Herb, Edit, Gini, and all,
Such sentences as the "manifest" one are easily understood in a
framework of sentence patterns, which is how I help students organize
the parts of the system. I also use R&K diagramming to illustrate
the various patterns--and the picture is clear with the three or four
patterns of transitive verbs (they number four when we separate the
with complex transitive pattern into those with adjectives and those
with nominal object complements). The active and passive patterns
are clearly seen in their diagrams. When the ditransitive pattern,
which includes the indirect object, is passive, then the direct
object is retained (sometimes the indirect).
I know that my use of traditional diagrams puts me in the traditional
school, but I defend that use on the basis of its ability to
illustrate so well the sentence patterns and their various slots.
There's a page in my Sentence Pattern chapter showing the ten
patterns and their diagrams; I tell my students they should consider
that page their closet organizer--the hooks and hangers and shelves
for organizing all the details of basic sentences. That page gets
well used.
Martha
>In undergrad grammar classes I've used both my analysis and Edith's. I
>have no idea how the brain handles sentences like these or any other
>sort, but I have found that my students pick up the surface relationship
>more readily than the transformational. However, once they've seen the
>surface, I then ask them to create the corresponding active and look at
>the differences between active and passive. The term "retained object
>complement" sort of works, but until I take them through the whole
>process they have a hard time seeing why a subject complement would be
>an object complement. I will admit to having struggled with how to each
>this one.
>
>Herb
>
>
>Subject: Re: Adverb clauses with "that"
>
>I agree with Herb's analysis until he gets to the last half of the last
>sentence. As I look at the sentence, manifest is not the complement of
>the subject, but the retained object complement of the sentence,
>retained from its active voice form. The insights of TG grammar are
>really helpful, I think, in understanding the surface structure of
>passive transformations. As I think about what this sentence means, it
>seems to me that the language part of the brain is understanding this
>sentence in that passive transformational way and not seeing it as some
>new surface structure. To understand it as Herb suggests, we would have
>to assume another English sentence pattern in which we had a subject, a
>passive verb, and subject complement, making it basically the same as a
>subject linking verb subject complement pattern. I don't think that is
>how the sentence works. I think that makes the same mistake as was made
>in calling "He went to the store" and "He was hit by the car." the same
>pattern of subject verb. Clearly, the relation between the subject and
>verb is quite different in those two sentences and they should not be
>seen as the same pattern. I think the same logic applies to "The word of
>the Lord was made manifest" and "The word was manifest."
>
>Edith Wollin
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar
>[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Stahlke, Herbert F.W.
>Sent: Tuesday, September 20, 2005 7:48 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Adverb clauses with "that"
>
>Here's how I'd treat it. Your sentence is the passive of "[Someone]
>made the word of the Lord manifest on earth". In the active sentence,
>"manifest" is the object complement of the complex transitive verb
>"made". In the passive sentence that you provided, the active object
>has become subject, the complement "manifest" is now about the subject
>and so has become a subject complement.
>
>Herb
>
>Subject: Re: Adverb clauses with "that"
>
>Need to know the function of "manifest" in the following sentence.
>Several arguments are ensuing here at our high school.
>
>The word of the Lord was made manifest on earth.
>
>Thanks for your input!
>
>Gini Grossenbacher/English Department
>Sheldon High School/Elk Grove CA
>
>-------------- Original message --------------
>
>> "Complement" is a more general term than what Michael needs to explain
>
>> these examples. Complement slots are filled by many phrase types; the
>> type of complement that occurs in a phrase is controlled by the phrase
>
>> head -- in this case words like "happy". Verbs of different sorts
>> admit different complements: noun phrases, adverb phrases, etc. But
>> some verbs allow only certain complements: transitive verbs allow a
>> direct-object noun phrase, while intransitives do not allow any
>> noun-phrase complements (with certain exceptions -- verbs like "sing"
>> and "dance" can take noun phrases as long as they name a song or
>> dance).
>>
>> I agree that the "that" clauses in these cases are complements of the
>> adjective, but I also agree that they are adverbial, because they
>> answer the question "why", which is one of the "symptoms" of the
>> adverbial function. Adjectives admit prepositional-phrase complements,
>
>> as in "proud of the new baby", and the "that" clauses discussed in
>> Michael's examples (adverbial clauses functioning as complement of the
>
>> adjective). Off the top of my head, I don't know whether they allow
>> any other types.
>>
>> Dr. Johanna Rubba, Associate Professor, Linguistics Linguistics Minor
>> Advisor English Department California Polytechnic State University,
>> San Luis Obispo
>> E-mail: [log in to unmask]
>> Tel.: 805.756.2184
>> Dept. Ofc. Tel.: 805.756.2596
>> Dept. Fax: 805.756.6374
>> URL: http://www.cla.calpoly.edu/~jrubba
>>
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