§ 155. Like objects in a simple sentence, object clauses may vary in their relation to the principal clause and in the way they are attached to the word they refer to or depend on.
1. An object clause may directly follow the word it refers to (a non-prepositional object clause). In this case it is parallel in function to a direct object.
Jon wondered if he had offended her.
I know when I am wasting time.
A typical most recurrent type of object clauses is indirect speech following verbs of saying.
He said he had never heard of it.
He asked me if I wanted to stay.
Object clauses of this subtype are more informative than their main clauses, the role of the latter being relegated to that of introducing the source of information.
Like subject clauses, object clauses may be preceded by the formal it, usually after the verbs to feel, to believe, to consider, to find, to take, to like, to insist on, etc.
You may take it that it is a genuine check.
I like it when people are nice to me.
I insist upon it that you tell me all the details.
You are to see to it that there should be no quarrel.
An object clause may refer to formal it followed by the objective predicative after the verbs to think, to find, to make, to consider, etc.
I found it strange that she could speak so calmly.
I think it necessary that you should go there at once.
He made it clear that his intentions were honest.
2. Object clauses parallel in function to indirect objects are very rare. However, they are possible, the necessary condition for it being that the object clause should be followed by a direct object.
You may give whoever you like any presents.
3. There are also cases when an object clause functions like a cognate object to a verb.
He and his mamma knew very few people and lived what might have been thought very lonely lives.
4. An object clause may be joined to the main clause by the prepositions after, about, before, beyond, for, near, of, as to, except, etc. (a prepositional object clause). In this case it is parallel in function to a prepositional non-recipient object. If a preposition is very closely attached to the preceding verb or adjective (to agree upon, to call for, to comment upon, to depend on, to hear of, to insist on, to be certain of, to be sorry for, etc.) it generally precedes the object clause.
I am not certain of what he did.
I want to be paid for what I do.
Some prepositions which would be indispensable before nouns or gerunds used as objects are not always necessary before object clauses.
We insisted that he should stay with us.
(We insisted on his staying with us.)
We agreed that the experiment should be stopped.
(We agreed upon stopping the experiment.)
The preposition is retained when there is a formal object it foilowed by an object clause.
We insisted on it that he should stay with us.
We agreed upon it that the experiment should be stopped.
Objective constructions with non-verbals
Tea over, she again summoned us to the fire ——> When tea was over... (После чая...)
IV. The absolute nominative with a prepositional noun construction is usually either an adverbial of attendant circumstances or time:
1. Of attendant circumstances.
I waited, every nerve upon the stretch ———>...and every nerve was upon the stretch. (...и каждый нерв
у меня был напряжен.)
§ 129. Adjectives and nouns which form the second part of these objective constructions are in subject-predicate relations to the first part and show what the person or non-person expressed by it is or becomes, or what quality it acquired. Because of its meaning the nominal part is often called an objective predicative.
These constructions may be used after the following verbs:
I. Verbs of mental activity and sense perception, which acquire in this construction the meaning of judgement, opinion or conclusion (to appreciate, to believe, to claim, to class, to consider, to condemn, to count, to deem, to esteem, to fancy, to feel, to figure, to imagine, to impart, to interpret, to judge, to look (at, on, upon), to perceive, to picture, to place, to pronounce, to recognize, to regard, to see, to sum up, to take, to think, to view, to visualize, etc.); also after some other verbs (to find, to discover, to welcome, etc.) expressing the same meaning. Occasionally a non-verbal element is introduced by the prepositions as or for.
He judged her young and pleasing.
The girl condemned herself as stupid.
They saw him as the greatest man in Europe.
The town esteemed him as a successful man.
I figured you for a good guy.
These constructions may be transformed into object clauses:
I thought it a wonderful opportunity ——> I thought that it was a wonderful opportunity.
He found his life dull ——> He found that his life was dull.
Several verbs of this group (to consider, to deem, to feel, to find, to regard, to suppose, to think, and some others) may take a complex object with the nominal part expressed by a verbal (an infinitive, a gerund) or by a clause. In this case the formal introductory object it is used:
Не thought it useless going to Paris .——> He thought that going to Paris was useless.
I consider it possible to talk to him now.
They will think it strange that you should be frightened.
II. Verbs implying that the result of the action will be a new quality, state, social standing, or attitude to the action. These verbs are rather numerous and form several semantic subclasses.
A. Verbs with causative meaning (to make, to render, to hit, to have, to worry, to scare, etc.) implying
change of state or impression, as in:
This blow made him crazy.
The sight of the animal scared the boy stiff.
His sudden appearance rendered us speechless.
B. Verbs denoting the action resulting in the change of colour (to paint, to dye, to stain, to tinge, to
dust)
They painted the door green.
She has dyed her hair blonde.
The storm dusted everything grey.
C. Verb denoting actions resulting in the change of social rank, status, function of, or giving
identification to, a person (to appoint, to call, to christen, to elect, to raise, to select, etc.) as in:
They elected him President.
They appointed him chief in the office.
I’ll raise my kid a Catholic.
The parents christened the boy Paul.
They deliberately selected Elizabeth as an ideal mother-substitute.
D. Verbs denoting motion, movement to a different position or state (to bring, to carry, to deliver, to
fing, to kick, to march, to pick, to put, to send, to tear, to toss, etc.).
She pulled the drawer open.
I tore the letter open.
Christin kicked the door open.
The girl clicked her bag shut.
Most of the verbs in group II have a very general vague meaning, they are often incomplete without the adjective or noun denoting the result of the action. Therefore they are very closely connected with it, forming a set expression:
to make |
somebody
something |
crazy (mad, happy, important, famous, an eager listener, restless, stunned)
invisible (concrete, interesting, handy, certain, clear) |
to make oneself agreable (comfortable, cosy)
|
somebody something |
free straight |
to
set
to drive mad (crazy, desperate)
to leave somebody stunned (doubtful, weak, indifferent, blind, crippled)
to keep |
somebody something |
busy clean (handy) |
to consider |
somebody something |
responsible (famous, big, great, unique, a master, charming, pleasing, awful) as possible (extreme, ridiculous, dreadful, a nuisance) |
to render |
somebody something |
spellbound (speechless, motionless, blind, dumb.) useless (hopeless, unimportant) |
to have |
somebody something |
as a teacher clear (right, definite) |
to count |
somebody something |
an enemy (a friend, as the greatest man) as useless (as ugly, as most attractive) |