- A regular expression is a pattern describing a certain amount of text.
From my understanding, the correct syntax should be -
- A regular expression is a pattern that describes a certain amount of text.
So why the first sentence is correct?
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Pluto
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1You need to use subject–auxiliary inversion when asking questions. – tchrist Nov 16 '20 at 12:31
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See also What is a noun-modifying clause? (and others; the whiz-deletion school still exists). – Edwin Ashworth Nov 16 '20 at 12:49
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"You see that guy over there eating a piece of pie?" – Hot Licks Nov 16 '20 at 13:06
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Why is it correct? Because of a thousand years of grammaticalisation. Just like every other aspect of grammar. – curiousdannii Nov 16 '20 at 13:32
1 Answers
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[1] A regular expression is a pattern [describing a certain amount of text].
[2] A regular expression is a pattern [that describes a certain amount of text
In both examples the expression in brackets is a modifier in noun phrase structure, where it modifies "pattern".
They are semantically similar, but in [1] it's a gerund-participial clause, while in [2] it's a relative clause.
We don't call [1] a relative clause since there is no possibility of it containing a relative phrase (cf. *a pattern which describing a certain of ...).
BillJ
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