ADJECTIVE CLAUSES
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
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relative pronouns such as who, whom, whose, where , that, which, Also called relative clauses.
teaches in Political Science department is my mentor. (Relative pronoun as the subject of the clause)
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)
was expensive.
The ring that Jamie wears is
night was captured. (Note: the sentence using which is more formal than the one with that)
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is missing is frantic!
possession/ownership
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.
stays is old . The house in which + school,...). he stays is old. It cannot be a subject. The house which he It can be omitted but stays in is old. a preposition (at, in, The house that he to) usually must be stays in is old. added. The house he stays in is old.
winked. I dont know the reason why he winked. I dont know the reason he winked.
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Non-restrictive Clauses
are interesting with extra information -but dont identify or tell which one ALWAYS have commas around clause
Also known as identifying or Also known as nondefining clauses identifying or non-defining clauses
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winter. My dog, which is barking, is in the backyard. William decided to reject the offer, which upset his manager.
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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,
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Answer
1. My father, who is a taxi driver, doesnt like to exercise. (Correct!)
2. My father who is a taxi driver doesnt like to exercise. (This suggests you have more than one father!)
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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.
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Answer
1. My sister who is a doctor is not married. (Correct! This tells which sister , so its identifying.)
2. My sister, who is a doctor, is not married. (Identifying information should not have commas around it.)
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Which is correct?
1. Paul Smith who is an excellent researcher is from England.
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Answer
1. 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!)
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Which is correct?
1.
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Answer
1.
The wind, that is howling, is making me nervous. (Never use commas with a that clause.)
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References
Cain, 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/
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Web resources
On how to use a relative clause (also links on the page
on defining/restrictive) and non-defining/nonrestrictive relative clauses) http://esl.about.com/od/grammaradvanced/a/relative_c lause.htm A 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/relativeclauses
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http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=486183297429660222#docid=-1240715167746622451 Distinguish the use of who and whom in a relative clause http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=486183297429660222#docid=-3595000722742197356
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Permission
Proofread and revised by Yang Ying
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