Editing Language/French/Grammar/Subjunctive-versus-indicative-in-clauses-dependent-on-a-superlative-adjective
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[[File:French-Language-PolyglotClub.png|thumb]] | [[File:French-Language-PolyglotClub.png|thumb]] | ||
<div | <div style="font-size:300%"> Subjunctive versus indicative in clauses dependent on a superlative adjective </div> | ||
Clauses dependent on nouns modified by a superlative adjective have a verb in the subjunctive if the construction claims a unique status for the noun. For example: | Clauses dependent on nouns modified by a superlative adjective have a verb in the subjunctive if the construction claims a unique status for the noun. For example: | ||
*Ils ont acheté le plus grand sapin de Noël qu'ils aient pu trouver | *Ils ont acheté le plus grand sapin de Noël qu'ils aient pu trouver | ||
They bought the biggest Christmas tree that they could find (They couldn't find a bigger tree, so it is unique) | They bought the biggest Christmas tree that they could find (They couldn't find a bigger tree, so it is unique) | ||
But where the construction does not claim a unique status for the noun, the verb in the dependent clause is in the indicative: | But where the construction does not claim a unique status for the noun, the verb in the dependent clause is in the indicative: | ||
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They bought the biggest Christmas tree that they could take in their car (there is no claim that it is the biggest Christmas tree available) | They bought the biggest Christmas tree that they could take in their car (there is no claim that it is the biggest Christmas tree available) | ||
==Related Lessons== | |||
== | |||
* [[Language/French/Grammar/Gender|Gender]] | * [[Language/French/Grammar/Gender|Gender]] | ||
* [[Language/French/Grammar/Relative-Clause|Relative Clause]] | * [[Language/French/Grammar/Relative-Clause|Relative Clause]] | ||
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* [[Language/French/Grammar/Differences-in-the-use-of-numbers-in-French-and-English-once-twice|Differences in the use of numbers in French and English once twice]] | * [[Language/French/Grammar/Differences-in-the-use-of-numbers-in-French-and-English-once-twice|Differences in the use of numbers in French and English once twice]] | ||
* [[Language/French/Grammar/Gender-of-the-noun-indicated-by-its-final-letter|Gender of the noun indicated by its final letter]] | * [[Language/French/Grammar/Gender-of-the-noun-indicated-by-its-final-letter|Gender of the noun indicated by its final letter]] | ||