Relative Clauses (also Relative Clauses (also known as Adjective known as Adjective

Clauses)Clauses)

Relative Clauses (also Relative Clauses (also known as Adjective known as Adjective

Clauses)Clauses)

Jennifer Castillo SolisJennifer Castillo Solis

What is an adjective clauses?

• An adjective clauses modifies a noun. It describes or gives information about a noun.

• An adjective clause follows a noun

Some examples are…• I met a man who is kind to everyone• I met a woman who is a famous poet• I met a girl who lives in Chicago.• What is the noun in each sentence?• What is the adjective clause?

How to Recognize an adjective clause

• First it will contain a subject and a verb

• Next it will begin with a relative pronoun (who, whom, whose, that, which) or a relative adverb (when, where, why)

Recognizing an adjective clause

• Finally, it will function as a adjective answering the questions

• What kind• How many• Which one

Follow this pattern• Adjective clause will have one of

these two patterns:• Relative noun or

adverb+subject+verb• Relative pronoun as subject+ verb

There are two kinds of clauses:

• Independent

• Dependent

Independent Clauses• Independent clauses can complete

a sentence all by themselves• Example:• We are studying grammar.• ¨We¨ is the Subject• ¨Are studying¨ is the verb

Questions and Independent Clauses

• A complete question can also be considered an independent clause

• Example:• What are you doing?• Have you lost your mind?

An order or command and Independent

Clauses• A command or an order can also

be considered an independent clause

• Example:• ¨Stand up for your rights¨• ¨Get out right now¨

Dependent Clauses are different…

• A dependent clauses needs something else in order to be complete

• Example:• ¨After you finish…¨• Finish what? You need to know

more information, this is the first half of a dependent clause

There are several kinds of dependent clauses:

• Adverb Clauses

• Noun Clauses

• Adjective Clauses

Adverb Clauses• Adverb clauses are attached to

dependent clauses• Example:• I will finish this presentation, after

I take a cat nap.• The underlined part is the adverb

clause

Noun Clauses• Noun clauses are dependent

clauses that take the place of single nouns

• They can be used anywhere nouns can be used: as subjects or objects

More on Noun Clauses • Usually begin with ¨that¨ or a wh-

word ( who, whom, what, why, where, when)

• ¨That¨ can be removed if there is another subject in the clause

Noun Clauses continued

• Noun clauses can be used as subjects in place of simple nouns.

• Example:

• Mary saw the robbery.

Even more on noun clauses

• In place of simple nouns a noun clause can also be used as objects after verbs or prepositions

• Examples:• I believe you.• I belive you are right.

Adjective Clauses• An adjective clause is similar to a

noun clause in the sense that wh- words and that are used as pronouns to introduce the clause

More on Adjective clauses

• An adjective clause can be used to describe or modify a noun

• Can be used in place of a single adjective

• Should follow the noun it modifies

Practice time

• What is the adjective clause in the following sentence?:

• The man who is riding a bicycle is the new president of the company.

Answer….• The sentence was: The man who is

riding a bicycle is the new president of the company.

• The answer is: man who is riding a bicycle

• The idea was ¨The man is the president of the company¨

One more try…• ¨Maria, whose birthday we are

celebrating is transferring to the university next quarter.¨

• What is the adjective clause?

The answer was…• ¨whose birthday we are

celebrating¨

• The original idea was Maria transferring to a university next quarter

Important to Remember

• The adjective clause has to inmediately follow the word that it describes

Adjective reminder• If the adjective clause is placed in

the wrong spot is becomes a dangling modifier

• Example:• ¨My aunt is on vacation, who lives

in Newark¨

The correct way should be…

• My aunt who lives in Newark is on vacation.

There are two kinds of adjective clauses:

• Restrictive

• Non Restrictive

Sneak peak at restrictive and non restrictive

clauses:Restrictive Clause Non restrictive

clause

are necessary for identification—tell “which one”

are interesting, like gossip, but don’t identify or tell “which one”

DO NOT have commas around clause

ALWAYS have commas around clause

Restrictive Clauses• Important to remember that

restrictive clauses help in identifying

• Telling which one is doing to activity

Example time• The man who is blowing the

whistle is the coach.

The restrictive clause identifies who the person that is blowing the whistle

Non Restrictive Clauses• Are not as specific in identifying as

the restrictive clauses

• Include the use of commas are the clause

Example time• The man was whistling which was

annoying.

• This is vague and does not indicate which man was whistling.

Coordination• Coordination is a useful way of

connecting ideas that are roughly equal in importance. But often we need to show that one idea in a sentence is more important than another

Example:• How can this sentence be

combined? My father is a superstitious man.

He always sets his unicorn traps at night.

Answer… When the sentences are

coordinated in this way, each main clause is given equal emphasis.

My father is a superstitious man, and he always sets his unicorn traps at night.

Subordination• Subordination is needed to

indicate that one part of a sentence is secondary (or subordinate) to another part.

• Commonly used in adjective clauses

Subordination…• What if we want to place greater

emphasis on one statement than on another?

• We then have the option of reducing the less important statement to an adjective clause.

Example…• My father, who is a superstitious

man, always sets his unicorn traps at night.

As a Reminder….• It is important to remember that

relative clauses are quite extensive and can take some time to fully understand.

• However practice makes perfect…

Thank you for your attention