subj)
	i2.	All might come.
	m.	The hall was open to all these on that condition.	iAdjC; iAdjC

The adjectival (appositive) use of an adverb clause.

We discuss various adverb clauses in following chapters. Adverb clauses do not themselves structure adjectivally. But people often use adverbs as nouns. It turns out that an adverb clause in the form of an IndNC may stand as an appositive (adjectival) to an adverbial noun.

(1)	The instant he understood my meaning, he obeyed. — Kimball.
	i.	He understood my meaning at some instant.
	m.	He obeyed this instant.	iAdjC
	E.	The instant that was when he understood my meaning was when he obeyed.
	i.	He understood my meaning at some time.
	m.=i1.	This time was some instant.	iAdjC
	i2.	He obeyed at some time.
	m.	That instant was this.	iAdjC; iAdjC
(2)	The last time he had seen her was at a brother mason's marriage. — Dr. John Brown.
	E.	The last time of the various times which were when he had seen her was at a brother mason's marriage.
	i.	He had seen her at various times.
	m.	The last of these times was at a brother mason's marriage.	iAdjC

These examples being of adverbial uses of an iAdjC, they might also as easily appeared with those in §19-1, which covers the adverbial use of a cAdjC.

The adjectival (appositive) use of an indefinite noun clause.

An IndNC may also attach adjectivally to a factive (DecNC) as an appositive. Suppose we have a sentence containing a DecNC as subject.

(1)	That a man steal should not be condoned.
	i.	A man may steal.
	m.	This should not be condoned.	DecNC (Subj)

Let us now refer to (1i) with the imbed of an IndNC.

(2)	What it is should not be condoned.
	i.	It is something.
	m.	That thing should not be condoned.	IndNC (Subj as PredN)

Now we alter the parataxis by exchanging the subjects and we have the components of an AdjC.

(3)	It is something which should not be condoned.
	i.	Something should not be condoned.
	m.	It is this thing.	IndNC (PredN as Subj)

We can make (1i) a component with (3) combined as a DecNC.

(4)	That a man steal is something which should not be condoned.
	i1.	A man may steal. [= 1i]
	i2.	Something should not be condoned. [= 3i]
	m.	That is this thing. [= 3m]	DecNC (Subj); IndNC (PredN as Subj)

But we can construct a non-restrictive version out of (1i) and (2m), which really supposes a restrictive portion. In other words we combine the restrictive AdjC with a non-restrictive AdjC.

(5)	A man may steal, which (thing) should not be condoned.
	E.	A man may steal, which is a thing which should not be condoned.
	m.	A man may steal. [= 4i1 = 1i]
	i.=i.	This is a thing.	nAdjC
	m.	That thing should not be condoned. [= 2m]	iAdjC

The article which appears here with a noun that is properly an appositive to the sentence or noun antecedent is indefinite but specific, and hence the adjective function is non-restrictive.

(6)	John was president in 1970, which position he held till 1972, at which time he left the firm.
	E.	John was president in 1970, which was a position which he held till 1972, which was the time at which he left the firm.
	m₁.	John was president in 1970.
	i.,m₂	He held a position till 1972.
	m.,i₁.	President was this position.	nAdjC; iAdjC
	i₃.	He left the firm at some time.
	i₂,m₃.	1972 was this time.	nAdjC; iAdjC

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