0805852212.pdf

NOAM CHOMSKY AND GRAMMAR 175

we consider the deep structure of each sentence, we need to look at the underly-
ing noun phrases that get replaced during relativization. Doing so results in the
clause pairs as shown:

11b. the message baffled Fred/Macarena had leftthe messagenear the flowers

12b. the wallet was in the trunk/the walletheld Macarena’s money

13b. the woman has red hair/I lovethe woman

Teaching Tip

Students often find relative clauses confusing. Examining the underlying

structure of sentences like those cited helps students recognize the duplicate

NPs that must be changed to relative pronouns. It also provides a foundation

for discussing sentence combining. Many students tend to write short,

choppy sentences of the sort that we would have if we punctuated the clauses

in 11b through 13b as independent clauses:

• The message baffled Fred. Macarena had left the message near the flowers.


• The wallet was in the trunk. The wallet held Macarena’s money.


• The woman has red hair. I love the woman.
  Showing students how to join these clauses through relativization is a quick
  and easy way to help them improve their writing. Indeed, as mentioned previ-
  ously, T-G grammar provided the foundation for sentence combining, a very
  effective method for teaching students how to increase their sentence variety.

In T-G grammar, relative clauses are generated with the following rule:

Relative Clause Rule

NP1S[Y NP 2 Z]S

fi

NP1S[wh-pro Y Z]S

wh-proÆ

RP

prep RP+

ì

í

î

ü

ý

þ

This rule looks more complicated than it is. Y and Z are variables that T-G
grammar uses to account for constituents that do not affect the transformation.
The important factors are that NP 1 must equal NP 2 and that there is a clause,
represented by S and the brackets, that branches off NP 1. The transformation
takes NP 2 and turns it into a relative pronoun, which is designated aswh-probe-
cause so many relative pronouns begin with the letterswh.In the event that NP 2
is the subject of the clause, the variable Y will be empty. In the event that NP 2 is
the object, Y will be everything in front of the object.
The diagrams 5.11 through 5.13 illustrate how the transformation works.