NON-FINITE RELATIVE CLAUSES AS POST-MODIFIERS
-ing clauses and -en clauses
He wrote a book containing his reminiscences of five U.S. Presidents. The book also described his own life as a press officer serving them in the White House.
(Libra, journal of Foyle’s Ltd)
The value of these defining -ing clauses is similar to that of a finite relative clause: a book that contained ...a press officer who had served them. As we saw, the -ing form is, in many constructions, an economical resource for expressing relationships where tense or aspect do not need to be further specified.
This property of the -ing, as also the -en clauses, which are always passive, is particularly evident in their non-defining function as supplementives.
-ing clauses He was sent several letters, all containing a white, powdery substance.
The stained-glass windows, illustrating biblical scenes, are splendid.
-ed clauses The enormous volume, dedicated to his wife, lay on the desk.
to-infinitive clauses – nothing to fear
As post-modifiers, to-infinitive clauses can correspond to full relative clauses in which the relative pronoun is S, Od or C:
S The next train to arrive at Platform 5 is the express train to York
(= the train which/that will arrive)
Od They have nothing to eat. (= nothing which they can eat)
The man to consult is Jones. (= the man whom/that you should consult is Jones)
C The commonest kind of worker to become nowadays is an unemployed one.
(= The commonest kind of worker that one can become)
