Final clause

A final clause in linguistics is a dependent adverbial clause expressing purpose. For this reason it is also referred to as a purposive clause or a clause of purpose.

In English, final clauses are relatively rare. A final clause is a reply to a question containing the question word wherefore or what for (sometimes also why). The prescription for their construction is rather complicated:

A final clause is introduced by the following linking words (conjunctions):

Depending on the conjunction used, two forms of final clause exist:

Final clauses that refer to the same subject as the main clause of the sentence can be expressed with to, in order to, so as to, for fear of, et cetera. This 'short form' of the final clause is much more common than the final clause itself.

Karsten Schmidtke-Bode examined final clauses, in the context of purpose clauses, as intended to bring about a specific matrix clause situation in a complex sentence construction. There are recurring trends of grammatical coding across many languages. It is common for languages to have purpose clauses expressed in different strategies. Purpose clause topological mapping aims to explain the universal conceptual characteristics of morphosyntactic coding in the communicative functions, as well as the cognitive-psychological mechanisms involved in the use. Purpose clauses differ from typical adverbial relations, and are a special case which, is closely related to complement clauses and some relative clauses.[1]

Purpose, as a simple grammatical infinitive, follows verbs that express or imply motion in English, according to Hubert Gibson Sharin.[2]

Notes

  1. Schmidtke-Bode, Karsten (2009). A Typology of Purpose Clauses (Typological Studies in Language). John Benjamins Publishing Company. p. 229. ISBN 90-272-0669-4.
  2. Sharin, Hubert Gibson (1903). The expression of purpose in Old English prose. Henry Holy and Company. p. 9.
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