4.5 Samples of Syntactical Analysis of the Complex Sentence

1. Tell me where you live.

Principal clause

T ell me

what?

where you live

Object clause

2. When she came, I told her that I was busy.

Principal clause

I told her

what? when?

that I was busy

when she came

Object clause Adverbial clause of time

3. She told me that she would go for a walk if the weather were fine.

Principal clause

She told me

what ?

that she would go for a walk

Object clause

on what condition?

if the weather were fine

Adverbial clause of condition

4.I am sure that you are mistaken and that you will find out your mistake very soon.

Principal clause

I am sure

of what? of what?

t hat you are mistaken

and

that you will find out your mistake very soon.

Homogeneous object clauses connected by the copulative conjunction “and”

6. Samples of Syntactical Analysis of Compound Sentences with Subordinate Clauses

1. We made camp on the bank of a little river and while we were unpacking our things the moon rose behind the river bushes.

Two independent sentences connected by the copulative conjunction “and”

We made camp on the bank of a little river

And

the moon rose behind the river bushes

when?

while we were unpacking our things

Adverbial clause of time

2. The weather had been all the week extremely sultry but the storm broke so suddenly that before we reached the outskirts of the wood, the rain came down in torrents.

Two independent clauses connected by the adversative conjunction “but”

The weather had been all the week extremely sultry

but

t he storm broke so suddenly

that the rain came down in torrents

when? Adverbial clause of result

before we reached the outskirts of the wood

Adverbial clause of time

3. It had been a fine bright day but it had become foggy, as the sun dropped, and I had to feel my way back among the shipping pretty carefully.

Three independent clauses connected by adversative “but” and copulative “and”

It had been a fine bright day

but

it had become foggy

and

I had to feel my way back among the shipping pretty carefully

when?

as the sun dropped

Adverbial clause of time

81. Analyze the following complex syntactical constructions:

1. Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show.

2. It seems as though our last stormy meeting was forgotten, but I was not in the mood to have it forgotten.

3. Eric wondered now whether Peter was really the man he ought to work for.

4. He discovered one morning that an idea had come to him for making a series of water-color drawings of London and he decided to begin with the Botanical Garden, where he had already made so many studies.

5. And at a time when there were no jobs to be had, when everywhere she saw worry and fear, she couldn’t help but be impressed by this possessive drive.

6. My old man was a different man then, I could see that he really was a different man even though I was a kid.

7. I saw him and when he saw me he stopped and waited until I came down into the hall.

8. The stars were bright in a very dark blue sky and by their light some lilacs had that mysterious color of flowers by night that no one can describe.

9. But she had observed before that when people were in process of moving in to a new house, and until the furniture had arrived, everyone felt they could come and go without permission.

10. Billy stood back against the wall of the room, with the exaggerated deference he had used since she had become the English Lady-Tiger of the films.

11. It was still early when we got settled and George said that, as we had plenty of time, it would be a splendid opportunity to try a good, slap-up supper.

12. He said he would show us what could be done up the river in the way of cooking, and suggested that, with the vegetables and the remains of the cold beef, we should make an Irish stew.

13. I remember that towards the end, Montmorency, who had evinced great interest in the proceedings throughout, strolled away, reappearing, a few minutes afterwards, with a dead water rat in his mouth, which he evidently wished to present as his contribution to the dinner.

14. Harris said that he thought the rat would be all right, mixed up with other things, and that every little helped; but George stood up for the precedent.

15. He knocked at the door, and as nobody came, he gave the door, which did not look as if it had any attention from anybody for years, a good sound rapping.

16. Margie had hoped he wouldn’t know how to put it together again, but he knew all right, and after an hour or so, there it was again, large and black and ugly, with a big screen on which all the lessons were shown and the questions were asked.

17. Each of us is a prisoner in a solitary tower and he communicates with the other prisoners, who form mankind, by conventional signs that have not quite the same meaning for them as for himself.

18. They turned the pages, which were yellow and crinkly, and it was awfully funny to read words that stood still instead of moving the way they were supposed to – on the screen.

19. The mechanical teacher was always on at the same time every day, except Saturday and Sunday, because her mother said little girls learned better if they learned at regular hours.

20. You told me when last I saw you that if I came here I should earn just enough money to keep body and soul together, but that I should lead a wonderful life.

21. Her laughter, her gesture, her assertions became more violently affected moment by moment, and as she expanded, the room grew smaller around her until she seemed to be revolving on a noisy, creaking pivot through the smoky air.

22. I wanted to get out and walk eastward toward the Park through the soft twilight, but each time I tried to go I became entangled in some wild, strident argument, which pulled me back, as if with ropes, into my chair.

23. He had on a dress suit and patent leather shoes, and I couldn’t keep my eyes off him, but every time he looked at me I had to pretend to be looking at the advertisement over his head.

24. I was so excited that when I got into a taxi with him I didn’t know I wasn’t getting into a subway train.

25. There was a machine in the kitchen, which could extract the juice of two hundred oranges in half an hour if a little button was pressed two hundred times by a butler’s thumb.

26. I believe that on the first night I went to Gatsby’s house I was one of the few guests who had actually been invited.

27. As soon as I arrived I made an attempt to find my host, but the two or three people of whom I asked his whereabouts stared at me in an amazed way and denied any knowledge of his movements.

28. As I went over to say good-by I saw that the expression of bewilderment had come into Gatsby’s face, as though a faint doubt had occurred to him as to the quality of his present happiness.

29. His hand took hold of hers, and as she said something low in his ear he turned toward her with a rush of emotion.

30. One autumn night, five years before, they had been walking down the street when the leaves were falling, and they came to a place where there were no trees and the sidewalk was white with moonlight.