A Special Focus on the Appositive That-clause Following HAVE the Advantage─the Role of the Auxiliary Verb Can─

Abstract

The main aim of this paper is to investigate whether the abstract noun advantage can be followed by an appositive that-clause and whether the auxiliary verb can is essential within the clause to explain advantage. A descriptive study using both quantitative and qualitative approaches, incorporating corpus analysis and informant surveys, reveals two key findings. First, constructions in which advantage is followed by an appositive that-clause are observed in the spoken British English as well as in written forms of both British and American English. Second, the auxiliary verb can in such clauses is not a mandatory component for the noun advantage but is context-dependent. Its occurrence is strongly influenced by the meanings of “ability” or “circumstantial ability” conveyed in the appositive clause. These findings offer valuable insights for revising the treatment of advantage in reference books and dictionaries.