Kathleen's examples, btw, hint at one reason the traditional 
classification of the clause as noun, adjective, or adverb really isn't 
very informative. It remains a content clause (to use Jesperson's 
terminology) whatever its function, and it's more helpful to see the 
parallels between its use in adjective, noun, or adverb modification 
than it is trying to slot it into three different categories.

On 2/25/2011 10:53 AM, Kathleen Ward wrote:
> To add a little to Craig's response--
>
> These kinds of clauses are really common and there are lots of ESL
> grammar books that describe them as "result clauses"--for fairly obvious
> reasons.
> Scott's example shows one as part of an adjective phrase, but they also
> occur in noun phrases, with "such"
>
> It was such a cold day that we stayed huddled around the space heater.
>
> and, more rarely, as part of  Adverb Phrases
>
> The car accelerated so quickly that the driver lost control.
>
> In all three cases, the complement clause has a fairly similar
> structure:  finite, optional complementizer, expressed subject.
>
> Kathleen Ward
>
> On Fri, Feb 25, 2011 at 9:30 AM, Scott Woods <[log in to unmask]
> <mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
>
>     Craig,
>     Thanks.  That helped.
>     Scott
>
>     ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>     *From:* Craig Hancock <[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
>     *To:* [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
>     *Sent:* Fri, February 25, 2011 9:52:10 AM
>     *Subject:* Re: grammar question--clause analysis
>
>     Scott,
>          The pattern is a very common one, and you are right that it
>     differs from other adjective complements without the "so." Here's
>     the more normal pattern:
>         I am happy that you graduated on time.
>         I am pleased that you made it here safely.
>     Both of these show the reasons or causes of the state described by
>     the adjective.
>     The so x that y construction, though, gives us results or extent. I
>     think it helps to remember that adjectives are generally scalar:
>     there are degrees of hunger, cold, happiness, ardentness, and so on,
>     and these can in part be measured by their effects.
>     I'm so hungry that I could eat a horse.
>     It was so cold that the pipes in our kitchen froze for the first time.
>     In your example, I think "avoiding the campgrounds of the masses" is
>     both a result of their degree of ardentness and a measure of its extent.
>          These lower level constructions often take on a unique grammar
>     of their own. The clause looks like a  noun clause in structure, but
>     it's a complement, not just of the adjective, but of the so x [that]
>     construction. The "that" is just a complementizer, so it can be
>     dropped.
>          Hope that helps.
>
>     Craig
>
>     On 2/25/2011 11:10 AM, Scott Woods wrote:
>>     Dear List,
>>     How would you explain the clause bracketed clause in the following
>>     sentence?
>>         Some in this group are so ardent [that they avoid the
>>     campgrounds of the masses.]
>>     Does the clause start at /so/? Or does it modify /ardent/?
>>     It seems like a very common type, but it doesn't seem to fit the
>>     normal pattern of a noun clause, an adjective clause, or an adverb
>>     clause.
>>     Thanks,
>>     Scott Woods
>>
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