Clásal coibhneasta díreach agus indíreach
Direct and indirect relative clause
Ceist:
Question:
Tá fadhb agam. Ní thuigim an difríocht idir clásal coibhneasta díreach agus clásal coibhneasta indíreach!
I have a problem. I don't understand the difference between a direct relative clause and an indirect relative clause!
Freagra:
Answer:
Déarfaidh mé leat cad é mar a thuigim féin é.
Let me tell you how I underatand it myself.
Ar dtús, cad is clásal coibhneasta ann? Is clásal é a bhfuil cuid de ag tagairt do rud éigin a tháinig sa chlásal roimhe. Mar shampla, san abairt seo:
To start with, what is a relative clause? It is clause a part of which refers to something that came in the clause before it. For example, in the following sentence:
(A) Feicim an duine a rinne é. (= Feicim duine. Rinne an duine é.)
I see the person who did it. (= I see a person. The person did it.)
Is clásal coibhneasta é "a rinne é" mar tá cuid neamhráite de ("an duine") ag tagairt don duine céanna atá luaite sa chéad chlásal. Sampla eile:
The clause "who did it" is a relative clause because an unspoken part of it ("the person") refers to the same person who is mentioned in the first clause. Another example:
(B) Feicim an páiste ar thug tú bronntanas dó. (= Feicim páiste. Thug tú bronntanas dó.)
I see the child to whom you gave a present. (=I see a child. You have a present to him.)
Is clásal coibhneasta é "ar thug tú bronntanas dó" mar tá cuid de (an forainm réamhfhoclach "dó") an tagairt don pháiste céanna sa chéad chlásal.
The clause "to whom you gave a present" is a relative clause because a part of it (the prepositional pronoun "to whom") refers to the same child that appears in the first clause.
Anois, cathain atá clásal coibhneasta ina chlásal coibhneasta díreach, agus cathain atá sé indíreach?
Now, when is a relative clause direct, and when is it indirect?
Tá a fhios agat, táim cinnte, go bhfuil ainmní i ngach clásal. Sna clásail choibhneasta thuas, is iad (A) "an duine" agus (B) "tú" an t-ainmní.
As you know, every clause has a subject. In the relative clauses above, the subjects are (A) "the person" and (B) "you".
Nuair is é an t-ainmní an té atá ag tagairt do rud éigin chlásal eile, is clásal coibhneasta díreach é. Sin mar atá in (A) thuas: is é a t-ainmní ("an duine") atá ag tagairt don chéad chlásal.
When the bit that does the referring is the subject, then the clause is direct rerative clause. That's how it is in (A) above: the subject ("the person") is doing the referring to the first clause.
Nuair is rud éigin eile seachas an t-ainmní atá ag déanamh na tagairte, is clásal coibhneasta indíreach é. Sin mar atá in (B) thuas: ní hé an t-ainmní atá ag déanamh na tagairte ("tú"), ach cuid éigin eile ("dó").
When something other than the subject is doing the referring, then it is an indirect relative clause. That's how it is in (B) above: not the subject ("you") but something else ("to whom") is doing the referring here.
Sampla eile de chlásal coibhneasta indíreach ná a leithéidí seo:
Another example if an indirect relative clause is a sentence like the following:
(C) Feicim an duine a ndearna a mhac an jab. (= Feicim duine. Rinne a mhac an jab.)
I see the person whose son did the job. (= I see a person. His son did the job.)
Anseo, ní hé an t-ainmní iomlán atá ag déanamh na tagairte ("a mhac"), ach cuid de ("a"). Mar sin, arís, is clásal coibhneasta indíreach é "a ndearna a mhac an jab".
Here, what's doing the referring is not the subject ("his son") but just an element inside the subject ("his"). Therefore, the relative clause "whose son did the job" is also indirect.
Freagra fada, ach tá an prionsabal simplí i ndáiríre. Más ar an ainmní atá an tagairt, is coibhneas díreach é. Más áit éigin eile atá sí, is coibhneas indíreach é.
It's a long answer but the principle is simple, really. If the subject is doing the referring, it's direct. If something else is doing the referring, it's indirect.
Tá súil agam go bhfuil sé seo níos soiléire anois.
I hope that this is clearer now.