Find out what kind of word is WHAT

Not sure what kind of word is WHAT? You will probably have to do your homework parse a sentence and that the word QUE appears in it. It is then that the question arises about the grammatical category that this word can be since, depending on the syntactic function it performs in the sentence, this element can respond to a category or other. Many students consider the WHAT as a nexus but you should know that, depending on the context of the sentence, this word can have another function. To help you do your homework well, in a PROFESSOR we will discover what type of word is WHAT with examples and sentences that will help you solve your doubts. We started the lesson!

If you want to know what type of word is WHAT, you must bear in mind that the solution will always depend on the type of sentence in which we are. One of the functions of QUE is that of nexus or conjunction, that is, a particle that joins one main sentence with another substantive subordinate. How to recognize if it is a substantive subordinate? Easy: if the entire sentence that is preceded by WHAT can be replaced by "that" or "this", we are in this situation.

An example: Yesterday Juan's son told me that he would come to the cinema with us

In this example, everything that Juan's son said can be replaced by the word "that" and it would have meaning: Yesterday Juan's son told me THAT.

Therefore, in this case, the word that would be a nexus that joins two subordinate clauses with each other.

To know what type of word is THAT, you must know that another of the functions that this term fulfills is that of a relative pronoun. In these cases, the ONE who complies 2 functions basic in the sentence:

1. Match the main clause with the subordinate clause (as in the previous case)
2. Fulfill a syntactic function (This is what really makes the difference, therefore, it is not a nexus but rather that we are facing another type of word)

Therefore, we are faced with a type of word that always fulfills a syntactic function in the sentence how much can be Subject, Direct Complement, Indirect Complement, Circumstantial Complement, etc. So that: It is not a nexus, it is another type of word whose function will depend on the prayer it accompanies.

This function of the WHAT only occurs in the case of encountering subordinate adjective or relative clauses, that is, a type of sentence that all of it works as an adjective, that is, it provides extra information about the name it accompanies.

Steps to know the function of the QUE in subordinate clauses

In order to know exactly what type of word is WHAT in these sentences, here are some steps to follow that will help you discover its function:

1. Separate the adjective subordinate clause to differentiate it from the main one. You can use parentheses to make the separation more visual
2. Now you must identify the antecedent, that is, the word that the entire subordinate clause refers to. Example: "The shirt (that you gave me) has been stained" -> In this case, the antecedent is "shirt" since the subordinate sentence "that you gave me" is giving complementary information about the shirt.
3. Focus on the subordinate clause mentally removing the WHAT. In the previous example, we would now have to look at "you gave me".
4. Now the best thing ise rearrange the main sentence with the adjective without the WHAT to test which would be the best order. For example: "The shirt you gave me as a gift" is where we started from, a phrase that sounds bad, is not correct; therefore, we are going to rearrange the elements to make it look good: You gave me the shirt. Better, right? The goal is to build a coherent sentence without the WHAT
5. We are now faced with a simple sentence and, therefore, it will be easier for us to analyze it. Example: "You gave me the shirt" we have that "You" are the elliptical subject, "You gave me the shirt" is the predicate, "Me" is the IQ, "the shirt" is CD
6. Then... What role does WHAT? The same one that the antecedent in the sentence we just analyzed. In this case it was "the shirt" and, therefore, the relative WHAT is also a Direct Complement.

Another function of the QUE in a sentence can be that of relative pN. This is easy to detect if, in front of the WHAT, we find a determined article as any of the following:

• The example: The one who told me was your father.
• The / The. Example: Those who came were foreigners.
• Lo / Los. Example: What happened to me was very strong.

In these cases, the QUE also fulfills a certain syntactic function and also serves to join two sentences (one main and one relative). But in this case Has no antecedent.

And we finish this lesson on what kind of word is WHAT to tell you about the function it fulfills when it is word appears accented: WHAT. In these cases, this element may have different syntactic functions that we summarize here:

• Interrogative or exclamatory pronoun: the QUE can function as a pN when it substitutes a noun that does not appear in the text. For example: What did you do yesterday? In these cases, the QUE could be either a Noun, a CD or an Attribute.
• Determinative interrogative or exclamatory: in these cases, the WHAT accompanies a noun and determines it, therefore, we are dealing with a determinant. An example: What was the weather like in Malibu?
• Exclamatory adverb: is the one that is placed in front of adjectives and adverbs and serves to make an exclamation or emphasize a message. For example: How well this girl acts!

In addition to these main functions of the WHAT, you should know that there are other values ​​that can be given depending on the context of the sentence. Here we are going to talk to you about other common uses in the Spanish language:

• Expletive function: in these cases the WHAT is used only expressively to intensify or reinforce the message. In this case it has no syntactic value but its function would be that of a nexus. Example: I'm not going, don't insist any more!
• Desiderative or exhortative: This WHAT is used to express a wish or an order and is not usually parsed but rather indicates that it is the link that introduces a sentence. An example of this would be: Rest well tonight.
• Connector: It may also be that the QUE is only used to connect the auxiliary verb with the main one in some periphrasis. For example: I have to buy the tickets today.