UNIVERSIDADE LICUNGO

FACULTY OF LETTERS AND HUMANITIES

Honours degree in English

Language Teaching
3rd
year

ANTÓNIO XAVIER
CLARÊNCIA MULHANGA
CRISÓSTOMO MACHAVA
PALINO MACHAILA

Wh-Clauses

Quelimane

2021
 ANTÓNIO XAVIER
CLARÊNCIA MULHANGA
CRISÓSTOMO MACHAVA
PALINO MACHAILA

Wh-Clauses

Assignment submitted in the Department of

Letters and Humanities, with evaluative purpose
Lecturer: Manuel M. Jossias

Quelimane

2021
Contents
1. Introduction..............................................................................................................................4

2. Wh-clauses...............................................................................................................................5

3. Wh-questions...........................................................................................................................5

4. Subordinate wh-clauses..............................................................................................................6

4.1. Subordinate wh-interrogative clauses......................................................................................6

4.2. Relative clauses.......................................................................................................................7

5. Omission of the wh-phrase.........................................................................................................8

6. Restrictive vs. non-restrictive..................................................................................................8

7. Conclusion.............................................................................................................................10

Bibliography.................................................................................................................................11
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1. Introduction

Syntax is the structural study of sentences, which are constructed by constituents, the
constituents can be a single word or a sequence of words that are analyzed as the same category.
There are many books related to the study of syntax, or better say, sentence structure that can
help English language learners to know how sentences are formed. The topic discussed in the
present work is Wh-clause, which are clauses that include a Wh-expression. The Wh-phrases
can occur in the main clause as well as in subordinate. The usage of these expressions in the
main clause results in questions known as Wh-questions, by other side, when they occur in the
subordinate clause can have two effects namely subordinate Wh-interrogative clause or
subordinate relative clause. The relative clauses are always subordinate and they need more
attention when analyzing their internal structure. The relative clause can be restrictive or non-
restrictive. The development of these contents and others are found within the work.
Methodologically, to write this work, the group read several sources mainly Noel Burton and
Gelderen. Analyzing Sentences and other materials which helped us to have an over view
related to the topic.
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2. Wh-clauses
Burton state3s that Wh-clause are used replace a single word to show that a sequence of words
should be analysed as a constituent (who, what, which, whose, why, when, where, how).
Examples:
1. John is playing football in our yard.
1.1. Who is playing football in our yard?
1.2. John is playing what in our yard?
1.3. John is playing football where?
‘‘Clauses that include a wh-word are called wh-clauses. Wh-words can appear in main clauses
and in subordinate clauses. Wh-questions contrast with the yes/no questions. A yes/no question
asks whether something is the case or not. A wh-question, by contrast, questions some particular
constituent.’’

3. Wh-questions
When the wh-question is in its normal statement as in [1] there is nothing special about its
analysis. It can be analysed exactly when the wh-clauses were used to replace a single word.
As with the movement of an object to the subject position in passive sentences and, more
generally, as with all movements – wh-fronting leaves behind a gap (•) of the appropriate
category. The auxiliary-fronting is fronting to the C position and the wh phrase moves in front
of the fronted auxiliary to occupy C2.
4. What is John •playing• in the Yard?

That tells us where in the linear order it appears, but it doesn’t tell us what structural position it
occupies. The wh-phrase does not move to the C position that auxiliaries move to. It moves
above and beyond that C position. So we need a second higher C position, this second C
position introduces S. So it must be dominated by a node that also dominates S, called ‘S-
double-bar’ – S.
S
C2 S
C1 S
C1 (lower): Daughter of S-bar (S′) and sister of S. Filled in subordinate clauses, by that,
whether, subordinating conjunctions and in main clauses, by fronted tensed auxiliaries.
C2 (higher): Daughter of S-double-bar (S″) and sister of S-bar (S′) Filled, in both main and
subordinate clauses, by fronted wh-expressions.
A variety of phrases can be fronted: NP, PP, AdvP and AP.
5. What is a phonologist •. (• = NP)
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S

C2 S
what
C1 S
is
NP VP

Det V NP
a NOM (int) [•]
Phon. [•]

4. Subordinate wh-clauses
Wh-clauses are introduced by a fronted wh-phrase occupying the C2 position (daughter of S,
sister of S′) and this corresponds to a gap of the appropriate category in the position from which
it was fronted. This goes for all wh-clauses, whether main or subordinate. The one structural
difference between a main and a subordinate wh-clause is that only main wh-clauses display
auxiliary-fronting as well as wh-fronting. Auxiliary-fronting occurs only in main clauses.
Burton (2011)
There are two types of subordinate wh-clause, interrogative clauses and relative clauses.

4.1. Subordinate wh-interrogative clauses

According to Burton, the subordinate wh-clauses have exactly the same structure as the wh-
questions. The fronted wh-phrase occupies the higher C2 position. Since these interrogative
clauses are subordinate and therefore don’t display auxiliary fronting, the lower C1 position will
be empty.
Example:
6. John asked [which film they had seen•] DO V-ask. WH- DO V- seen.
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S
NP VP
John
V NP
asked S

C2 S
which C1 S
film •
NP VP
They
V VP
PRO
had V NP
seen [•]

4.2. Relative clauses

A relative clause (RC) typically starts with a who, which, or that relative pronoun and provides
further information about a noun. Gelderen (2010)
For Burton, Relative clauses are non-interrogative wh-clauses. In contrast to interrogative
clauses (which can be main or subordinate), relative clauses are, by their nature, subordinate.
This is because relative clauses function as modifiers. They can modify a range of categories.
When wh-forms occur in a relative clause, they are traditionally referred to as relative pronouns,
in contrast to their occurrence in interrogative clauses when they are traditionally referred to as
interrogative pronouns. These relative clauses have exactly the same structure as the subordinate
wh-interrogative clauses, they display wh-fronting into the higher C2 position. Relative clauses
are sisters of NOMINAL while noun complement that is sister of N.
Example of the noun complement that: The fact that I passed the class.
NP
Det NOM
The
N S
fact
that I passed the exams
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Example of Relative clause: The place where we had that picnic.
NP

Det NOM
The
NOM S
place
where we had that picnic

5. Omission of the wh-phrase

In many cases, the wh-form in a relative clause can be omitted (by ellipsis). The fronted wh-
form cannot be ellipted when it functions as subject when other material has been fronted with
it. Generally, ellipsis is possible only when it does not interfere with the interpretation or with
ease of comprehension.
Examples:
The man ^ they fired is very furious (The man who they fired is very furious).
*The man ^ house they fired is very furious (The man whose house they fired is very furious).
Whose house= other material has been frontend with it.
*The man ^ gave you the cell phone (The man who gave you the orange). Who= Subject

6. Restrictive vs. Non-restrictive

The difference between restrictive and non-restrictive lies in the way they relate to the head
noun within the overall NP. Restrictive relative clauses specify more exactly which of the things
picked out by the head noun are being mentioned while non-restrictive relative clauses serve to
add extra parenthetical information, without restricting the set of things being mentioned. The
big difference, then, is that restrictive relative makes just one statement, but non-restrictive
makes two separate statements.
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Example of restrictive relative clause:
The man who broke the bank at Monte Carlos
NP

Det NOM
The
NOM S
man

who broke the bank at Monte

Carlos

Example of non-restrictive relative clause: The man, who inaugurated the penal code.
NP

NP S

Det N
The man who inaugurated the penal code
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7. Conclusion

The study of sentences is very important because it helps us to be aware of the language that we
speak. So, syntax revels how well we know the language that we speak. From the contents found
within this work, we could understand that a sentence is not constructed by words, it is
constructed from units or constituents that are also composed by other elements. In the study of
Wh-clauses, we need to take in consideration the Wh-phrases, the unit in which the Wh-word
occurs. Within the work, it was discussed about the Wh-clauses as modifiers of the nominal or
complement of the head noun.In conclusion, the knowledge of Wh-clauses is very relevant in
the study of language in the sense that it makes us to know that relation between clauses within
sentences, the category in which they belong to and the function that they do inside a sentence.
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Bibliography
Aarts, B. (2001). English Syntax and Argumentation. 2 nd ed. Englang: University College
London.
Burton,N. (2011). Analysing sentences An introduction to English introduction to English
Syntax. 3rd ed. USA: New York.
Gelderen, E. (2010). An introduction to the Grammar of English. Revised edition. Arizoma
State University.