ABSTRACT
These structures correspond to an alternative with it as subject exemplified in 2:
2 It was a mistake sending that message There is no space here to explore the differences between the various types of subject clause, but we may note in passing that ld is a kind that has been referred to above (pages 268-9) as an alternative organization of a report structure:
3 It is admitted II that some are dissatisfied F Brep
23.2 Object clauses Rankshifted clauses also occur in object function, and after a preposition within a complement:
284 Rankshift 4b They I blamed I the farmers I for breaking the law at
Holyhead s p co cob
The ·complements in these last two examples are, of course, predicted by the verb; blame predicts a for-complement, object predicts a to-complement. Structures like these should be distinguished from those in 5:
Sa They drown the noise II by switching on the vacuum cleaner F Bcont
5b With everybody being late II we couldn't begin on time. Bcont F
Here there is no reason to postulate rankshift; the non-finite clauses are not predicted by the verb of the dominant clause so they need not be seen as part of the structure of that clause.
