Clause element – constituant propositionnel
Let's Define It!
What's a *clause element*?
A clause element (constitutant propositionnel in French) is a word, phrase or even a clause which plays one of the five basic function categories within a clause:
- subject
- verb
- object
- complement
- adverbial
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Let's Pronounce It!
What does it sound like in French?
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Let's Have an Example or Two!
Can a little reinforcement do the trick?
Here are two sentences that will help better understand what a clause element (herein underlined) is:
- Voici les jeunes gens que nous avons rencontrés à la gare hier. / Here are the young people that we met yesterday at the station. --> The nous underlined is part of the relative clause "que nous avons rencontrés..." It also plays the role of grammatical subject of the verb "avons rencontrés". Nous thus constitutes a constituant propositionnel. (There are several others in this sentence. I just wanted to highlight one of them)
- Ce n'est pas la mangue que j'ai mangée. ---> This is not the mango that I have eaten. --> The underlined word "mangue" is direct object of the verb "ai mangé". As such, it is a clause element.
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