a sentence in which the subject is an antecedent

English grammar and usage issues

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miyukiz
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Status: Prospective Teacher

a sentence in which the subject is an antecedent

Unread post by miyukiz »

I have a question about a sentence that was included in a textbook for TOEIC exam and mentioned by an EFL learner in a Japanese social networking site.

This is the sentence he posted.

New software _____ that should reduce employee training time.
1) to develop
2) developing
3) is being developed
4) to be developed

Answer: 3)

The reason he posted this form is that he was not familiar with this kind of sentence, in which the relative clause is placed after the predicate.

I felt that this form, in which the subject is dealt as a antecedent, is mainly seen in spoken language and not many in formal writing. So I believe this form is supposed to be used mainly in spoken language.

The other person who posted his opinion insists that this form does not have to do with formality or distinction between spoken/written language.

So, I'm a bit confused and I need to know if this form is used in formal writing or not, since I'm teaching TOEIC or TOEFL writing.

Best,

Miyuki
miyukiz
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Joined: 02 Apr 2010, 07:37
Status: Prospective Teacher

Re: a sentence in which the subject is an antecedent

Unread post by miyukiz »

Thank you for reading my post.

I'm sorry if it was too trivial to post, but I'm still waiting for a reply.

Thank you for your time,

Miyuki
josef
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Re: a sentence in which the subject is an antecedent

Unread post by josef »

Since "that should reduce employee training time" refers to the new software a more carefully written sentence would be:

New software that should reduce employee training time is being developed.

Q: What is being developed?
A: New software that should reduce employee training time

"New software is being developed that should reduce employee training time" is certainly common in spoken English but is not logical and is not strictly correct for formal written English.
Juanes
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Re: a sentence in which the subject is an antecedent

Unread post by Juanes »

I agree with the other responder. Perhaps, you could answer a question for me? They have non native English speakers teach TOEFL in your country? Excuse my ignorance, but it just seems kinda strange to me.

New software is being developed that should reduce employee training time.

Sounds like an incomplete sentence. The reason is not the antecedent; it's the subject complement. The complement to "is" is the participle "developed." When you add the relative clause at the end, you're screwing up the word order of where the complement should be. That's
why the other responder's sentence works: New software that should reduce employee training time is being developed. Also, words in English can be anaphoric and cataphoric, which means the antecedent can come before or after. But this usually applies to pronouns.
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