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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