The complex sentence with an adverbial clause of cause

Adverbial clauses of cause (or causative clauses) express the son, cause, or motivation of the action expressed in the main clause or of content as a whole.

Causative clauses may be introduced by the conjunctions as, because, so, that, lest, seeing (that), considering; or by the composite junctions for the reason that, in view of the fact that, in so far as (insofar by reason of. Of these the conjunction as is preferable when the sentence opens with a clause of cause.

As he was tired he preferred to stay at home. Since there is no help, let us try and bear it as best we can. They went down arm-in-arm - James with Imogen, because his pretty grandchild cheered him.

In so far as it is difficult to assign an external cause to certain happenings, they are written off as uncaused or spontaneous.

Clauses of proportionate agreement (or comparison). They express a proportional relationship - proportionality or equivalence; the more intensive is the action or quality described in one clause, the more intensive becomes the other, described in the following clause. Although sentences containing such clauses are undoubtedly complex, it is nevertheless impossible to state which of the clauses is the main one and which is subordinate, since they are of the same pattern -two twin clauses, looking like one another.

Clauses of proportionate agreement are joined by the conjunction (is (correlated with the adverb of degree so in the other clause); or by means of the correlative adverbs so... so in both clauses. Proportionate agreement between the clauses may also be expressed by the correlative particles the... the, followed by the comparative degree of adverbs (or adjectives).

As time went on, so their hopes began to wane.

The more he reflected on the idea, the more he liked it.

The further I penetrated into London, the profounder grew the stillness.

The second pattern of mutually subordinated clauses expresses temporal relations - a quick succession of actions or events, often overlapping with one another for a short period of time. These clauses form an indivisible whole owing to correlative elements and sometimes partial inversion in the first clause. The order in which the elements follow one another is fixed. As partial inversion is possible when the predicate consists of the operator and the notional part, only analytical forms or compound predicates are used.

There are several variants of the pattern:

1. No sooner... than.

No sooner had Tom seen us than he jumped into a bus.

No sooner could the chairman finish his speech than a great noise started.

# 46 SEMI-COMPLEX SENTENCE

The semi-composite sentence is to be defined as a sentence with more than one predicative lines which are expressed in fusion. For the most part, one of these lines can be identified as the leading or dominant, the others making the semi-predicative expansion of the sentence. The expanding semi-predicative line in the minimal semi-composite sentence is either wholly fused with the dominant (complete) predicative line of the construction, or partially fused with it, being weakened as a result of the fusing derivational transformation.

There are two different causes of the existence of the semi-composite sentence in language, each of them being essentially important in itself. The first cause is the tendency of speech to be economical. The second cause is that, apart from being economical, the semi-composite sentence fulfils its own purely semantic function

The sergeant gave a quick salute to me, and then he put his squad in motion. > Giving a quick salute to me, the sergeant put his squad in motion. > With a quick salute to me, the sergeant put his squad in motion.

The semi-complex sentences fall into a number of subtypes.

Semi-complex sentences of subjectsharing are built up by means of the two base sentences overlapping round the common subject. E.g.:

The man stood. + The man was silent. > The man stood silent. The moon rose. + The moon was red. > The moon rose red.

Semicomplex sentences of objectsharing, as different from those of subjectsharing, are built up of two base sentences overlapping round the word performing different functions in them: in the matrix sentence it is the object, in the insert sentence it is the subject. The complicator expansion of such sentences is commonly called the " complex object". E.g.:

We saw him.\He approached us. > We saw him approach us (approaching us). They painted the fence.\The fence was (became) green. > They painted the fence green.

Semicomplex sentences of attributive complication are derived from two base sentences having an identical element that occupies the position of the subject in the insert sentence and any notional position in the matrix sentence.

The waves sent out fine spray. + The waves rolled over the dam. > The waves rolling over the dam sent out fine spray. I came in late for the supper. + The supper was served in the diningroom. > I came in late for the supper served in the diningroom.

Semicomplex sentences of adverbial complication are derived from two base sentences one of which, the insert sentence, is predicatively reduced and embedded in an adverbial position of the other one, the matrix sentence. E.g.:

The task was completed. + The task seemed a very easy one. > The task, when completed, seemed a very easy one. The windows were closed.\She did not hear the noise in the street. —» The windows being closed, she did not hear the noise in the street.