sentence analysis

[sharanbr]

Hi All,

I am reading "The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" mainly to get a better grip on english. The opening para has the following sentence. Please help me analyze the sentence. I am really impressed the way author articulates his thoughts beautifully.

"I can see by my watch, without taking my hand from the left grip of the cycle, that it is eight-thirty in the morning"

How are the groups of words separated by commas classified.

Can I say that "I can see by my watch" and "without taking my hand from the left grip of the cycle" are both clauses ?

What about group of words "that it is eight-thirty in the morning" ?

Also, there is a rule that says that commas should be used to set off introductory elements. Does it mean that the first two group of words
(I can .. and without taking ..) are introductory elements ?

Regards

[Buddhaheart]

The whole clause is a ‘complex’ sentence. The main (independent) clause is I can see by my watch, without taking my hand from the left grip of the cycle; the subordinate (dependent) noun clause is that it is eight-thirty in the morning.

Without taking my hand from the left grip of the cycle is a prepositional phrase functioning as an adverbial modifier of the main verb ‘see’ in the main clause.

The commas, I believe, were used to set off the nonrestrictive (nonessential) element (without taking my hand from the left grip of the cycle) from the rest of the sentence. Without that element, the Author thinks the reader still can understand the full meaning of the word or words it modifies, as can be seen in I can see by my watch that it is eight-thirty in the morning.

[sharanbr]

Originally Posted by Buddhaheart

The whole clause is a ‘complex’ sentence. The main (independent) clause is I can see by my watch, without taking my hand from the left grip of the cycle; the subordinate (dependent) noun clause is that it is eight-thirty in the morning.

Without taking my hand from the left grip of the cycle is a prepositional phrase functioning as an adverbial modifier of the main verb ‘see’ in the main clause.

The commas, I believe, were used to set off the nonrestrictive (nonessential) element (without taking my hand from the left grip of the cycle) from the rest of the sentence. Without that element, the Author thinks the reader still can understand the full meaning of the word or words it modifies, as can be seen in I can see by my watch that it is eight-thirty in the morning.

Hi Buddhaheart,

Thanks for the response. Do you think the following analysis of the above sentence is correct ?

Regards

"I can see by my watch"

I - subject

can - auxiliary verb

see - verb

by - preposition

by my watch - prepositional phrase


"that it is eight-thirty in the morning"

that - subortinate conjunction

it - pronoun (replacing time)

is - verb

eight-thirty - noun

in - preposition

eight-thirty in the morning - prepositional phrase

[Buddhaheart]

Sharanbr, I believe you got everything right.