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1.Who did you mention to____ that it was too late. –wrong

2.Who did you mention it to _______that it was too late.

3.Who did you mention to ____about honeymoon?
(the first finding of Google search)

Analyzing the above sentences would I be correct in concluding that - in sentences with Clause Marker «That», stranding, which forms Gap in Indirect Object, cannot be used unless I have an overt Direct Object. In sentences with That I should choose Pied-piping instead.

  • To whom did you mention that…

Thank you for any explanation!

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  • Could you make your question a little bit more specific? Like elaborate a little on what exactly is going on here, and where exactly are you facing a problem.
    – Dhanishtha Ghosh
    Commented Jun 3, 2021 at 13:08
  • i copy my previous addition, if i may: Sentences 1 and 2. №1 doesn't have a Direct Object, means it is not permissible to use stranding. But once the same is completed with the Direct Object i can form stranding. it applies to sentences with That Clause only. At least examples i meet regularly show such a tendency. Should i use sentece № 3, i can use strandsing without restriction.
    – IRINA
    Commented Jun 3, 2021 at 13:21

2 Answers 2

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This is a detailed and subtle point of grammar (and, to be honest, there are other more significant problems in syntax).

Firstly - what are you talking about? The stranding of of the preposition "to" in the sentence

Who did you mention to?

But this already wrong, since mention needs a direct object. It seems you want to have a "that clause" as the object. This is a content clause; it's not a relative clause

Who did you mention that I was too late to?

The error in (1) is not stranding the preposition, but the placement of the content clause.

(2) is a reasonable spoken expression... The speaker doesn't want the long interruption of the content clause, so uses a pronoun "Who did you mention it to?" That is correct, but then the speaker feels that the reference of the pronoun isn't very clear, so supplies it in a sentence fragment. "... that I was too late". The content clause doesn't have a syntactic role in the sentence. It is a fragment. That kind of grammar is possible in speech, but should be avoided in writing. In writing you should use sentences and avoid fragments. As a learner you will find that you use fragments by mistake in speech and it is okay, but it isn't something you should practice doing.

(3) has the same problem as (1), the word "mention" needs an object. But you could fix it in a different way - using a different verb, one that is intransitive:

Who did you speak to about the honeymoon?

So key points are (1) Mention is usually transitive and should have a direct object. (2) Some "that" clauses are not relative clause, they are content clauses.

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  • James K, thank you for sharing your view. I totally understand what you are saying when applied to that particular case. But i feel i need to collect as many as possible of similar sentences and analyse them in large qualtities to comprehend that phenomenon in full. I am just not quite sure that in all cases it will have to do with transitive vs intransitive only. Something i need to work on. Thank you!
    – IRINA
    Commented Apr 6, 2023 at 5:43
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The relative pronoun in these sentences function as an object of a preposition, so it doesn't matter if you use "Who did.." or "to whom did...". However, I'm not totally sure I understand your question correctly.

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  • i was refering to the difference between Sentences 1 and 2. №1 doesn't have a Direct Object, means it is not permissible to use stranding. But once the same is completed with the Direct Object i can form stranding. it applies to sentences with That Clause only. At least examples i meet regularly show such a tendency. Should i use sentece № 3, i can use strandsing without restriction. I feel i might have been misled by my observation. Thank You for sharing your view!
    – IRINA
    Commented Jun 3, 2021 at 13:11
  • But what you're referring as a "That clause" is actually not any kind of that clause. By the way in English doesn't exist "That clause". We have "Nominal that clause" and other clauses that are using "that" is appositive clause, defining and non-defining relative clause and adverbial clause of reason. However, the problem in your sentences is that the clause starting with that is no subordinate clause, but main clause. I also don't understand what you mean by the term "stranding". It's not a linguistic term, so that's why I'm lost. But maybe you mean something completely different by that.
    – Vojta_HU
    Commented Jun 3, 2021 at 13:26
  • in English doesn't exist "That clause". - correct. In the first sentence i called in a correct way Clause Marker and then jumped onto an inappropriate term.
    – IRINA
    Commented Jun 3, 2021 at 13:38
  • Stranding - preposition stranding as opposed to Pied piping or Preposition Fronting.Frankly, i do not know any other term for the phenomenon.Thank you!
    – IRINA
    Commented Jun 3, 2021 at 13:39

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