Eelative clauses
I Relative clauses as modifiers of nouns 183
2 Integrated vs supplementary relatives 187
3 Relative words in integrated and supplementary relative clauses 189
4 Fused relatives 191
A relative clause is a special kind of subordinate clause whose primary function is
as modifier to a noun or nominal. We examine the case of relative clause modifiers
in NPs first, and then extend the description to cover less prototypical relative
constructions.
1 Relative clauses as modifiers of nouns
Examples of the noun-modifying relative clause are given in [I]:[I ] The secretary wrote to [all the members who were absent from the meeting].
ii [The film which I needed] is unobtainable.
In [i] the underlined relative clause modifies members and combines with it to
form the head nominal of the bracketed NP: members who were absent/ram the
meeting.
Similarly in [ii] the relative clause modifies film, andfilm which I needed forms
the head nominal that is determined by the.The relative clauses here are introduced by the relative pronouns who and which,
whose interpretation is provided by their antecedents, members and film respec
tively. The relation between a pronoun and its antecedent is called anaphora
(cf. Ch. 5, §8.1), and it is a crucial property of relative clauses that they always con
tains an element - actually present or understood - that is anaphorically related to
an antecedent from which it derives its interpretation. This is the basis for the term
relative clause, and likewise for relative pronoun, which applies to the who and
which in [1]. In the construction we are dealing with in this section, the antecedent
is always the head noun or nominal modified by the relative clause.
In order to draw attention to this essential feature of relative clauses, which
distinguishes them from other kinds of finite subordinate clause, we will use the
symbol 'R' for the element in them that is anaphorically related to an antecedent.
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