Relative Clauses and Complement (Appositive) Clauses

Question

With the criteria for distinguishing relative clauses from complement clauses being

1. The modified noun phrase of a relative clause can function as a sentence constituent within the relative clause, while a complement clause cannot.
2. Since a relative clause modifies optionally, the sentence can still hold even if it is omitted, but if a complement clause is omitted the sentence does not hold.

When presenting it this way

1) Yeongsu doesn't know the fact that I know.
2) Yeongsu doesn't know the fact that I was absent.

How can these two example sentences be divided using condition 2 above?

Answer: There are also cases where it can be used independently without an appositive clause. The explanation below references Koo Bon-kwan et al., A Comprehensive Korean Grammar I, Jipmoondang, pp. 265-266. The following transcribes the book's explanation.

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An appositive clause refers to an adnominal clause that completely possesses all the obligatory constituents of a sentence.

(1)

a. The rumor that Cheolsu and Younghee will get married soon is going around.
b. I have no memory of meeting that teacher.
c. The turtle ship that Admiral Yi Sun-sin made is the world's first ironclad ship.

In the example sentences above, the underlined parts of (1a) and (1b) are appositive clauses. When you contrast (1a) and (1c), you can see that the noun identical to the noun the adnominal clause modifies is omitted within the relative clause. That is, 'the turtle ship,' which should be used as the object of 'made,' is omitted and does not appear in the relative clause.

Appositive clauses are divided into long appositive clauses and short appositive clauses depending on whether what precedes the adnominal ending is a complete sentence form. In (1a), before the adnominal ending '-neun' there is a complete sentence form like 'Cheolsu and Younghee will get married soon,' so the underlined part of (1a) is called a long appositive clause, and in (1b), before the adnominal ending '-n' there is an incomplete clause form like 'meeting that teacher-,' so the underlined part of (1b) is called a short appositive clause.

Many researchers use 'complement clause' as the same concept as 'appositive clause,' but an appositive clause does not necessarily have to be used as an obligatory constituent, nor does a complement clause become an appositive clause.

(2)

a. Word came that he will arrive soon.
b. Let's keep in contact with each other.

(3)

a. After we went, he came.
b. Ten years have passed since he left.

In (2a), 'word/contact' has an appositive clause—that is, a clause that clarifies the content of 'word' (that he will arrive soon)—placed before it, but in (2b) 'contact' can be used independently even without an appositive clause. Therefore, the appositive clause in this case cannot be called a complement clause. Conversely, (3a) is a sentence in which a complement clause (we went) modifying 'after' is used. The complement clause in this case cannot be called an appositive clause. Therefore, 'complement clause (complement)' and 'appositive clause' must be distinguished.