Tim32

Ordinals, and some clarifications to relative clauses ^

Posted On Thursday 9 June 2011 by Murray Colpman (Muzer)

Right, first of all, we needed ordinals (first, second, third, etc.). These are made in exactly the same way as cardinals (normal numbers), but with -ota instead of -eta:

= it is the first cat.


If you want to say "the cat is first", you remove the suffix:

And now, the clarification to relative clauses.

The general rule is that relative clauses add information or clarification, rather than changing the whole meaning. Therefore, an adjective/ordinal applied to the subject of a relative clause applies only to the subject, not to the relative clause as a whole. For example:

= The first cat, who happens to be blue, is eating pasta. NOT "The first blue-coloured cat is eating pasta".

If you want to say the latter, you must use the long form:

= "The first blue-coloured cat is eating pasta"

FWIW, you can also use the long form to produce the other meaning:

= "The first cat, who happens to be blue, is eating pasta."