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Theoretical Part

1. A subject clause is a clause which performs within a complex sentence the same function that the subject performs within a simple sentence (the agent or target of the action) and answers the questions who? or what? The main clause having no subject is deficient in its structure and meaning unless joined with the subordinate clause.

Whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with income (who?).

Тот, кто любит богатство, никогда не удовлетворен своим доходом.

It is crystal clear that if you lose weight, you will have a happier, healthier, better life (what?).

Несомненно, что, если ты похудеешь, твоя жизнь станет счастливее, здоровее и лучше.

2. Complex sentences with subject clauses may be of two patterns:

a) when a subject clause precedes the predicate of the main clause:

That she will never agree to marry him was absolutely clear to everybody.

То, что она никогда не согласится выйти за него замуж, было совершенно ясно каждому.

b) when a subject clause is placed at the end of the sentence (then it is introduced by the formal it):

It was wonderful that we could see each other.

Как хорошо, что нам удалось повидаться.

Note. In exclamatory sentences the formal it may be only implied.

How lovely (it is) that the sun has come out!

Как чудесно, что выглянуло солнце!

3. Subordinate subject clauses are introduced in the following ways:

a) by means of the connectives what, whatever, who, whom, whoever, which, whose, when, where, how, why, because. (A connective what is used only without formal it). Subject clauses of this type cannot be joined asyndetically, as the opening words signal the subordinate status of the clause:

Because I ask too many questions does not mean I am curious.

То, что я задаю слишком много вопросов, не значит, что я любопытен.

b) by means of the conjunctions that, whether, if. (A conjunction that is used only with formal it):

It is better that she should see everything with her own eyes.

Будет лучше, если она увидит все своими собственными глазами.

Note. Subordinate subject clauses beginning with the conjunctions whether/if should not be mixed with subordinate clauses of time and condition. In subordinate subject clauses a predicate can be expressed by the verb in any of the Future tenses.

If he will call you is hard to predict (a subject clause).

Трудно предсказать, позвонит ли он тебе.

If he calls you, don’t forget to give him my regards (a conditional clause).

Если он позвонит, не забудь передать ему мой привет.

c) asyndetically (only with formal it):

It is a pity you should have forgotten about mother’s birthday.

Жаль, что ты забыл о мамином дне рождения.

4. Subject clauses are not separated from the principal clause by a comma except we have two or more subject clauses coordinated with each other.

Who his father was, and why he deserted his family, were the questions that often pressed on the girl’s mind.

Кем был ее отец и почему он бросил свою семью, эти вопросы часто угнетали девушку.

Language Focus

Exercise 1. In the following sentences find the subjects and explain what they are.

1. Being the first woman president of Harvard did matter to a lot of people. 2. Her mother, who never worked outside of the home, was not one to encourage Faust to higher ambitions. 3. It was anticipated that probably I would marry and be a wife and mother. 4. That Faust's mother didn't live to witness her daughter’s success is a pity. 5. That the cost of an education at the elite private university does not prohibit talented applicants from attending makes sense. 6. For students from families with incomes under $60,000 a year, there is no parental contribution expected at all. 7. American higher education is seen as a model in many other countries. 8. What they wanted to talk with me about was the liberal arts and humanities. 9. To become president of an Ivy League university takes years of hard work. 10. It is essential that education should prepare people for a lifetime, not just a single career. 11. What they saw as characteristic of American higher education is imaginativeness, curiosity and creativity. 12. Faust’s responsibilities as president of Harvard have taken her to many corners of the globe. 13. She is a noted scholar of the American South and the Civil War. 14. Her mother seemed quite angry to have limited options for herself.

Exercise 2. In most of the lines in the following text, there is an unnecessary word. For questions 1-28, find the unnecessary words and write them on the lines provided. If you think a line contains no unnecessary word, put a tick (√) next to it.

Exercise 3. Read the text about Olde Towne Pet Resort in Springfield, Virginia.  Peruse the given statements and select the word from the box below that best completes the sentence.

whoever     that     what     how     when     that     whatever

that     why     how     if     because     that     who

1. … pet ownership in the United States has reached an all time high is an issue of the day. 2. … a dog was just a dog kept outside in its little dog house out in the backyard has become a past experience. 3. It is not surprising … Ms. Atashbarghi says she too has been guilty of what some might call puppy love. 4. … this puppy will be considered part of the family is still to be seen. 5. … pet food manufactures may say does not discourage many pet owners from feeding the animals people food. 6. It surprises no one … popular this well-to-do hotel for animals has become among the Washington area’s pet owners. 7. … refuses to leave their pets home alone can bring them to «Doggie Day Camp» to come for a day or stay for the night. 8. … brings his dog to the center may be sure there are many different activities and services to choose from. 9. … much you will be charged depends on the size of the room and the number of services chosen. 10. … the center seeks to provide pets with the same kind of care they receive at home is very essential for their owners. 11. … they like the best is that pets can even have their nails done. 12. … some dogs like to be tucked in at night, before they go to sleep, doesn’t amaze Sadaf. 13. … there is also a webcam means owners can see their pets while they are separated. 14. … Ms. Atashbarghi is planning to open a second pet resort in Sterling, Virginia indicates that her business has been successful.

Exercise 4. Match the parts of the given complex sentences and translate them.

Exercise 5. Define the type of the clause (subject, conditional, time) and choose the correct form of the verb.

1. When future generations hear/will hear these songs of pain and progress and struggle and sacrifice, I hope they will not think of them as somehow separate from the larger American story. 2. If autistic children form/will form an attachment, it predominantly will be to inanimate objects. 3. Whether projections of demographic shifts are reliable and prove/ will prove to be valid in the future is still to be verified. 4. When their profit targets are/will be reached or surpassed senior executives will receive bonuses. 5. When the mining of minerals brings/will bring about the destruction of landscapes and wildlife habitats in this area is not hard to predict. 6. If the smoke from burning fuels is/will be released into the atmosphere it will cause pollution. 7. Until the cubs have/will have grown up foxes stay in closely knit family groups. 8. When too many firms enter/will enter competitive markets, their share of profits will fall. 9. If each reflex involve/will involve some stimulus that causes a response is doubtful. 10. When consumers don’t/won’t have everything they want, they will have to choose what they want most. 11. Whether coaching and preparatory courses yields/will yield results is still to be examined on test scores. 12. Whether the goalkeeper or one of the other players retrieve/will retrieve the ball from the goal makes little difference. 13. When a criminal case goes/will go to trial, the defendant may elect to have it heard either by a jury or by a judge. 14. Even if they don’t/won’t come into physical contact electrically charged particles will exert a magnetic force on one another.

Exercise 6. Make complex sentences with subject clauses from the sentences below.

Model:

Today, the Space Needle is the most popular place for visitors to Seattle. And it remains the internationally known symbol of the city.

That the Space Needle has become the internationally known symbol of Seattle makes it the most popular place for visitors to the city.

1. The red clover is high in protein content. It is an extremely important leguminous hay and pasture plant of the eastern United States. 2. Unlike most Europeans, many Americans are used to eating bacon and eggs for breakfast every day. It is remarkable. 3. The financial manager's job is to shop around among the many sources of finance. He ought to find the best interest rates available. 4. All matter has kinetic energy because of its motion and mass. An axiomatic assumption in physics holds that. 5. Gardeners transplant bushes and flowers by moving them from one place to another. It is a well-known fact. 6. Fruit flies do not have to leap to take off. The scientists have established the cause of it lately. 7. Eskimos migrated from Alaska to Greenland in two great movements. Historians postulate when it happened. 8. Many people go to the Olympic Games. Each of them is hoping to be entertained by world-class sports. 9. Charles Kettering patented something in 1911. It was the first successful spark-based starter for automotive vehicles. 10. The planet Mercury rotates more slowly than any other planet except Venus. It surprises me. 11. Much information can be retained in short-term memory. The amount of it depends almost exclusively on how it is arranged. 12. Educational toys and games give children an opportunity to enjoy themselves. It is indisputable. 13. Humorous misunderstandings are often used in children's poetry and rhymes. They are a result of a word used in ambiguous contexts. 14. Water fire extinguishers must never be used for fires that involve electrical equipment. It is crucial.

Exercise 7. Use each of the compound sentences below as the model for a new sentence of your own. Ask your group to translate them.

Model:

How he is going to get across the border is the greatest difficulty.

How they are planning to lift the piano to the fifth floor is an insurmountable problem.

1. That he was prepared to die for her that day revealed his blind and unrequited love for her. 2. It is necessary that each student should write an essay before taking an oral exam. 3. What they learnt from him was that they were never going to have it so good again. 4. It had seemed certain that their meeting was fortunate. 5. Whether I help you or not depends on your behaviour, my boy. 6. Whoever makes trouble during the World Cup will be severely dealt with. 7. That some of the famous athletes shave their heads is cool. 8. It was demanded that I should tell them all that had passed at the conference. 9. Whatever the little girl said or did became immediately known to her parents. 10. It seemed necessary that his friends should be kept away from interfering with his work. 11. What the country needs at the present point in time is new and better leadership. 12. That the price of petrol is rising again doesn't surprise me. 13. How they could get through it all, had often amazed Mrs. Eden. 14. Whoever moved to this haunted house next would need to keep the presence of mind. 15. It was unlikely that he would take any steps against his brother. 16. What nominee is saying is welcomed by his supporters. 17. It was all wrong that someone so young should be so ill. 18. It is advisable that she should have someone to look after her. 19. It was agreed that he should be the first to pilot a new jet. 20. That he would get into a pretty mess was clear from the very beginning.

Exercise 8. Compose your own complex sentences with subject clauses from the words below. Ask your group to translate them.

Model 1:

It is apparent that the asteroid belt took shape early in the formation of the solar system, about four and one-half billion years ago.

is/was apparent, clear, critical, disconcerting, disgusting, distressing, due (to), evident, essential, important, indisputable, inevitable, obvious, remarkable, significant, striking, suggestive, true, undeniable, vital, worrying.

Model 2:

It is a fact that the Treasury Department continually works to change the design of bills to make it difficult to copy.