Relative Clauses

Ed McCorduckEnglish 402--GrammarSUNY Cortland http://mccorduck.cortland.edu

A relative clause is a clause-like structure that postmodifies the headword noun of a noun phrase. In other words, relative clauses also function as adjectivals (see the “Determiners and Adjectivals” lecture) and indeed they are often referred to as adjective clauses.

slide 2: definition of relative clauses

English 402: Grammar

There are two main differences between relative clauses and other types of clauses (see the chapter 5 “Clauses” lecture):

•Relative clauses begin (or “open”) with a relative pronoun, which can be either that or one of the wh-words who(m), which, whose, when or where, or sometimes the relative pronoun is omitted entirely but ONLY when it is not the subject of the relative clause. The relative pronoun replaces the noun phrase in a main clause that it refers to (i.e., its antecedent) and the antecedent NP can fill any function in the main clause that an NP can.

slide 3: one difference between relative clauses and “normal” clauses

English 402: Grammar

•Because the relative pronoun must always open the relative clause, it may move out from its normal slot in the relative clause. That is, if a relative pronoun functions in “deep structure” as the direct or indirect object of a transitive verb or the subject complement of a linking verb in the relative clause it will move out of the this position to the beginning of the relative clause, even if this results in two NPs—the relative pronoun and the subject of the relative clause—together before the verb.

slide 4: another difference between relative clauses and “normal” clauses

English 402: Grammar

exx (relative clause in red)

The rebels who had been captured were frog-marched away.

ant. (subj) r.p. (subj in r.c.)

I bought a GPS that can spy on my ex. ant. (dir obj) r.p. (subj in r.c.)

That’s the jackass who cut me off. ant. (subj comp) r.p. (subj in r.c.)

slide 5: examples of relative clauses modifying NPs in different slots in the main clause

English 402: Grammar

That’s the jackass. I want him behind bars. dir obj

⇒

That’s the jackass whom I want behind bars. (formal)

ant. r.p. (dir obj) subj

That’s the jackass who I want behind bars. ant. r.p. (dir obj) subj

That’s the jackass that I want behind bars. ant. r.p. (dir obj) subj

That’s the jackass I want behind bars. ant. (r.p. understood) subj

slide 6: examples of relative clauses where the relative pronoun is not the subj

English 402: Grammar

That’s the jackass. I gave him the bird. indir obj

⇒

That’s the jackass whom I gave the bird. (formal)

ant. r.p. (indir obj) subj

That’s the jackass who I gave the bird. ant. r.p. (indir obj) subj

That’s the jackass that I gave the bird. ant. r.p. (indir obj) subj

That’s the jackass I gave the bird. ant. (r.p. understood) subj

slide 6: more examples of relative clauses where the relative pronoun is not the subj

English 402: Grammar

That’s the jackass. I gave the bird to him .

⇒

That’s the jackass to whom I gave the bird. (formal)

That’s the jackass who(m) I gave the bird to.

That’s the jackass that I gave the bird to.

That’s the jackass I gave the bird to.

slide 7: examples of relative clauses where the relative pronoun is the object of a preposition

English 402: Grammar