A Student's Introduction to English Grammar

Subordinate clause complements

§5 Internal modifiers 95

Subordinate clauses may be finite or non-finite, and both types are found as com­
plements to nouns:

[35] FINITE
ii NON-FINITE

the claim that he was ill, a suspicion that it was a hoax

her ability to complete the task, his eagerness to redeem himself

For discussion of these constructions, see the chapters on subordinate clauses,
Ch. 10 and Ch. 13.

Indirect complements

Consider now the following examples, where brackets enclose the NP and under­
lining marks the complement.

[36] i We had to put up with [a longer delay than we had bargained fo r].

ii He gave [so complicated an explanation that I was completely bafJlerJJ.

iii It was [too serious a problem fo r us to ignore].

We call these indirect complements because although they follow the head noun it
is not the head noun that licenses them.

't, In [i] the complement is licensed by the comparative adjective longer: if we drop
this the NP becomes ungrammatical (a delay than we had bargainedfor).
; Similarly, in [ii] the complement is licensed by the so that modifies complicated.
� In [iii] it is licensed by too. This time we could drop too serious without loss of
grammaticality - but it would have a dramatic effect on the interpretation of the
infinitival clause. A problem fo r us to ignore means Ha problem that we
can/should ignore", whereas the NP in [iii] means Ha problem that was so serious
that we could/should not ignore it".

5 Internal modifiers

Nouns accept a very wide range of modifiers within the nominal.
Because they are inside the nominal they are called internal modifiers. Some
precede the head of the NP, while others follow.

(a) Pre-head modifiers

[37] ADJP a long letter, this latest problem, some very irate customers
II DP another two candidates, the more than thirty candidates
1Il NOMINAL a brick wall, high octane petrol, a United States warship
IV VP the condemned man, a sleeping child, a recently discovered fo ssil

'l' The most common type of pre-head modifier is an adjective, either alone or with

its own dependents, as in [37i].