Embedded Subordinate Clauses: Thus it had come to pass [#1], [ [#2] that Tellson's was the triumphant perfection (PN) {of inconvenience}]. | {After bursting open a door [#3] } {of idiotic obstinacy} {with a weak rattle} {in its throat}, you fell {into Tellson's} {down two steps}, and came {to your senses} {in a miserable little shop}, {with two little counters}, [Adj. to "shop" where the oldest {of men} made your cheque shake [#4] [Adv. (manner) to "shake" as if the wind rustled it (DO) ], [Adv. (time) to "made" while they examined the signature (DO) {by the dingiest} {of windows}, [Adj. to "windows" which were always {under a shower-bath} {of mud} {from Fleet-street}], and [Adj. to "windows" which were made (P) the dingier (RPA) [#5] {by their own iron bars proper [#6] , and the heavy shadow} {of Temple Bar} ]]]. | [Adv. (condition) to "were put" If your business necessitated your seeing "the House," [#7] ] you were put (P) {into a species} {of Condemned Hold} {at the back}, [Adj. to "back" where you meditated {on a misspent life}, [Adv. (time) to "meditated" until the House came {with its hands} {in its pockets} [#8],] and [Adv. (time) to "meditated" *until* you could hardly blink {at it} {in the dismal twilight}]]. | Your money came {out of, or went {into, wormy old wooden drawers}, [Adj. to "drawers" particles {of which} flew {up your nose} and {down your throat} [Adv. (time) to "flew" when they were opened (P) and shut (P) ]]. | Notes 2. This clause functions as a Delayed Subject. (The "antecedent" of the "it" is this clause.) See KISS Level 5.6 - Delayed Subjects and Sentences. 3. "Bursting" is a verbal (gerund) that functions as the object of the preposition. "Open" appears before "door" because "door" is modified by the following prepositional phrase, but the underlying structure is "bursting a door open." In that format, "door" is the subject and "open" is a predicate adjective to an ellipsed "to be" -- "bursting a door *to be* open." The ellipsed infinitive phrase functions as the direct object of "bursting." (See KISS Level 4 -- Ellipsed Infinitives.) Note that the subject of "bursting" is the following "you." 4. "Cheque" is the subject of the infinitive "shake." The infinitive phrase is the direct object of "made." 5. "Dingier" is a retained predicate adjective after the passive "were made." See KISS Level 5.7 - Passive Voice and Retained Complements. Grammarians would get into endless discussions of the use of "the" before "dingier," but I doubt that students would be interested, and it is not a major question. 6. Should a student ask, "proper" can be explained as a post-positioned adjective to "bars." See KISS Level 5.5 - Post-Positioned Adjectives. 7. "Your" is the subject and "House" is the direct object of the gerund "seeing." The gerund phrase functions as the direct object of "necessitated." 8. A more technical analysis would explain this as an ellipsed noun absolute that functions as the object of "with" -- "with its hands *being* in its pockets." This actually makes more sense in that the "in its pockets" is essentially adverbial telling where the hands were. For more on this, see KISS Level 5.8 - Noun Absolutes. |