Editing Clause (section)

==Representing clauses==
Some of the distinctions presented above are represented in syntax trees. These trees make the difference between main and subordinate clauses very clear, and they also illustrate well the difference between argument and adjunct clauses. The following [[dependency grammar]] trees show that embedded clauses are dependent on an element in the independent clause, often on a verb:<ref>Numerous dependency grammar trees like the ones produced here can be found, for instance, in Osborne and Groß (2012).</ref>

::[[File:Clause trees 1'.png|Clause trees 1']]

The independent clause comprises the entire trees in both instances, whereas the embedded clauses constitute arguments of the respective independent clauses: the embedded ''wh''-clause ''what we want'' is the object argument of the predicate ''know''; the embedded clause ''that he is gaining'' is the subject argument of the predicate ''is motivating''. Both of these argument clauses are dependent on the verb of the matrix clause. The following trees identify adjunct clauses using an arrow dependency edge:

::[[File:Clause trees 2.png|Clause trees 2]]

These two embedded clauses are adjunct clauses because they provide circumstantial information that modifies a superordinate expression. The first is a dependent of the main verb of the matrix clause and the second is a dependent of the object noun. The arrow dependency edges identify them as adjuncts. The arrow points away from the adjunct towards it [[government (linguistics)|governor]] to indicate that semantic [[selection (linguistics)|selection]] is running counter to the direction of the syntactic dependency; the adjunct is selecting its governor. The next four trees illustrate the distinction mentioned above between matrix ''wh''-clauses and embedded ''wh''-clauses

::[[File:Clause trees 3'.png|Clause trees 3']]

The embedded ''wh''-clause is an object argument each time. The position of the ''wh''-word across the matrix clauses (a-trees) and the embedded clauses (b-trees) captures the difference in word order. Matrix ''wh''-clauses have [[V2 word order]], whereas embedded wh-clauses have (what amounts to) V3 word order. In the matrix clauses, the ''wh''-word is a dependent of the finite verb, whereas it is the head over the finite verb in the embedded ''wh''-clauses.