Transcript Adjective Clauses

Adjective Clauses
The first American Thanksgiving feast, which
took place in 1621, lasted three days.
An adjective clause is a dependent clause that
modifies a noun or pronoun.
The dependent clause “which took place in 1621” is
a relative clause that modifies the noun phrase “the
first American Thanksgiving feast”.
This noun phrase is the antecedent of the relative
clause.
Sentences with adjective clauses can be seen as a combination of two
sentences.
Combine the sentences, using all possible forms. Use (b) as an adjective
clause:
1. (a)Louis knows the woman.
(b) the woman is meeting us at the airport.
2. (a)The bench was wet.
(b) I sat on it.
3. (a) The chair is an antique.
(b) Sally inherited it from her grandmother.
Adjective Clauses
4. (a) I miss seeing the old woman.
(b) She used to sell flowers on that street corner.
5. (a) The architect is brilliant.
(b) Mario works with him.
6. (a) Mary tutors students.
(b) They need extra help in geometry.
7. (a) I took a picture of the rainbow
(b) It appeared in the sky after the shower.
Adjective Clauses: Relative pronouns
and adverbs
An adjective clause uses pronouns to connect the
dependent clause to the independent clause. These
adjective clause pronouns are also called relative
pronouns:
who
that whose
whom
which
The relative adverbs when and where are also
used.
Where is used to identify a place:
“The building where he lives is very old”
When is used to identify an expression of time:
“I’ll never forget the day when I met you”
Position of relative clauses
•The
book is mine that is on the table.
•He
left the gift in his friend’s car that he had
just bought.
The Relative Clause is placed after its
antecedent, as close as possible, to avoid
confusion.
Verb agreement in relative
clauses
A person who works part - time usually
receives no benefits.”
People who work part - time usually
receive no benefits.”
The verb in a relative clause should agree
in number with its antecedent.
Restrictive and Non-restrictive
Relative Clauses
The professor who teaches my biology class won a Nobel
Prize two years ago.
Professor Jones, who teaches my biology class, won a
Nobel Prize two years ago.
Relative clauses are either restrictive (necessary, defining, or
essential) or non-restrictive.
A restrictive clause is necessary because it identifies its
antecedent, it distinguishes one person or thing from another.
Do not use commas with restrictive clauses.
Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Relative Clauses
Professor Jones, who teaches my biology
class, won a Nobel Prize two years ago.
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An adjective clause that is not used to identify
someone or something but simply adds extra
information is called nonrestrictive (nondefining,
nonessential).
Use commas with nonrestrictive clauses.
Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Relative Clauses
Compare the meaning:
We took some children on a picnic. The children,
who wanted to play soccer, ran to an open field
as soon as we arrived at the park.
We took some children on a picnic. The children
who wanted to play soccer ran to an open field
as soon as we arrived at the park.
Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Relative Clauses
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The teacher thanked the students, who had
given her some flowers.
The teacher thanked the students who had
given her some flowers.
He reached in the basket and threw away the
apples that were rotten.
He reached in the basket and threw away the
apples, which were rotten.
Relative pronouns used as subjects
Relative pronouns used as objects
Relative pronouns used as the object of a preposition
Possessive relative clauses (using whose)
Using where and when in relative clauses
Reducing adjective clauses to adjective phrases
Relative pronouns used as
subjects
People who use microwave ovens save time and energy.
The book which is on the table is mine.
I don’t like the table that stands in the kitchen.
I told you about the woman that lives next door.
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Like all clauses, Relative Clauses contain
subjects and verbs.
The relative pronouns who, that, and which
are used as subjects.
Relative pronouns used as
objects
I was invited by the professor whom I met at the conference.
The Professor that you should see is the Head of the
English Department.
The movie which we saw last night was not very good.

The Relative pronouns whom, that and which are used
as objects in relative clauses.
Relative pronouns used as the object of a
preposition
No
No
No
No
one
one
one
one
had
had
had
had
read
read
read
read
the
the
the
the
book
book
book
book
from which he quoted.
which he quoted from
that he quoted from.
he quoted from.
These Relative Clauses are formed in two ways: the
formal way and the informal way.
In the formal pattern, the preposition comes before
the relative pronoun.
In the informal pattern, the preposition comes at the
end of the clause
Possessive relative clauses (using whose)
I know the man whose bicycle was stolen yesterday.
The citizens whose property the government had
confiscated could do nothing.
Roald Dahl, whose stories we have been reading in our
English class, is one of England’s most famous writers.
In these clauses, which show possession, the relative
pronoun whose replaces a possessive word such as
Mary’s, his, our, their, the company’s, etc.
Possessive Relative Clauses can follow the subject or the
object pattern, and they may be restrictive or nonrestrictive.
Using where and when in
relative clauses
Ramadan is the month when devout Muslims fast.
The Saudi Arabian city of Mecca, where
Mohammed was born, is the holiest city in Islam.
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Relative clauses may also be introduced by the
relative adverbs when and where.(time or
place)
These relative clauses may be restrictive or
nonrestrictive.
Using where and when in
relative clauses
Combine the two sentences in each pair, changing the
second sentence into an adverbial relative clause. Add
commas if necessary.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Germany had been divided into two countries since 1945. It
was defeated in World War II in 1945.
1989 was the year. The Berlin Wall was torn down in that year.
In 1990, Germany became one country again. East and West
Germany were reunited in 1990.
There was rejoicing in places. Germans looked forward to
reunification with their fellow citizens in these places.
Relative clauses in context:
“What type are you?”
Suppose you attend a party where there are
several people you know well. The hosts have a
new party game. They ask everyone to take five
minutes and compare each person to a flower.
Which flower would you choose for each person?
For that matter, which flower would you choose for
yourself? Are you the kind of person who resembles
a sunflower, open to the world most of the time? Or
are you more like a four o’clock, someone who only
opens up at special moments?
Relative clauses in context:
“What type are you?”
This may sound like just a fun activity, something
which is suitable only for get-togethers or for
amusing yourself. But there is actually a science of
identifying personality types.
Personality identification grew out of the work of
Swiss psychologist Carl Jung and the studies
Katharine Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs.
After considerable study of Jung’s work, Briggs and
her daughter developed a system in which they
formulated four personality dimensions and sixteen
different personality types. This test, which has been
refined many times over the decades, has been
validated by the millions of people who have taken
it.