1

dependent clauses that must be joined to independent clauses

describe nouns and pronouns often placed in a sentence right

after the noun they describe add details to sentences by

functioning as adjectives

2

ADJECTIVE CLAUSES

ADJECTIVE (RELATIVE) CLAUSESAdjective clauses begin with one of

the relative pronouns such as who, whom, whose, where , that, which,

Also called relative clauses.

3

Relative Pronouns & Adjective ClausesWhoRefers to people, used as subject in the clause

The lady who teaches in the Political Science department is my mentor.

(Relative pronoun as the subject of the clause)

4

Relative Pronouns & Adjective ClausesWhomRefers to people,

used as object or object of preposition

(Formal grammar recommends whom, not who, in the object position)

Sally, who(m) he knew, arrived yesterday.

(Relative pronoun as the object of the clause)

The student of whom he spoke was a foreigner.

(Relative pronoun as the object of a preposition) 5

Relative Pronouns & Adjective ClausesWhich or thatRefers to things,

animals

The watch which Ken bought was expensive.

The ring that Jamie wears is from her husband.

The lion that escaped last night was captured.

(Note: the sentence using which is more formal than the one with that)

6

Relative Pronouns & Adjective ClausesWhoseRefers to

possession/ownership

The father whose child is missing is frantic!

The company whose manager has resigned is in dire straits.

7

Relative Pronouns & Adjective ClausesWhen Refers to a time

(in + year, in + month, on + day,...).

It cannot be a subject.

It can be omitted

I will never forget the day when I graduated.

I will never forget the day on which I graduated.

I will never forget the day that I graduated.

I will never forget the day I graduated.

8

Relative Pronouns & Adjective ClausesWhere Refers to a place

(in + country, in + city, at + school,...).

It cannot be a subject.

It can be omitted but a preposition (at, in, to) usually must be added.

The house where he stays is old .The house in which

he stays is old.The house which he

stays in is old. The house that he

stays in is old. The house he stays

in is old. 9

Relative Pronouns & Adjective ClausesWhyRefers to reasonIt can be

omitted

I don’t know why he winked.

I don’t know the reason why he winked.

I don’t know the reason he winked.

10

11

Adjective Clauses: Restrictive & Non-restrictive Clauses

Restrictive Clauses (Essential)

Non-restrictive Clauses (Non-essential)

are necessary for identification—tell exactly which thing or person

are interesting with extra information -but don’t identify or tell “which one”

DO NOT have commas around clause

ALWAYS have commas around clause

Also known as identifying or defining clauses

Also known as non-identifying or non-defining clauses

Restrictive (Essential) Adjective ClausesExamples:The soccer player who scored the

goal is from Liverpool.The girl that borrows my book is my cousin.The district where I live is near the post office.

12

Non- Restrictive (Non-Essential) Adjective ClausesExamples:

Ms. Tan, who is my English tutor, went to Korea last winter.

My dog, which is barking, is in the backyard.William decided to reject the offer, which

upset his manager.

13

Compare Restrictive & Non-restrictive Clauses1. My brother who lives in Bukit Timah is an accountant.

This sentence suggests that I have more than one brother. “Who lives in Bukit Timah” identifies this brother, not the one who lives in Clementi.

2. My brother, who lives in Bukit Timah, is an accountant.

This sentence suggests that I only have one brother, “who lives in Bukit Timah”.

14

Which is logically correct?1. My father, who is a taxi driver, doesn’t like

to exercise.

2. My father who is a taxi driver doesn’t like to exercise.

15

Answer1. My father, who is a taxi driver, doesn’t like

to exercise. (Correct!)

2. My father who is a taxi driver doesn’t like to exercise. (This suggests you have more than one father!)

16

Which is logically correct?Situation: You have 3 sisters and you have

already made that clear in preceding sentences. One is a doctor, one an air stewardess, and one a model.

1. My sister who is a doctor is not married.2. My sister, who is a doctor, is not married.

17

Answer1. My sister who is a doctor is not married. (Correct! This tells which sister , so it’s

identifying.)

2. My sister, who is a doctor, is not married. (Identifying information should not have

commas around it.)

18

Which is correct?1. Paul Smith who is an excellent researcher

is from England.

2. Paul Smith, who is an excellent researcher , is from

England.

19

Answer1. Paul Smith who is an excellent researcher

is from England. (Note that proper nouns are considered

already identified, so the adjective clause needs commas.)

2. Paul Smith, who is an excellent researcher , is from

England. (Correct!)

20

Which is correct?1. The wind, that is howling, is making me

nervous.

2. The wind, which is howling, is making me nervous.

21

Answer1. The wind, that is howling, is making me

nervous. (Never use commas with a “that” clause.)

2. The wind, which is howling, is making me nervous.

(Correct!)

22

PracticeComplete page 497 exercise 3

23

Essential adjective clausesAre necessary for identification—tell

exactly which thing or personDo not use commas

Example: My teacher is awesome. My teacher majored in English.

My teacher who majored in English is awesome.

25

With your partner: combine these main clauses into a sentence with an essential adverb clause. Underline the adverb clause and circle the subordinating conjunction.

1. The pentathlon is one of the oldest Olympic events/It is still part of Olympic games

2. A pentathlete had to run, jump, and throw well/He was the most admired athlete in the ancient Greek games

3. All children learned these skills/The children lived in Athens or Sparta

4. Aristotle praised pentathletes/Pentathletes were the most well-rounded athletes

5. The pentathlon had five events/It required both upper- and lower-body strength.

How’d you do?1. _______________________________________________________________________________________2. ________________________________________________________________________________________3. ________________________________________________________________________________________4. ________________________________________________________________________________________5. ________________________________________________________________________________________

Non-essential adjective clausesare interesting with extra information -but

don’t identify or tell “which one”ALWAYS have commas around clause

Example: My teacher is trying to teach me grammar. My teacher is in room 405.

My teacher, who is trying to teach me grammar, is in room 405.

28

On your own: combine these main clauses into a sentence with a non-essential adverb clause. Underline the adverb clause and circle the subordinating conjunction.

6. One events required throwing the discus/The discus is a heavy, rounded stone

7. The pentahlete faced the stade (track) races/Stade races demand sprinting speed

8. A competitor might eventually become a soldier/The Spartans rewarded competitors

9. The pentathlon reflected the culture of Sparta/The Spartan highly valued war.

10.The modern Olympic pentathlon includes riding a horse, fencing, shooting, swimming, and running/The modern Olympic pentathlon is also based on military skills

How’d you do?6. _______________________________________________________________________________________7. ________________________________________________________________________________________8. ________________________________________________________________________________________9. ________________________________________________________________________________________10. _______________________________________________________________________________________

Adjective & Adverb Clause Review

Give examples of the following1. Adjective clause beginning with who2. Noun3. Adjective clause beginning with

where4. Adjective clause beginning with that5. Adverb clause beginning with since6. Noun7. Adverb clause beginning with while8. Adjective9. Adverb clause beginning with before10. Adverb clause beginning with who11. Adverb clause beginning with

because12. Independent clause using “he” as the

subject.13. Independent clause using “he” as the

subject14. Adjective clause using “who”15. Adverb clause beginning with “while”

Give examples of the following16. Adverb clause beginning with as soon as17. Independent clause with birthday girl as

the subject.18. Adverb clause beginning with because19. Noun20. Adjective clause beginning with which21. Adjective clause beginning with who22. Independent clause23. Adverb clause beginning with although24. Adverb clause beginning with if25. Adverb clause beginning with since

Dear Director:I would like to recommend my friend, (1)________________, for the job of assistant to the (2)______________ in your camp (3)___________________. He has just graduated from a school (4)____________________and earned a degree (5)_________________. He has had experience teaching (6)_____________ how to play the banjo (7)_________________. He is ambitious and (8) ______________. During school vacations, he used to work delivering (9)___________________. He is a loyal person (10)______________________and will make a very good counselor (11)_______________________ and (12)____________________. (13)_______________________. I promise you that this man (14)____________________ will make great counselor for your camp.

The party was over (16)___________________________. (17)_____________________________________.(18)________________________________, she decided not to open her presents. That was too bad because I had bought her a (19)__________________. The cake (20)_________________________________ (21)_______________________________ was never even brought out to the table. The guests (22)______________________________ were told to go home, and (23)_________________________________. (24)________________________________________, everyone still seemed to have a good time. I guess a party is still a party even (25)________________________________. I’m looking forward to the next birthday party

ReferencesCain, J. S. (2003).Eye on Editing 2:

Developing Editing Skills for Writing. New York: Pearson Education

Brizee. A. (Ed.). (2009). Relative Pronouns. OWL Materials. Retrieved September 1, 2009, from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/645/01/

36

Web resources On how to use a relative clause (also links on

the page on defining/restrictive) and non-defining/non-restrictive relative clauses)

http://esl.about.com/od/grammaradvanced/a/relative_clause.htmA grammar website on relative clauses giving

all the details of relative clauses and provide exercises. If you want to know relative clauses inside out, visit:

http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/relative-clauses

37

Videos on Relative ClausesOn defining relative clauses (with movie

clips) http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-486183297429660222#docid=-1240715167746622451Distinguish the use of “who” and “whom” in a

relative clausehttp://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-486183297429660222#docid=-3595000722742197356

38

Powerpoint developed by Irene Tan. Used with Permission

Proofread and revised by Yang Ying

39