Great question! In the sentence “You knew (from the hats) that they didn’t really live in New York,” using “from which” instead of “that” does introduce some grammatical and stylistic issues. Here’s a closer look:
1. Grammatical Function of "From Which"
"From which" is a prepositional phrase that typically refers to a source or point of origin and is often used in more formal contexts. It usually follows nouns that denote something concrete or spatial—like a place, a container, or an idea that has a clear origin. For instance:
- “The city from which they came was beautiful.”
- “The evidence from which we drew our conclusions was solid.”
In these cases, “from which” clearly marks the source of information or origin.
2. Awkwardness and Ambiguity in Context
Replacing “that” with “from which” would make the sentence awkward and ambiguous:
"The kind of hats from which you knew they didn’t really live in New York."
This structure sounds unnatural because “hats” aren’t a typical “source” in a literal or figurative sense from which knowledge flows directly. It would imply the hats are almost like an information source or origin, which sounds odd and is confusing for the reader.
3. Stylistic Considerations
"That" is much more idiomatic here, making the sentence flow naturally. The phrase "the kind of hats that you knew" feels more like casual speech, while "from which you knew" is overly formal and doesn’t suit the informal tone of the sentence.
Summary
Grammatically, “from which” doesn’t work well because hats aren’t a direct source of information in the way that “from which” implies. So, "that" functions more naturally as a relative pronoun here, smoothly introducing the clause that describes what the hats imply about the wearers.
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Can above that be called 'relative pronoun'?
ChatGPT의 말:
In the sentence “the kind of hats that you knew they didn’t really live in New York,” the word “that” functions as a relative pronoun, though with some nuance. Let's clarify why it’s still considered a relative pronoun here.
Why “That” Is Considered a Relative Pronoun
Role in the Clause:
“That” introduces a relative (or adjectival) clause modifying the noun phrase “the kind of hats.” This clause—“that you knew they didn’t really live in New York”—gives additional information about “the kind of hats” by describing what these hats suggest about the wearers.
Implied Meaning and Omission:
In this case, “that” is still a relative pronoun but does not stand in for a specific noun (like “hats”) within the clause itself. Instead, it introduces an inference or implication about the hats, allowing the sentence to imply: “These are the kind of hats from which you could tell something.”
Informal Relative Clause:
This construction is fairly common in English, especially in informal contexts, where “that” is often used to signal implications or indirect inferences about the noun.
How It Differs from Other Relative Pronouns
Unlike other relative pronouns (e.g., “which” or “who”), which tend to have a clearer, direct reference within their clauses, “that” here serves more loosely to connect the clause with the implication about the noun.
So, while “that” functions differently here than in typical restrictive clauses, it is still classified as a relative pronoun because it links the noun phrase to a descriptive clause that adds defining information.
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