Relative clause or indirect question?
- Anthony Appleyard
- Textkit Member
- Posts: 173
- Joined: Mon May 23, 2011 12:43 pm
Relative clause or indirect question?
When translating from English to Latin or Greek, I developed a "rule of thumb" to distinguish relative clause from indirect question: Before the apparent relative word ("where", "who", "when", etc), insert the words "the answer to the question". If the result (apart from sounding officialese or interrogationish) makes grammatical sense and has the same meaning as the original, it is an indirect question. How accurate would such a rule be?
-
- Textkit Zealot
- Posts: 4791
- Joined: Fri Oct 18, 2013 2:34 am
Re: Relative clause or indirect question?
How could it not be? It's the same as asking yourself if it's an indirect question.
-
- Textkit Neophyte
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Sun Feb 22, 2015 5:41 pm
Re: Relative clause or indirect question?
That long of a thought process may hamper reading speed.
I think a better "rule" is to examine why the relative is there: does it have an antecedent (explicit or implied) or does begin a question?
I think a better "rule" is to examine why the relative is there: does it have an antecedent (explicit or implied) or does begin a question?