"When she was a girl of twenty" what grammatical name is given to this expression?
That's an adverbial clause — it's also known as a dependent or subordinate clause because it cannot be a sentence by itself.
Adverbial clause
It function
Ah, a lovely little phrase indeed! "When she was a girl of twenty" is actually known as a subordinate clause. It functions as an adverbial clause, providing information about the time and age. Does that make you feel a tad wiser now, my friend?
The grammatical name given to the expression "When she was a girl of twenty" is a subordinate clause. Specifically, it is an adverbial subordinate clause because it functions as an adverb in the sentence, providing additional information about the time or circumstances of the main clause.
To identify the grammatical name of this expression, you can break down the sentence and analyze the structure. Here's how:
1. Identify the independent clause: "She was a girl of twenty" is the main clause in the sentence because it can stand alone as a complete sentence (subject + verb).
2. Identify the dependent clause: "When she was a girl of twenty" is the subordinate clause in the sentence because it cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. It depends on the main clause to form a complete thought.
3. Determine the function of the subordinate clause: In this case, the subordinate clause provides additional information about the time or circumstances when the subject (she) was a girl of twenty.
By understanding the structure and function of the clause, we can identify it as an adverbial subordinate clause.