Mixed Subordinate Clauses
1. The colour [Adj. to "colour" they most loved], and [Adj. to "colour" which was most familiar (PA) {to them}], was the dark red (PN) {of the ground} {beneath their feet}
everywhere. |
2. [Adv. to "paid" and "deposited" When the solemn rite was concluded (P) ], Step-and-Fetch-It paid his own courtesy (DO) {with an extra squeeze} {of the curly head},
and deposited
her (DO) again
{in the truck}. |
3. Polly was
thinking {about [OP
how she would
care {for her poor children}
] }. |
4. The next thing [Adj. to "thing" she remembered] was [PN that she was apparently being carried (P) along {on some gliding object} {to the sound} {of rippling
water}]. |
5. Perhaps I ought to explain [DO that she had already known other experiences (DO) {of
a purely imaginative character}].
|
6. [ [#1] That Polly's personification {of "The Proud Lady"} disturbed her mother (DO) ]
resulted {in
Polly's abandoning it
[#2] }.
|
7. [DO of "to believe" That the red dust may have often given a sanguinary tone (DO) {to
their fancies},]
I have
every reason
(DO) to believe [#3]
. |
8. Most {of the characters} [Adj. to "characters" that she assumed {for days and sometimes weeks} {at a time}]
were purely
original (PA) {in
conception}. |
9. Any change {in the weather} was as unexpected (PA) [Adv. to the previous "as" as
it is
*unexpected* (PA) {in
books}]. |
10. [Adv. to "settled" [#4] Well meant (PA) as her father's account was], it only settled {in the child's mind} [DO that she must keep the awful secret (DO) {to herself}] and [DO that no one could understand her (DO) ]. | Notes 2. "It" is the direct object of the verbal (gerund) "abandoning" which functions as the object of the preposition "in." 3. The infinitive "to believe" functions as an adjective to "reason." 4. You won't find this discussed in grammar textbooks. The construction in fairly rare. An alternative explanation is to see "well meant" as adjectival to "it," thereby making the subordinate clause begin with "as" and modify "meant." |