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Grammatical function

English Language & Usage Asked on February 24, 2021

What is the grammatical name and function for the highlighted clause?

When we were about half-way through, I suddenly put my hand upon her arm, for I had heard in the silent frosty air a sound that brought my heart into my mouth—the tap-tapping of the blind man’s stick upon the frozen road. It drew nearer and nearer while we sat holding our breath.

Treasure Island, ch. 4.

Is it adverbial clause or adjectival clause?

4 Answers

It drew nearer, [while we sat holding our breath].

I've put your example in typical context.

I take "while" to be a preposition, and hence the bracketed expression is a preposition phrase functioning as a temporal adjunct.

For those who take "while" as a conjunction it is a subordinating one, and the expression is a finite subordinate clause.

Answered by BillJ on February 24, 2021

while we sat holding our breath.

while we sat holding our breath is a free modifier. It modifies the main clause as a whole.

A free modifier differs from a bound modifier in that a bound modifier attaches to only one word or phrase.

From "ThoughtCo."

Definition:

Generally, a free modifier is a phrase or clause that modifies either the main clause or another free modifier. Phrases and clauses that can function as free modifiers include adverb phrases, adverbial clauses, participial phrases, absolute phrases, and resumptive modifiers.

Answered by Greybeard on February 24, 2021

What grammatical name is given to this expression?

while we sat holding our breath

Answered by Hassan Eunice on February 24, 2021

what grammatical name is given to this expression"while we sat holding our breath.I think the answer is adjectivecal clause

Answered by Hassan Eunice on February 24, 2021

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