“so many …that”
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2
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"There were so many webs, that the town looked like something from a horror movie. "
I understand the meaning of this sentence but not the grammar.
What is the grammatical function of the clause "that the town looked like..."?
Can anyone help me parse this sentence? This is what I have so far: subj- There
verb- were, predicate - many, adv - so
grammar subordinate-clauses
edited May 28 '15 at 4:58
rogermue
11.7k41647
asked May 27 '15 at 16:16
William
1,06111020
bumped to the homepage by Community♦ 28 mins ago
This question has answers that may be good or bad; the system has marked it active so that they can be reviewed.
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show 1 more comment
up vote
2
down vote
favorite
"There were so many webs, that the town looked like something from a horror movie. "
I understand the meaning of this sentence but not the grammar.
What is the grammatical function of the clause "that the town looked like..."?
Can anyone help me parse this sentence? This is what I have so far: subj- There
verb- were, predicate - many, adv - so
grammar subordinate-clauses
edited May 28 '15 at 4:58
rogermue
11.7k41647
asked May 27 '15 at 16:16
William
1,06111020
bumped to the homepage by Community♦ 28 mins ago
This question has answers that may be good or bad; the system has marked it active so that they can be reviewed.
1
The soXthatSconstruction consists of two parts: a measure of some propertyXmarked with so (so high, so many webs, so little money, so interesting) followed by a result clauseSmarked with that (respectively, that nobody can climb it, that it looked like a horror movie, that they can't afford food, that I decided to stay another day). The result clause illustrates the degree asserted forX. A stressed so is often used to mean very (I was so mad), but that's baby talk; so requires a that clause to make sense.
– John Lawler
May 27 '15 at 16:29
So, "that the town looked.like..." is an adverb modifying so?
– William
May 27 '15 at 16:42
Is there a name for these kinds of constructions that have two parts?
– William
May 27 '15 at 16:46
1
No, the that clause is not an adverb, and it doesn't modify so. So is part of the construction, like that; neither word has any meaning independent of the construction. There are thousands of such multi-part constructions in English, like comparative (more important than that book), superlative (the most important of all), equative (as important as you think), and the let alone construction. Most have no special name; they're the norm, not anything special.
– John Lawler
May 27 '15 at 17:29
7
The comma might be confounding the sense. I wouldn't expect one there as it separates the So X that Y construction.
– Andrew Leach♦
May 27 '15 at 18:41
|
show 1 more comment
up vote
2
down vote
favorite
up vote
2
down vote
favorite
"There were so many webs, that the town looked like something from a horror movie. "
I understand the meaning of this sentence but not the grammar.
What is the grammatical function of the clause "that the town looked like..."?
Can anyone help me parse this sentence? This is what I have so far: subj- There
verb- were, predicate - many, adv - so
grammar subordinate-clauses
edited May 28 '15 at 4:58
rogermue
11.7k41647
asked May 27 '15 at 16:16
William
1,06111020
"There were so many webs, that the town looked like something from a horror movie. "
I understand the meaning of this sentence but not the grammar.
What is the grammatical function of the clause "that the town looked like..."?
Can anyone help me parse this sentence? This is what I have so far: subj- There
verb- were, predicate - many, adv - so
grammar subordinate-clauses
grammar subordinate-clauses
edited May 28 '15 at 4:58
rogermue
11.7k41647
asked May 27 '15 at 16:16
William
1,06111020
edited May 28 '15 at 4:58
rogermue
11.7k41647
asked May 27 '15 at 16:16
William
1,06111020
edited May 28 '15 at 4:58
rogermue
11.7k41647
edited May 28 '15 at 4:58
rogermue
11.7k41647
edited May 28 '15 at 4:58
rogermue
11.7k41647
11.7k41647
asked May 27 '15 at 16:16
William
1,06111020
asked May 27 '15 at 16:16
William
1,06111020
asked May 27 '15 at 16:16
William
1,06111020
1,06111020
bumped to the homepage by Community♦ 28 mins ago
This question has answers that may be good or bad; the system has marked it active so that they can be reviewed.
bumped to the homepage by Community♦ 28 mins ago
This question has answers that may be good or bad; the system has marked it active so that they can be reviewed.
1
The soXthatSconstruction consists of two parts: a measure of some propertyXmarked with so (so high, so many webs, so little money, so interesting) followed by a result clauseSmarked with that (respectively, that nobody can climb it, that it looked like a horror movie, that they can't afford food, that I decided to stay another day). The result clause illustrates the degree asserted forX. A stressed so is often used to mean very (I was so mad), but that's baby talk; so requires a that clause to make sense.
– John Lawler
May 27 '15 at 16:29
So, "that the town looked.like..." is an adverb modifying so?
– William
May 27 '15 at 16:42
Is there a name for these kinds of constructions that have two parts?
– William
May 27 '15 at 16:46
1
No, the that clause is not an adverb, and it doesn't modify so. So is part of the construction, like that; neither word has any meaning independent of the construction. There are thousands of such multi-part constructions in English, like comparative (more important than that book), superlative (the most important of all), equative (as important as you think), and the let alone construction. Most have no special name; they're the norm, not anything special.
– John Lawler
May 27 '15 at 17:29
7
The comma might be confounding the sense. I wouldn't expect one there as it separates the So X that Y construction.
– Andrew Leach♦
May 27 '15 at 18:41
|
show 1 more comment
1
The soXthatSconstruction consists of two parts: a measure of some propertyXmarked with so (so high, so many webs, so little money, so interesting) followed by a result clauseSmarked with that (respectively, that nobody can climb it, that it looked like a horror movie, that they can't afford food, that I decided to stay another day). The result clause illustrates the degree asserted forX. A stressed so is often used to mean very (I was so mad), but that's baby talk; so requires a that clause to make sense.
– John Lawler
May 27 '15 at 16:29
So, "that the town looked.like..." is an adverb modifying so?
– William
May 27 '15 at 16:42
Is there a name for these kinds of constructions that have two parts?
– William
May 27 '15 at 16:46
1
No, the that clause is not an adverb, and it doesn't modify so. So is part of the construction, like that; neither word has any meaning independent of the construction. There are thousands of such multi-part constructions in English, like comparative (more important than that book), superlative (the most important of all), equative (as important as you think), and the let alone construction. Most have no special name; they're the norm, not anything special.
– John Lawler
May 27 '15 at 17:29
7
The comma might be confounding the sense. I wouldn't expect one there as it separates the So X that Y construction.
– Andrew Leach♦
May 27 '15 at 18:41
1
1
The so
X that S construction consists of two parts: a measure of some property X marked with so (so high, so many webs, so little money, so interesting) followed by a result clause S marked with that (respectively, that nobody can climb it, that it looked like a horror movie, that they can't afford food, that I decided to stay another day). The result clause illustrates the degree asserted for X. A stressed so is often used to mean very (I was so mad), but that's baby talk; so requires a that clause to make sense.– John Lawler
May 27 '15 at 16:29
The so
X that S construction consists of two parts: a measure of some property X marked with so (so high, so many webs, so little money, so interesting) followed by a result clause S marked with that (respectively, that nobody can climb it, that it looked like a horror movie, that they can't afford food, that I decided to stay another day). The result clause illustrates the degree asserted for X. A stressed so is often used to mean very (I was so mad), but that's baby talk; so requires a that clause to make sense.– John Lawler
May 27 '15 at 16:29
So, "that the town looked.like..." is an adverb modifying so?
– William
May 27 '15 at 16:42
So, "that the town looked.like..." is an adverb modifying so?
– William
May 27 '15 at 16:42
Is there a name for these kinds of constructions that have two parts?
– William
May 27 '15 at 16:46
Is there a name for these kinds of constructions that have two parts?
– William
May 27 '15 at 16:46
1
1
No, the that clause is not an adverb, and it doesn't modify so. So is part of the construction, like that; neither word has any meaning independent of the construction. There are thousands of such multi-part constructions in English, like comparative (more important than that book), superlative (the most important of all), equative (as important as you think), and the let alone construction. Most have no special name; they're the norm, not anything special.
– John Lawler
May 27 '15 at 17:29
No, the that clause is not an adverb, and it doesn't modify so. So is part of the construction, like that; neither word has any meaning independent of the construction. There are thousands of such multi-part constructions in English, like comparative (more important than that book), superlative (the most important of all), equative (as important as you think), and the let alone construction. Most have no special name; they're the norm, not anything special.
– John Lawler
May 27 '15 at 17:29
7
7
The comma might be confounding the sense. I wouldn't expect one there as it separates the So X that Y construction.
– Andrew Leach♦
May 27 '15 at 18:41
The comma might be confounding the sense. I wouldn't expect one there as it separates the So X that Y construction.
– Andrew Leach♦
May 27 '15 at 18:41
|
show 1 more comment
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
up vote
0
down vote
Clauses that describe consequences are called clauses of result in English terminology. The traditional name in Latin grammar is consecutive clauses.
Clauses of result belong to the group of adverbial clauses.
The basic structures are
1 so that-clause (describing consequence/result)
2 so + adjective that-clause (consequence/result).
Examples
1a The gravestones were covered with moss so that it was impossible to read the names on them. (Longman DCE)
2a It was so cold that the water froze.
Of course, there are variants.
You can make such sentences clearer by inserting "consequence":
1b The gravestone were covered with moss.
The consequence was that it was impossible to read the names on them.
2b It was so cold and the consequence was that the water froze.
answered May 28 '15 at 4:40
rogermue
11.7k41647
add a comment |
up vote
-3
down vote
That the town is just a follow-on bit of detail. It means that the number of spider webs made it look like something from a horror movie.
answered May 27 '15 at 21:45
Dog Lover
4,86352962
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
0
down vote
Clauses that describe consequences are called clauses of result in English terminology. The traditional name in Latin grammar is consecutive clauses.
Clauses of result belong to the group of adverbial clauses.
The basic structures are
1 so that-clause (describing consequence/result)
2 so + adjective that-clause (consequence/result).
Examples
1a The gravestones were covered with moss so that it was impossible to read the names on them. (Longman DCE)
2a It was so cold that the water froze.
Of course, there are variants.
You can make such sentences clearer by inserting "consequence":
1b The gravestone were covered with moss.
The consequence was that it was impossible to read the names on them.
2b It was so cold and the consequence was that the water froze.
answered May 28 '15 at 4:40
rogermue
11.7k41647
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
Clauses that describe consequences are called clauses of result in English terminology. The traditional name in Latin grammar is consecutive clauses.
Clauses of result belong to the group of adverbial clauses.
The basic structures are
1 so that-clause (describing consequence/result)
2 so + adjective that-clause (consequence/result).
Examples
1a The gravestones were covered with moss so that it was impossible to read the names on them. (Longman DCE)
2a It was so cold that the water froze.
Of course, there are variants.
You can make such sentences clearer by inserting "consequence":
1b The gravestone were covered with moss.
The consequence was that it was impossible to read the names on them.
2b It was so cold and the consequence was that the water froze.
answered May 28 '15 at 4:40
rogermue
11.7k41647
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
up vote
0
down vote
Clauses that describe consequences are called clauses of result in English terminology. The traditional name in Latin grammar is consecutive clauses.
Clauses of result belong to the group of adverbial clauses.
The basic structures are
1 so that-clause (describing consequence/result)
2 so + adjective that-clause (consequence/result).
Examples
1a The gravestones were covered with moss so that it was impossible to read the names on them. (Longman DCE)
2a It was so cold that the water froze.
Of course, there are variants.
You can make such sentences clearer by inserting "consequence":
1b The gravestone were covered with moss.
The consequence was that it was impossible to read the names on them.
2b It was so cold and the consequence was that the water froze.
answered May 28 '15 at 4:40
rogermue
11.7k41647
Clauses that describe consequences are called clauses of result in English terminology. The traditional name in Latin grammar is consecutive clauses.
Clauses of result belong to the group of adverbial clauses.
The basic structures are
1 so that-clause (describing consequence/result)
2 so + adjective that-clause (consequence/result).
Examples
1a The gravestones were covered with moss so that it was impossible to read the names on them. (Longman DCE)
2a It was so cold that the water froze.
Of course, there are variants.
You can make such sentences clearer by inserting "consequence":
1b The gravestone were covered with moss.
The consequence was that it was impossible to read the names on them.
2b It was so cold and the consequence was that the water froze.
answered May 28 '15 at 4:40
rogermue
11.7k41647
edited May 28 '15 at 4:50
answered May 28 '15 at 4:40
rogermue
11.7k41647
answered May 28 '15 at 4:40
rogermue
11.7k41647
answered May 28 '15 at 4:40
rogermue
11.7k41647
11.7k41647
add a comment |
add a comment |
up vote
-3
down vote
That the town is just a follow-on bit of detail. It means that the number of spider webs made it look like something from a horror movie.
answered May 27 '15 at 21:45
Dog Lover
4,86352962
add a comment |
up vote
-3
down vote
That the town is just a follow-on bit of detail. It means that the number of spider webs made it look like something from a horror movie.
answered May 27 '15 at 21:45
Dog Lover
4,86352962
add a comment |
up vote
-3
down vote
up vote
-3
down vote
That the town is just a follow-on bit of detail. It means that the number of spider webs made it look like something from a horror movie.
answered May 27 '15 at 21:45
Dog Lover
4,86352962
That the town is just a follow-on bit of detail. It means that the number of spider webs made it look like something from a horror movie.
answered May 27 '15 at 21:45
Dog Lover
4,86352962
answered May 27 '15 at 21:45
Dog Lover
4,86352962
answered May 27 '15 at 21:45
Dog Lover
4,86352962
answered May 27 '15 at 21:45
Dog Lover
4,86352962
4,86352962
add a comment |
add a comment |
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1
The so
XthatSconstruction consists of two parts: a measure of some propertyXmarked with so (so high, so many webs, so little money, so interesting) followed by a result clauseSmarked with that (respectively, that nobody can climb it, that it looked like a horror movie, that they can't afford food, that I decided to stay another day). The result clause illustrates the degree asserted forX. A stressed so is often used to mean very (I was so mad), but that's baby talk; so requires a that clause to make sense.– John Lawler
May 27 '15 at 16:29
So, "that the town looked.like..." is an adverb modifying so?
– William
May 27 '15 at 16:42
Is there a name for these kinds of constructions that have two parts?
– William
May 27 '15 at 16:46
1
No, the that clause is not an adverb, and it doesn't modify so. So is part of the construction, like that; neither word has any meaning independent of the construction. There are thousands of such multi-part constructions in English, like comparative (more important than that book), superlative (the most important of all), equative (as important as you think), and the let alone construction. Most have no special name; they're the norm, not anything special.
– John Lawler
May 27 '15 at 17:29
7
The comma might be confounding the sense. I wouldn't expect one there as it separates the So X that Y construction.
– Andrew Leach♦
May 27 '15 at 18:41