6. Avoid the Latin construction that makes which refer to the idea of a whole clause; it is a clumsy fashion. Example, “He said that he always doted on Shakespeare—which I, for one, didn’t believe, because I know the fellow.” There is nothing here for which to tie to; it is a relative without anything to which to relate. Rather a better way is to discard the relative clause, substituting and with a demonstrative. Thus, “He bowed politely, which set us all at ease,” becomes, “He bowed politely, and this set us all at ease.” The this is allowed by our idiom to refer to the clause, though the construction is still vague. It is best to hunt up a good synonym for the idea of the preceding clause: “He bowed politely, and this courtesy set us all at ease.” But it is not necessary to discard the relative clause. A little ingenuity will enable one to find and insert just before the relative an appositive to the clause. Into each of the following sentences slip an appropriate appositive chosen from the following list: a fact, an idea, a task, a statement, an assertion, a notion, an excuse, a fancy, a belief, a hyperbole, a prevarication, a remedy.
(a) Mr. Ignatius Donnelly thinks that Bacon wrote Shakespeare, —— which ought not to bother the student who likes Romeo and Juliet.
(b) Mame told father that there were a thousand cats in the back yard, —— which, according to father, meant our cat and another.
(c) He has undertaken to learn two hard lessons in one hour, —— which will probably prove too much for the lad.
(d) He proposes to cut the hand off, —— which seems rather cruel.
Concord of Cases.
Subject and complement of an intransitive verb agree in case.
1. The complement of an intransitive verb in a finite mode is in the nominative case. “It’s I” [not me]. “I am he.” “I thought it was he.”
2. If the subject of an infinitive is in the objective case, the complement is in the same case. “I thought it to be him” [not he]. But, “It was thought to be he.”