The Printable KISS Grammar Workbooks To Charles Dickens Page
(Code and Color Key)

Subordinate Clauses That Function as Nouns
from Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities
Analysis Key

1. *You* Listen {to [OP what is *going to* to follow  [#1] ] }. |

2. My petition is, [PN that a morsel {of stone or wood}, {with my husband's

       name}, may be placed (P) {over him}]. |

3. [Subj. What I must bid you to do [#2] {for Charles's sake}], is the hardest

     thing (PN) to do [#3] {of all}. |

4. The story {of his pure soul} was exactly [PN what Mr. Attorney-General

     had described it to be [#4] ]. |

5. [Subj. "You have no business (DO) to be incorrigible [#5],"] was

     his friend's answer (PN). |

6. {Besides [OP that I should know it to be hopeless [#6] ] }, I should

     know it to be a baseness [#7]. |

7. It is [PN what I meant to say [#8] ]. |

8. "[Subj What we should most pray {for [#9] },] was, [PN that our

     women might be barren (PA) ] and [PN our miserable race

     *might* die out ]!" |

9. The prisoner's counsel was cross-examining this witness (DO) {with no

     result}, {except [#10] [OP that he had never seen the prisoner (DO)

     {on any other occasion}] }. |

10. [DO to "to disclose" What those affairs were], a consideration {for others}

     [Adj. to "others" who were near (PA) and dear (PA) {to him}], forbade

     him, even {for his life}, to disclose [#11] . |

Notes
1. There are several options for explaining this "is to" construction. See "'To be to' -  Ellipsed Passive plus an Infinitive?"  in KISS Level 5.7 - Passive Voice and Retained Complements.
2. I would expect most students to mark "you" as the direct (or indirect) object of "must bid." At KISS Level 4 they will learn that "you" is the subject of the verbal (infinitive) "to do." The infinitive phrase is the direct object of "must bid."
3. This infinitive functions as an adjective to "thing."
4. "It" is the subject and "what" is a predicate noun to the infinitive "to be." The infinitive phrase functions as the direct object of "had described."
5. "Incorrigible" is a predicate adjective after the infinitive "to be." The infinitive phrase functions as an adjective to "business."
6. "It" is the subject and "hopeless" is a predicate adjective to the infinitive "to be." The infinitive phrase functions as the direct object of "should know."
7. "It" is the subject and "baseness" is a predicate noun to the infinitive "to be." The infinitive phrase functions as the direct object of "should know."
8. The infinitive "to say" has as its object the "what" that functions as the subordinating conjunction. The phrase functions as the direct object of "meant."
9. The object of "for" is the "What."
10. This except phrase is adverbial to "no."
11. "Him" is the subject of the infinitive "to disclose." The infinitive phrase functions as the direct object of "forbade."