"What were they doing differently that had led to this dramatic improvement?"

Question

What were they doing differently that had led to this dramatic improvement?

I saw a sentence having the same structure as the one above. But I am not sure that this sentence is grammatically correct. I would like to know your opinions.

The "that" in the sentence seems a relative pronoun, but where is the antecedent? When I speculate what it says, the antecedent could be the "what". Is it possible?

Might help if you point out the specific bit you feel is wonky. — Huey, Sep 26 '15 at 04:35
At face value, this sentence looks fine. It could definitely use some more context though. — Sculper, Sep 26 '15 at 04:43
You speculate correctly. "That" refers to thing being asked about with "what.' — deadrat, Sep 26 '15 at 06:04
The Wh-clause -- more specifically, its answer -- is the antecedent of that (or which), the subject of had led. The answer itself is indefinite, and amounts to a pro-verb do what. Clearly it's not a noun but an action. The Wh-clause itself is an NP, though, so it can take a relative clause. — John Lawler, Sep 26 '15 at 15:25
The tenses are reversed. s/b "What had they been doing that led to this dramatic improvement? — Brian Hitchcock, Sep 27 '15 at 07:28

score 2 · Answer 1 · answered Sep 26 '15 at 12:16

2

Yes, that_ is the antecedent of the relative clause, which is shifted by "heavy clause extraposition".

answered Sep 26 '15 at 12:16

Colin Fine

77,173

Thank you. So then, you could say "What that surprised you did they do?" – 243 Sep 26 '15 at 16:49
1

You could say it, but to me What did they do that surprised you would be more natural. – Colin Fine Sep 27 '15 at 18:08

"What were they doing differently *that* had led to this dramatic improvement?"

1 Answers1

"What were they doing differently that had led to this dramatic improvement?"