Download LESSON 29: DEPENDENT CLAUSES (ADJECTIVE)

LESSON 29: DEPENDENT CLAUSES (ADJECTIVE)
Relevant Review
•
Dependent clauses are groups of words with a subject and a verb, they can't
stand alone, and they act as one part of speech.
•
Adjectives describe nouns or pronouns.
•
Adjective Questions: Which one? What kind? How many? Whose?
Lesson
You've learned about two of the three types of dependent clauses (noun clauses and
adverb clauses), and in this lesson, you'll learn about the third (dependent adjective
clauses).
For short, we call these adjective clauses.
They Act As One Part of Speech (Adjectives)
The happy girl played the piano.
Happy is a one-word adjective describing the subject girl. WHICH girl? The happy girl.
The girl who looks happy played the piano.
Who looks happy is now acting as an adjective describing girl. WHICH girl? The girl who
looks happy.
Who looks happy is a group of words with a subject (who) and a verb (looks), and it
cannot stand alone.
Notice that we could say Who looks happy?, but that's a question, and it's not
expressing the same meaning that it is in the above sentence.
Who looks happy is a dependent adjective clause in this sentence.
Here are a few more examples of adjective clauses.
Can you identify what noun or pronoun each adjective clause is modifying?
The man whom I love is a photographer.
The book that you lost is overdue from the library.
The teacher who taught us math will now teach us history.
We drove to the park where I will be playing.
Remember that dependent adjective clauses can do anything that an adjective can do.
That means they can modify any noun or pronoun.
GET SMART (INSTRUCTOR) LESSON 29 © www.English-Grammar-Revolution.com
1 Words That Introduce Adjective Clauses
Relative Pronouns
who, whom, whose, that, which
Most adjective clauses are introduced by relative pronouns.
Relative pronouns link the adjective clause to the word in the independent clause that
the adjective clause is modifying.
Relative pronouns also play a role within the adjective clause. They perform one of the
noun/pronoun jobs.
The book that you lost is overdue from the library.
That you lost is the adjective clause. It is modifying the subject of the independent
clause (book).
That is a relative pronoun. It is linking the adjective clause with the independent clause,
and it is acting as the direct object within the adjective clause.
Relative Adverbs
where, when, why, before, since
Sometimes adjective clauses are introduced by relative adverbs.
We drove to the park where I run.
Where I run is the adjective clause. It is modifying the object of the preposition that is in
the independent clause (park).
Where is a relative adverb. It is linking the adjective clause with the independent clause,
and it is acting as an adverb within the adjective clause.
No Introductory Word
Sometimes the introductory word in an adjective clause is omitted.
The book you lost is overdue from the library.
You lost is the adjective clause modifying book. It is a group of words with a subject and
a verb acting as an adjective, so we know that it's an adjective clause.
The relative pronoun that is implied. It's as if the sentence says:
The book (that) you lost is overdue from the library.
All of the sentences that we'll be diagramming have introductory words, so don't worry
too much about adjective clauses with no introductory word!
2 GET SMART (INSTRUCTOR) LESSON 29 © www.English-Grammar-Revolution.com
Diagramming Adjective Clauses
Diagram the independent clause at the top.
Diagram the adjective clause below the independent clause on a horizontal line just like
a regular sentence.
Use a dotted, vertical line to connect the relative pronoun or relative adverb in the
adjective clause with the word in the independent clause that the adjective clause
modifies.
In this example, the adjective clause is modifying the subject of the main clause, and the
relative pronoun is the subject of the adjective clause.
The man who smiled knows me.
In the next example, the adjective clause is modifying the subject of the main clause,
and the relative pronoun is the direct object of the adjective clause.
GET SMART (INSTRUCTOR) LESSON 29 © www.English-Grammar-Revolution.com
3 The man whom I know smiled.
In this example, the adjective clause is modifying the object of the preposition in the
main clause. The relative adverb is introducing the adjective clause and acting as an
adverb in the adjective clause.
We drove to the park where I run.
4 GET SMART (INSTRUCTOR) LESSON 29 © www.English-Grammar-Revolution.com
Lesson 29 Sentence Diagramming Exercises
1. The girl who looks happy played the piano.
Hint: Who looks happy is an adjective clause.
Key
The girl who looks happy played the piano.
The girl played the piano
sentence - statement
independent clause
girl
subject (noun)
The
adjective
played
verb (transitive active)
piano
direct object (noun)
the
who looks happy
who
looks
happy
adjective
dependent adjective clause modifying girl
subject of adjective clause
(relative pronoun)
verb of adjective clause (intransitive
linking)
predicate adjective in adjective clause
(adjective)
GET SMART (INSTRUCTOR) LESSON 29 © www.English-Grammar-Revolution.com
5 2. The girl played the piano that her grandmother bought.
Hint: That her grandmother bought is an adjective clause. Diagram it as if it says her
grandmother bought that.
Key
The girl played the piano that her
grandmother bought.
The girl played the piano
sentence - statement
independent clause
girl
subject (noun)
The
adjective
played
verb (transitive active)
piano
direct object (noun)
the
that her grandmother bought
grandmother
her
adjective
dependent adjective clause modifying
piano
subject of adjective clause (noun)
adjective in adjective clause
bought
verb of adjective clause (transitive active)
that
direct object of adjective clause (relative
pronoun)
6 GET SMART (INSTRUCTOR) LESSON 29 © www.English-Grammar-Revolution.com
3. The shirt that you wore yesterday is dirty.
Hint: That you wore yesterday is an adjective clause.
Key
The shirt that you wore yesterday is dirty.
The shirt is dirty
sentence - statement
independent clause
shirt
subject (noun)
The
adjective
is
dirty
that you wore yesterday
verb (intransitive linking)
predicate adjective
dependent adjective clause modifying shirt
you
subject of adjective clause (pronoun)
wore
verb of adjective clause (transitive active)
that
direct object of adjective clause (relative
pronoun)
adverb in adjective clause
yesterday
GET SMART (INSTRUCTOR) LESSON 29 © www.English-Grammar-Revolution.com
7 4. The singer whom I love will release a new song today.
Hint: Whom I love is an adjective clause. Diagram it as if it says I love whom.
Key
The singer whom I love will
release a new song today.
The singer will release a new song today
singer
The
sentence - statement
independent clause
subject (noun)
adjective
will release
verb phrase
will
helping verb
release
song
main verb (transitive active)
direct object (noun)
a, new
adjectives
today
adverb
whom I love
I
dependent adjective clause modifying
singer
subject of adjective clause (pronoun)
love
verb of adjective clause (transitive active)
whom
direct object of adjective clause (relative
pronoun)
8 GET SMART (INSTRUCTOR) LESSON 29 © www.English-Grammar-Revolution.com
5. The movie that I like is playing at the movie theater.
Key
The movie that I like is playing at the
movie theater.
The movie is playing at the movie theater
movie
The
sentence - statement
independent clause
subject (noun)
adjective
is playing
verb phrase
is
helping verb
playing
at the movie theater
at
theater
the, movie
that I like
I
main verb (intransitive complete)
prepositional phrase (adverb)
preposition
object of the preposition (noun)
adjectives
dependent adjective clause modifying
movie
subject of adjective clause (pronoun)
like
verb of adjective clause (transitive active)
that
direct object of adjective clause (relative
pronoun)
GET SMART (INSTRUCTOR) LESSON 29 © www.English-Grammar-Revolution.com
9 Extra Practice: Diagramming Adjective Clauses
Directions: Diagram the following sentences on a separate sheet of paper.
Teachers, the answers are on the next page.
1. The woman who called lives in San Francisco.
2. The poem that I wrote is being read on the radio tonight!
3. Comets, which are made of ice and dirt, typically have elliptical orbits.
4. The students smiled at the teacher whom they loved.
5. The pancakes that he made smelled delicious.
10 GET SMART (INSTRUCTOR) LESSON 29 © www.English-Grammar-Revolution.com
Lesson 29 Extra Practice Answers
Diagramming Adjective Clauses
1. The woman who called lives in San Francisco.
2. The poem that I wrote is being read on the radio tonight!
3. Comets, which are made of ice and dirt, typically have elliptical orbits.
4. The students smiled at the teacher
5. The pancakes that he made smelled
whom they loved.
delicious.
GET SMART (INSTRUCTOR) LESSON 29 © www.English-Grammar-Revolution.com
11 12 GET SMART (INSTRUCTOR) LESSON 29 © www.English-Grammar-Revolution.com