Recognizing Adjective Clauses
Recognize an adjective clause when you see one. An adjective clause will meet three requirements:
relative pronoun or adverb + subject + verb
relative pronoun as subject + verb
Here are some examples:
Diane felt manipulated by her beagle Santana, whose big, brown eyes pleaded for another cookie.
Whose = relative pronoun; eyes = subject; pleaded = verb.
Chewing with her mouth open is one reason why Fred cannot stand sitting across from his sister Melanie.
Why = relative adverb; Fred = subject; can stand = verb [not, an adverb, is not officially part of the verb].
Growling ferociously, Oreo and Skeeter, Madison's two dogs, competed for the hard boiled egg that bounced across the
kitchen floor.
That = relative pronoun functioning as subject; bounced = verb.
Laughter erupted from Annamarie, who hiccuped for seven hours afterward.
Who = relative pronoun functioning as subject; hiccuped = verb.
Avoid writing a sentence fragment. An adjective clause does not express a complete thought, so it cannot stand alone as a sentence. To avoid writing a fragment, you must connect each adjective clause to a main clause.
- First, it will contain a subject and verb.
- Next, it will begin with a relative pronoun [who, whom, whose, that, or which] or a relative adverb [when, where, or why].
- Finally, it will function as an adjective, answering the questions What kind? How many? or Which one?
relative pronoun or adverb + subject + verb
relative pronoun as subject + verb
Here are some examples:
Diane felt manipulated by her beagle Santana, whose big, brown eyes pleaded for another cookie.
Whose = relative pronoun; eyes = subject; pleaded = verb.
Chewing with her mouth open is one reason why Fred cannot stand sitting across from his sister Melanie.
Why = relative adverb; Fred = subject; can stand = verb [not, an adverb, is not officially part of the verb].
Growling ferociously, Oreo and Skeeter, Madison's two dogs, competed for the hard boiled egg that bounced across the
kitchen floor.
That = relative pronoun functioning as subject; bounced = verb.
Laughter erupted from Annamarie, who hiccuped for seven hours afterward.
Who = relative pronoun functioning as subject; hiccuped = verb.
Avoid writing a sentence fragment. An adjective clause does not express a complete thought, so it cannot stand alone as a sentence. To avoid writing a fragment, you must connect each adjective clause to a main clause.
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Combining Sentences with Adjective Clauses
So far in our study of adjective clauses, we've learned the following:
Consider how these two sentences can be combined:
My mp3 player fell apart after a few weeks. My mp3 player cost over $200.
By substituting the relative pronoun which for the subject of the second sentence, we can create a single sentence
containing an adjective clause:
My mp3 player, which cost over $200, fell apart after a few weeks.
Or we may choose to substitute which for the subject of the first sentence:
My mp3 player, which fell apart after a few weeks, cost over $200.
Put what you want to be the main idea in the independent clause, and the secondary (or subordinate) idea in the adjective
clause.
And keep in mind that an adjective clause usually appears after the noun it modifies.
Here is another example:
The first alarm clock woke the sleeper by gently rubbing his feet.
The first alarm clock was invented by Leonardo da Vinci.
The first alarm clock, which was invented by Leonardo da Vinci, woke the sleeper by gently rubbing his feet.
The first alarm clock, which woke the sleeper by gently rubbing his feet, was invented by Leonardo da Vinci.
- First, it will contain a subject and verb.
- Next, it will begin with a relative pronoun [who, whom, whose, that, or which] or a relative adverb [when, where, or why].
- Finally, it will function as an adjective, answering the questions What kind?How many? or Which one?
Consider how these two sentences can be combined:
My mp3 player fell apart after a few weeks. My mp3 player cost over $200.
By substituting the relative pronoun which for the subject of the second sentence, we can create a single sentence
containing an adjective clause:
My mp3 player, which cost over $200, fell apart after a few weeks.
Or we may choose to substitute which for the subject of the first sentence:
My mp3 player, which fell apart after a few weeks, cost over $200.
Put what you want to be the main idea in the independent clause, and the secondary (or subordinate) idea in the adjective
clause.
And keep in mind that an adjective clause usually appears after the noun it modifies.
Here is another example:
The first alarm clock woke the sleeper by gently rubbing his feet.
The first alarm clock was invented by Leonardo da Vinci.
The first alarm clock, which was invented by Leonardo da Vinci, woke the sleeper by gently rubbing his feet.
The first alarm clock, which woke the sleeper by gently rubbing his feet, was invented by Leonardo da Vinci.
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Recognizing Adverb Clauses
Recognize an adverb clause when you see one. An adverb clause will meet three requirements:
Consider these examples:
Tommy scrubbed the bathroom tile until his arms ached.
Josephine's three cats bolted from the driveway once they saw her car turn the corner.
After her appointment at the orthodontist, Danielle cooked eggs for dinner because she could easily chew an omelet.
- Like adjective clauses, it will contain a subject and verb.
- It will begin with an introductory word, subordinate conjunction, that keeps the clause from expressing a complete thought.
- Finally, you will notice that the clause answers one of these three adverb questions: How?When? orWhy?
Consider these examples:
Tommy scrubbed the bathroom tile until his arms ached.
- How did Tommy scrub? Until his arms ached, an adverb clause.
Josephine's three cats bolted from the driveway once they saw her car turn the corner.
- When did the cats bolt? Once they saw her car turn the corner, an adverb clause.
After her appointment at the orthodontist, Danielle cooked eggs for dinner because she could easily chew an omelet.
- Why did Danielle cook eggs? Because she could easily chew an omelet, an adverb clause.
Subordinating Conjunctions and the Relationship They Show
Opposition/Concessionalthough
though even though whereas while |
Effect-Causebecause
since as |
Conditionif
unless |
Timeafter while
before since until when as soon as |
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Combining Sentences with Adverb Clauses
As we've discussed, adverb clauses show the relationship and relative importance of ideas in sentences.
Combined: It is unlikely that Cleopatra actually committed suicide with an asp because the species is unknown in Egypt.
Combined: So that no one would ever find it, the boy hid the gerbil.
Combined: Our neighbors have gained many new friends since they have installed a swimming pool in their backyard.
- As a subordinate clause, it will contain a subject and verb.
- It will begin with an introductory word, a subordinate conjunction, that keeps the clause from expressing a complete thought.
- Finally, the clause answers one of these three adverb questions: How?When? or Why?
- It is unlikely that Cleopatra actually committed suicide with an asp.The species is unknown in Egypt.
Combined: It is unlikely that Cleopatra actually committed suicide with an asp because the species is unknown in Egypt.
- The boy hid the gerbil. No one would ever find it.
Combined: So that no one would ever find it, the boy hid the gerbil.
- Our neighbors installed a swimming pool in their backyard. They have gained many new friends.
Combined: Our neighbors have gained many new friends since they have installed a swimming pool in their backyard.
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Let's Take a Break!
Instead of introducing new material, let's review what we've learned about two types of subordinate clauses: adjective clauses and adverb clauses. Adjective and adverb clauses both
an adverb clause functions as an adverb, answering the questions How? When? or Why?
- contain a subject and verb.
- begin with an introductory word,
- Finally, the clause functions as a part of speech in the sentence
an adverb clause functions as an adverb, answering the questions How? When? or Why?
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Recognizing Noun Clauses
A noun clause is the third type of subordinate clause. Like adjective and adverb clauses, a noun clause will meet three requirements:
Subject: What she said was worth remembering.
Direct Object: I don’t know where the library is.
Indirect Object: The judges will award whoever finishes last a prize.
Subject Complement: His problem was how he could earn a living.
Object of a Preposition: The pirates quarreled over why they were lost.
Appositive: His idea, that all people are equal, is central to American democracy.
- As a subordinate, it will contain a subject and verb.
- It will begin with an introductory word that keeps the clause from expressing a complete thought. Words that introduce noun clauses include that, whether, who, why, whom, what, how, when, whoever, where, and whomever.
- Finally, you will notice that the clause functions as a noun in the sentence.
Subject: What she said was worth remembering.
Direct Object: I don’t know where the library is.
Indirect Object: The judges will award whoever finishes last a prize.
Subject Complement: His problem was how he could earn a living.
Object of a Preposition: The pirates quarreled over why they were lost.
Appositive: His idea, that all people are equal, is central to American democracy.
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Subordinate Clause Practice Test
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