What-phrase as Subject: shifting focus

On this page:
That which / What
Forming a What Phrase
What-Clefts
It–Clefts
What–Clause Reversal
Agreement
Common Mistakes
Grammar Notes
Practice 1
Practice 2
Practice 3

What–Clause / Phrase

Shifting focus to another sentence part

That which… / What…

THAT + WHICH
A noun phrase (NP) is the usual subject of a clause. The noun phrase may also have a relative clause (modifying clause).
NOUN + RELATIVE PRONOUN	VERB + COMP
SITUATION	OPINION
The line which he said That [line] which he said	was funny.
The fiasco he described That fiasco which he described	was amusing.
The explanation he suggested That explanation which he suggested	was hilarious.

WHAT
A noun phrase containing [that which + rel. clause] may also be expressed as [what + rel. clause] (This 'fused relative construction' was previously analyzed as a clause.)
WHAT	VERB + COMP
SITUATION	OPINION
What he said [That which]	was funny.
What he described [That which]	was amusing.
What he suggested [That which]	was hilarious.

Previously, this construction was analyzed as a clause. However, it is currently analyzed as a noun phrase. See Grammar Notes.
Don't confuse: [that / this] = determiner / pronoun; [which / that] = relative clause pronoun

fused (adj.) – joined; put together into one [that + which = what]
fiasco (n.) – a complete, shameful, and dishonorable failure
hilarious (adj.) – very funny
line (n.) – a part of a joke, especially the "punch line", the final funny line
say / tell – We say a line, but we tell a joke.

NP –noun phrase; N – noun; VP – verb phrase; V – verb; Det – determiner; Complement: elements required by the verb: object, indirect object, predicative complement

What is a What Phrase?

That vs. What Construction

That clause vs. What noun phrase

THAT – CLAUSE
A that-clause can serve as the subject of a sentence. That subordinates a clause, which can stand alone as a sentence. That his joke was funny.
SUBJECT: THAT–CLAUSE	VERB + COMP
DECLARATIVE STATMENT	OPINION
That his joke was funny (relative pronoun. + clause)	was obvious.

WHAT – NOUN PHRASE
A what-phrase is made up of a noun + relative clause (a fused relative¹) that + which = what. What cannot be removed from the noun phrase. *What he said (?)
SUBJECT: NOUN PHRASE	VERB + COMP
MODIFIED NOUN	OPINION
That line which he said This line which he said determiner + noun – relative pronoun + clause	was funny.
That line which he said That line that ² he said pronoun – relative pronoun + clause	was funny.
That which he said pronoun – relative pronoun + clause	was funny.
What he said [a fused relative construction] + clause	was funny.

¹ That / this is a pronoun combined with a relative clause (which / that).
² That that he said… can be used but it sounds better as That which he said… (Both that and which are relative pronouns.)
fused (adj.) – joined; put together into one [that + which = what]
line (n.) – a part of a joke, especially the "punch line", the final funny line
(CaGEL 12 §6) (PEU 497)

What as a Place Holder

"Split Sentences"

Cleft Sentence with Displaced Noun Phrase

NOUN PHRASE
A noun phrase may take the subject position of a sentence. However, usually the heavier (longer) part of the sentence is placed at the end. This preference is also called "weighting".
NOUN PHRASE	VERB	NOUN PHRASE
SITUATION		OPINION
His delivery of the joke.	was	particularly amusing.
The description of the political fiasco	was	was hilarious.
His interpretation of their actions	was	was debatable.

WHAT – PLACEHOLDER
What serves as a placeholder for the content of the noun phrase that has been moved to the end of the sentence. The effect is that more emphasis is placed on the initial content.
NOUN PHRASE	VERB	DISPLACED NP
OPINION		SITUATION
What was particularly amusing	was	his delivery of the joke.
What was hilarious	was	was his description of the political fiasco.
What was debatable	was	was his implication of their actions.

delivery of a joke (expression) – the way in which a joke is told: timing, facial expression, word choice, etc.
initial (n.) – beginning
interpretation (n.) something implied or suggested as naturally to be inferred or understood
debatable (adj.) – questionable, dubious, arguable, disputable; are not certain because people have different opinions about them

It as a Place Holder

"Split sentences"

Cleft Sentence with Displaced What–Noun Phrase

INITIAL
A what noun phrase may be placed at the beginning of a sentence to place emphasis on a particular situation. This is followed by a be verb+ complement (an adjective, noun or participle modifier) to indicate the speaker's opinion.
WHAT-CLAUSE	VERB + COMPLEMENT
SITUATION	OPINION
What he said Something that he said	was funny. (hysterical, hilarious, remarkable, silly, ridiculous unbelievable)
What he described to us Something that he described	was a fiasco. (noun) ( the truth, a lie, failure, success, mishap, irony, mistake, embarrassment)
What he implied Something that he implied	was undeniable. (apparent, clear, obvious, evident, significant, understandable)
What I understood Something that I understood	was amusing. (amusing, disgusting, disconcerting, enlightening, intriguing, revealing)

FINAL
More commonly the "heavier" part of the sentence is placed at the end of the sentence. It serves as a place holder for the displaced (moved) clause. The resulting emphasis is on the speaker's opinion.
IT + COMPLEMENT	WHAT-CLAUSE
OPINION	SITUATION
It was funny	what he said.
It was a fiasco (noun)	~ what/ that he described .
It was undeniable	what he implied.
It was amusing	what I understood.

The complement many be an adjective, a noun, or a participle. See That-clause Verbs and Complements
fiasco (n.) – a complete, shameful, and dishonorable failure
mishap (n.) – an unfortunate accident
embarrassment (n.) – state of having made a social error embarrassed vs. ashamed
~ that often sounds better when the complement is a noun
(Swan 130)

What-clause

Reversal

What-Noun Phrase Reversal

WHAT–NP ⇒ X
We use what to bring particular information to the front of the sentence, the "foreground". What holds the place of the information which has been moved to the end of the sentence, the "background".
SUBJECT
What appeals to me is (=) his energy.
What he wants is a chance.

X ⇐ WHAT NP
When a what-noun phrase is followed by a (be) verb and a noun, the sentence can be flipped with no change in meaning. The only difference is the focus on what is placed initially (at the beginning.
OBJECT / COMPLEMENT
His energy is (=) what appeals to me.
A chance is what he wants.

(CaGEL1420) "pseudo-clefts") (PEU 130)

What – Noun Phrase

Agreement with Verb

What – Noun Phrase Agreement

SINGULAR
A what-noun phrase is singular in agreement with the verb in formal usage.
What I want is milk.
What milk I have is yours. [money – is]
What I want is some milk and a cookie.

PLURAL
A what-noun phrase is plural (1) informally, if the noun or nouns following the verb is/are plural; (2) if the relative clause noun is plural; (3) if there are two or more what-noun phrases.
What I want are cookies. informal What I want are milk and cookies. informal
What cookies I have are yours. [coins – are]
What I want and what I need are two different things. (two coordinated clauses)

Common Mistakes

Errors and Solutions

ERROR	SOLUTION
*What I like. (a fragment–an incomplete sentence)	What I like is ice cream. Complete the sentence with a verb and complement (NP or Adj)
What he said __ that change is coming. (missing verb)	What he said was that change is coming. Complete the main verb.
What did he say is funny. [Aux Subj. Verb] (question word order)	What he said is funny. S-V word order

pop-question Pop-Q "That/ What"

Grammar Notes

Traditional and Linguistic Description

Advanced

TRADITIONAL DESCRIPTION	LINGUISTIC DESCRIPTION
Noun clauses beginning with a question word (UUEG 12-2) What she said surprised me. "What she said" is the subject of the sentence. A noun clause subject takes a singular verb. Relatives (4): what — What does not refer to a noun that comes before it. It acts as noun + relative pronoun together, and means 'the thing(s) which'. Clauses beginning with what can act as subjects objects, or complements after be.(PEU 497) Cleft sentences (1): What I need is a holiday (PEU 130) We can emphasize particular words and expressions by putting everything into a kind of relative clause except the words we want to emphasize : this makes the stand out. These structures are called 'cleft sentences' ('divided'). They are useful in writing (because we cannot use intonation for emphasis in written language) , but they are also common in speech." — Swan What I need is some help. I need some help. "A what-clause is normally considered to be singular; if it begins a cleft sentence it is followed by is/ was/ But a plural verb is sometimes possible before a plural noun in an informal style."(PEU 130.1)	The fused relative construction (CaGEL 12 §6) The fused relative is not analyzed as a clause. Instead, it is a NP [noun phrase] or PP [prepositional phrase]. We cannot abandon that which we hold dear. [antecedent + clause] We cannot abandon what we hold dear. [fused relative] a) Verbs agree with the fused relatives: What advice he gives is valuable. %What suggestions he gives is valuable. What suggestions he gives are valuable. b) Subject-auxiliary inversion What he suggests is acceptable. Is what he suggests is acceptable. (S-V inversion is a feature of NPs but not a feature of clauses. Compare: That he suggests a change is acceptable. Is that he suggests a change unacceptable?) (12 §6.1b) c) No extraposition What he suggests is questionable. It is questionable what he suggests. (Like ordinary NPs, fused relatives do not occur in the extraposition constructions.) d) No fronting of prepositions What he refers to is questionable. *To what he refers is questionable. (The preposition is not integrated into the construction) e) Functional range of NPs (CaGEL 12 §6.1e) What he said was funny. [subject] They say what they want. [direct object] They tell whoever they see the news. [indirect object] They made him what he is. [predicative comp] They were anxious about what they did. [object of prep] f) See (CaGEL 12 §6.)

TRADITIONAL DESCRIPTION

LINGUISTIC DESCRIPTION

Noun clauses beginning with a question word (UUEG 12-2)

What she said surprised me. "What she said" is the subject of the sentence. A noun clause subject takes a singular verb.

Relatives (4): what — What does not refer to a noun that comes before it. It acts as noun + relative pronoun together, and means 'the thing(s) which'. Clauses beginning with what can act as subjects objects, or complements after be.(PEU 497)

Cleft sentences (1): What I need is a holiday (PEU 130)

We can emphasize particular words and expressions by putting everything into a kind of relative clause except the words we want to emphasize : this makes the stand out. These structures are called 'cleft sentences' ('divided'). They are useful in writing (because we cannot use intonation for emphasis in written language) , but they are also common in speech." — Swan

What I need is some help. I need some help.

"A what-clause is normally considered to be singular; if it begins a cleft sentence it is followed by is/ was/ But a plural verb is sometimes possible before a plural noun in an informal style."(PEU 130.1)

The fused relative construction (CaGEL 12 §6)

The fused relative is not analyzed as a clause. Instead, it is a NP [noun phrase] or PP [prepositional phrase].

We cannot abandon that which we hold dear. [antecedent + clause]
We cannot abandon what we hold dear. [fused relative]

a) Verbs agree with the fused relatives:

What advice he gives is valuable.
%What suggestions he gives is valuable.
What suggestions he gives are valuable.

b) Subject-auxiliary inversion

What he suggests is acceptable.
Is what he suggests is acceptable.

(S-V inversion is a feature of NPs but not a feature of clauses. Compare: That he suggests a change is acceptable. *Is that he suggests a change unacceptable?) (12 §6.1b)

c) No extraposition

What he suggests is questionable.
*It is questionable what he suggests.

(Like ordinary NPs, fused relatives do not occur in the extraposition constructions.)

d) No fronting of prepositions

What he refers to is questionable.
*To what he refers is questionable.

(The preposition is not integrated into the construction)

e) Functional range of NPs (CaGEL 12 §6.1e)

What he said was funny. [subject]
They say what they want. [direct object]
They tell whoever they see the news. [indirect object]
They made him what he is. [predicative comp]
They were anxious about what they did. [object of prep]

f) See (CaGEL 12 §6.)

Categories: NP –noun phrase; N – noun; VP – verb phrase; V – verb; Det – determiner; PP – prepositional phrase; P – preposition; AdvP – adverb phrase; Adv – adverb; AdjP– adjective phrase; Adj – adjective; Subord – Subordinator; Coord – Coordinator; Interj – Interjection

Functions: Subject: Subject, Predicate: Predicator (V) Complement: elements required by the verb: object, indirect object, predicative complement Adjuncts: (optional modifiers) Adj, Adv, clause

Resources

Azar, Betty Schrampfer, and Stacy A. Hagen. Understanding and Using English Grammar (UUEG) . White Plains, New York: Pearson Longman, 2009. Print.
Huddleston, Rodney and Geoffrey K. Pullum. The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. Print. "Clefts" (267-70, 1414)
Swan, Michael. "Practical English Usage. 3rd ed. 2009: Oxford University Press. Print.

Practice 1

It's not what you say…

Read (without that or what)

It's not what you say but how you say it.

They say that a small amount of [we say] comes from words. A larger amount comes from the tone we use and the greatest amount comes from the body language we use. If this is true, then we must be missing a lot of information from [we read on the Internet].

[Words can wound] is true. [We write] can also hide hurt or hostility. The following are angry messages sent by hurt "friends".
[You said about being loyal] was a half-truth.
[You think you are loyal] is amusing.
[You described as "love"] was an illusion.
[You want a relationship] is a fairy tale.
[You believe about me] is untrue.
[You believe me] is important.

arrow (n.) – a long stick-like weapon that is shot with a bow; this shape →

illusion (n.) – imaginary; false

wound (v.) – cause hurt or injury

Decide whether to add what or that to the sentence.

Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence.
Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "check 1-10" button at the bottom, or click the "Check" button to the left as you go.

They say that a small amount of comes from words.

Feedback 1

If this is true, then we must be missing a lot of information from .

Feedback 2

is true.

Feedback 3

can also hide hurt or hostility.

Feedback 4

was a half-truth. (You are loyal to yourself.)

Feedback 5

is amusing.

Feedback 6

was an illusion.

Feedback 7

is a fairy tale.

Feedback 8

is untrue.

Feedback 9

10.

is important.

Feedback 10

Practice 3

Keys to Being a Good Comedian

Read

A good comedian observes the audience carefully. A comedian's observations are important. It is important what she observes about the audience

Relating to shared experiences is essential. What a comedian says must be familar to the audience. It essential what he shares with the audience.

Trying a few test jokes helps a comedian get a feel for what kind of jokes makes the audience laugh. It is helpful to know what amuses the audience.

Surprising the audience is the key to telling a good joke. It's like a balloon: you inflate it and then pop it. It is interesting to hear what a comedian does to surprise the audience.

Selecting a particular joke from memory and a knowing when to use it is an art. It is inspiring what they do to make people laugh.

inflate (v.) – put air into; He inflated the ball.

try out (v.) – experiment with

Change the It-clause to a what-phrase.

Edit the sentence(s) in the text box.
Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "Check 16-20" button at the bottom, or click the "Check" button to the left as you go.

16.

A good comedian observes the audience carefully. A comedian's observations are important.

REWRITE: It is important what the comedian observes about the audience.

Edit 16

Feedback 16

17.

Relating to shared experiences is essential. What a comedian says must be familar to the audience.
REWRITE: It is essential what he shares with the audience.

Edit 17

Feedback 17

18.

Trying a few test jokes helps a comedian get a feel for what kind of jokes makes the audience laugh.

REWRITE: It is helpful to know what amuses the audience.

Edit 18

Feedback 18

19.

Surprising an audience is the key to telling a joke. It's like a balloon: you inflate it and then pop it.

REWRITE: It is interesting to hear what a comedian does to surprise the audience.

Edit 19

Feedback 19

20.

Selecting a particular joke from memory and a knowing when to use it is an art.
REWRITE: It is inspiring what they do to make people laugh.

Edit 20

Feedback 20

Grammar-Quizzes.com

PRACTICE ON POINTS OF ENGLISH GRAMMAR