The Complementizer THAT
The formative that which introduces complement clauses is traditionally considered a
subordinating conjunction. In fact, that is a marker of subordination. Unlike other
subordinating conjunctions (though, if), that has no meaning, occasionally being deleted.
That is a purely syntactic word, showing embedding, hence its name complementizer.
The lexical category of complementizers groups morphemes that have the same syntactic
functions: that, for-to, Poss- ing, Acc-ing, as.
Complementizers are sensitive to functions that can occur in Object and Subject Clauses: for-
to can occur only in Subject clauses:
[That John eats cabbage] means [that he likes it]. (That Cl/ Subj)
*For him to eat cabbage means that he will be sick.
[For him to eat cabbage] means nothing. (For-to Cl/ Subj)
Such interdependencies are easily expressed in terms of subcategorization frames for a
certain verb, which are an obligatory component of the lexic.
The generation of the complete range of That complements acquires the formulation of
several very general transformations:
Extraposition – converts sentence A into sentence B
a) That the world is round is obvious.
b. It is obvious that the world is round.
This rule is an optional one, not lexically governed, but obligatory for some verbs: seem,
appear, happen, turn out.
*That the world is round seems/ appears/ happens
It seems/ appears/ happens that the world is round.
A limited number of highly frequent verbs appear to require obligatory extraposition. This is
the case they don’t allow sentential subjects:
*That he is smart seems.
*To him to be smart seems.
But these verbs allow another type of constructions based on Raising Subject to Subject
position, which is a transformation that applies after extraposition and it insertion.
*That he is smart seems. =>> extraposition + it insertion =>>
It seems that he is smart. =>> Raising =>> He seems to be smart.
Extraposition also appears to behave exceptionally with respect to subject and object
complements of so-called bisentential verbs like: prove, show, indicate, imply, suggest,
mean, entail etc.
These verbs accept sentential constituents as both subject and object:
[That his finger-prints were on my throat] shows/ suggests/ proves/ means/ implies [that he is
unfond of me.]
*It shows [that he is unfond of me] [that his finger-prints were on my throat.]
The Distribution of That – Clauses
That – Clauses as Direct Objects
The following transitive verbs are subcategorized for clausal DOs introduced by that: admit,
answer, arrange, assume, believe, claim, consider, doubt, dream, estimate, fancy, find, feel,
hear, guess, imagine, mean, mind, know, prove, realize, remember, regret, see, suppose,
respect, think, understand.
Passive can freely apply to D.O complement clauses, in most cases the clausal subject is
extraposed:
The police already know that Oliver is a spy.
That Oliver is a spy is already known by the police.
It is already known by the police that Oliver is a spy.
With some verbs like: think, believe, imagine, suppose, see, hear, know, remember,
understand, that – deletion applies: I think/ suppose (that) he will come in time.
There is a second subcategory of verbs which take, in addition to a clausal D.O, an I.O or
P.O.
Verbs that take a to I.O.: they are mostly communicative verbs, which may undergo Dative
Movement: tell, read, write, suggest, remark, represent. Other verbs: permit, allow, promise,
swear, indicate.
She promised him that she’d never lie to him again.
They telegraphed us that father had died.
The Clausal D.O. may be passivized before Dative Movement:
They suggested a good solution to us.
A good solution was suggested to us by them.
In addition to the subclass of Dative Movement verbs, there are verbs that take a clausal D.O
and a personal P.O: ask, blame, beg, request, require:
He blamed the accident on me.
He blamed it on me that we had had an accident.
I begged of them that I may be allowed to go.
That – clauses often represent underlying prepositional Objects, which undergo Preposition
Deletion: admit (of), ask (for), answer (for), marvel (at), see (to), worry (about), wonder (at,
about), swear (to), conceive (of), decide (on), insist (up/ on), hope (for), learn (of, about).
Can you swear that the accused man was at your home all Friday night?
They voted that he should be admitted.
There is a class of transitive verbs that govern a D.O and a Prep. Object, where the Prep.
Object alternates with the clause:
advise^NP^of, instruct^NP^in, warn^NP^of, accuse ^NP^of, inform^NP^of, persuade^NP^of
He informed the manager that we are willing to work overtime.
Most frequently, That clauses originate in a prepositional phrase governed by an adjective:
afraid (of), alarmed (at), annoyed (at), concerned (about), happy (about), delighted (at),
sorry (for), thankful (for), surprised (at):
Are you aware that you are sitting on my hat?
You should be thankful that you are alive.
That-Clauses as Subjects with several predicate subclasses: seem, appear, happen, turn out,
came about.
It appeared that I had run out of whiskey again.
It seemed she had simply forgotten about Georgie.
Some of these verbs may also take a [+personal] I.O.
He felt a new respect for Miss Carter, and it occurred to him for the first time that he liked
her.
A considerable number of adjectives take sentential subjects: likely, contain, true, possible,
doubtful, helpful, essential, evident.
It was also evident to me [that I had not yet accepted] [that I lost her].
Nouns can also be used in this pattern: problem, thing, idea, fact, miracle, wonder, illusion.
It is a wonder that you were not killed.
There is a large number of psychological transitive verbs that allow sentence subjects: alarm,
amaze, concern, please, satisfy, tempt, trouble.
I was pleased that they had recognized my work.
That nothing came out of it intrigues me.
That – Clauses may also function as predicative in equative sentences when the subject is a
non-complex abstract NP or a clause: fact, idea, reason, claim, trouble etc.
The devil of it was [that I needed both of them].
Indications were that Spain and Morocco had come close to an agreement.
That – Clauses as Attributes
I have an uneasy feeling that she is forgotten.
