Chapter published in:
Grammar of Spoken and Written EnglishDouglas Biber, Stig Johansson, Geoffrey N. Leech, Susan Conrad and Edward Finegan
[Not in series 232] 2021
► pp. 651–752
Chapter 9The form and function of complement clauses
Article outline
-
9.1Overview
- 9.1.1Complementation by clauses
- 9.1.2Structural types of complement clause
- 9.1.3Grammatical positions of complement clauses
- 9.2
That-clauses
- 9.2.1Discourse functions of that-clauses
- 9.2.2Post-predicate that-clauses – controlled by verbs
- 9.2.2.1Structural patterns
- 9.2.2.2Controlling verbs, by semantic domain
- corpus findings
- DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
- 9.2.2.3Common controlling verbs across registers
- corpus findings
- discussion of findings
- 9.2.3Verbs taking extraposed that-clauses
- 9.2.4Subject noun phrases with subject predicative that-clauses
- 9.2.5
That-clauses controlled by adjectival predicates
- 9.2.5.1Adjectival predicates taking post-predicate that-clauses
- corpus findings
- discussion of findings
- 9.2.5.2Adjectival predicates taking extraposed
that-clauses
- corpus findings
- discussion of findings
- 9.2.5.1Adjectival predicates taking post-predicate that-clauses
- 9.2.6Register distribution of that-clause types
- corpus findings ,
- discussion of findings
- 9.2.7Pre-predicate v. extraposed that-clauses
- 9.2.7.1Register factors
- corpus findings ,
- discussion of findings
- 9.2.7.2Information structure
- corpus findings
- discussion of findings
- 9.2.7.3Grammatical factors
- corpus findings ,
- discussion of findings
- 9.2.7.4Topic and style
- corpus findings
- discussion of findings
- 9.2.7.1Register factors
- 9.2.8Retention v. omission of the that complementizer
- 9.2.8.1Register factors
- corpus findings
- discussion of findings
- 9.2.8.2Discourse factors favoring that omission
- corpus findings ,
- discussion of findings
- 9.2.8.3Discourse factors favoring that retention
- corpus findings ,
- discussion of findings
- 9.2.8.1Register factors
- 9.3
Wh-clauses
- 9.3.1Structural types of wh-clauses
- 9.3.2Post-predicate wh-clauses controlled by verbs
- 9.3.2.1Grammatical patterns
- 9.3.2.2Controlling verbs, by semantic domain
- corpus findings
- DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
- 9.3.2.3Common controlling verbs across registers
- corpus findings
- discussion of findings
- 9.3.2.4Post-predicate wh-clauses introduced by whether and if
- 9.3.2.5Common verbs controlling whether- and
if-clauses
- corpus findings
- discussion of findings
- 9.4Infinitive clauses
- 9.4.1Overview
- 9.4.2Post-predicate infinitive clauses controlled by verbs
- 9.4.2.1Grammatical patterns
- 9.4.2.2Pattern 1: Verb + to-clause
- 9.4.2.3Pattern 2: Verb + NP + to-clause
- 9.4.2.4Pattern P: NP2 + passive verb + to-clause
- 9.4.2.5Pattern 3: Verb + for NP + to-clause
- 9.4.2.6Register distribution of verb patterns
- corpus findings ,
- discussion of findings
- 9.4.2.7Controlling verbs, by semantic domain
- corpus findings
- DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
- 9.4.2.8Interaction between the semantic and grammatical characteristics of controlling verbs
- 9.4.2.9Common controlling verbs across registers
- corpus findings
- discussion of findings
- 9.4.3Verbs taking extraposed to-clauses
- 9.4.4Subject noun phrases and subject predicative to-clauses
- 9.4.5
To-clauses controlled by adjectives
- 9.4.5.1Grammatical patterns
- 9.4.5.2Adjectives taking post-predicate to-clauses
- corpus findings
- discussion of findings
- 9.4.5.3Adjectival predicates taking extraposed to-clauses
- corpus findings
- discussion of findings
- 9.4.6Grammatical distribution of to-clauses
- corpus findings ,
- discussion of findings
- 9.4.7Pre-predicate v. extraposed to-clauses
- 9.4.7.1Register factors
- corpus findings ,
- discussion of findings
- 9.4.7.2Information structure
- corpus findings
- discussion of findings
- 9.4.7.3Grammatical complexity
- corpus findings
- discussion of findings
- 9.4.7.4Stylistic preference
- corpus findings
- discussion of findings
- 9.4.7.1Register factors
- 9.4.8Object-to-subject raising v. extraposed to-clauses with
adjectives
- 9.4.8.1Register factors
- corpus findings ,
- DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
- 9.4.8.2Grammatical complexity and information packaging
- corpus findings
- discussion of findings
- 9.4.8.3Stylistic preference
- corpus findings
- discussion of findings
- 9.4.8.1Register factors
- 9.4.9Subject-to-subject raising v. extraposed
that-clauses
- 9.4.9.1Information packaging
- 9.4.9.2Register factors
- corpus findings
- DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
- 9.4.9.3Clauses with seem and appear
- corpus findings ,
- discussion of findings
- 9.4.9.4Clauses with likely and unlikely
- corpus findings ,
- discussion of findings
- 9.4.10
To-clause v. bare infinitive clause with dare
and help
- 9.4.10.1Dialect factors
- corpus findings
- DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
- 9.4.10.2Register factors
- corpus findings
- discussion of findings
- 9.4.10.3The pattern to help + infinitive
- corpus findings
- discussion of findings
- 9.4.10.1Dialect factors
- 9.4.11
Try + to + verb v. try + and + verb
- 9.4.11.1Distributional factors
- corpus findings ,
- discussion of findings
- 9.4.11.1Distributional factors
- 9.5
Ing-clauses
- 9.5.1Overview
- 9.5.2Post-predicate ing-clauses controlled by verbs
- 9.5.2.1Grammatical patterns
- 9.5.2.2Controlling verbs, by semantic domain
- corpus findings
- discussion of findings
- 9.5.2.3Common controlling verbs across registers
- corpus findings
- discussion of findings
- 9.5.3Adjectival predicates controlling ing-clauses
- corpus findings
- discussion of findings
- 9.5.4Post-predicate ing-clauses across registers
- corpus findings
- discussion of findings
- 9.5.5Objective v. possessive NP with ing-clauses
- 9.5.5.1Register distribution
- corpus findings ,
- discussion of findings
- 9.5.5.1Register distribution
- 9.6Ellipsis and pro-form substitution in post-predicate complement clauses
- 9.6.1Verbs occurring commonly with ellipsis and pro-form substitution
- CORPUS FINDING
- discussion of findings
- 9.6.1Verbs occurring commonly with ellipsis and pro-form substitution
- 9.7Choice of complement clause type
- 9.7.1Register distribution, structural factors, and semantic factors
- corpus findings ,
- discussion of findings
- 9.7.2Lexico-grammatical factors
- corpus findings ,
- discussion of findings
- 9.7.3
That-clauses v. non-finite clauses
- corpus findings ,
- discussion of findings
- 9.7.4Infinitive v. ing-clause
- discussion of findings
- 9.7.1Register distribution, structural factors, and semantic factors