Free Relative Clauses
English allows what is called a free, fused or nominal relative construction—a relative construction that does not modify an external noun phrase, and instead has a nominal function fused into it. For example:
- What he did is clearly impossible, but I saw him do it.
Here, what he did has the sense of that which he did, i.e. the thing that he did, and functions as the subject of the verb is. Free relative constructions are inherently restrictive.
English has a number of fused relative pronouns, such as what, whatever, and whoever, but all can introduce other kinds of clauses as well; what can also introduce interrogative content clauses ("I do not know what he did"), for example, and both whatever and whoever can introduce adverbials ("Whatever he did, he does not deserve this"). See ].
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Famous quotes containing the words free and/or relative:
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from us,
We use you, and do not cast you aside—we plant you permanently within us,
We fathom you not—we love you—there is perfection in you also,
You furnish your parts, toward eternity,
Great or small, you furnish your parts toward the soul.”
—Walt Whitman (1819–1892)
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—Mikhail Bakunin (1814–1876)