Lesson 251

Parts of the Sentence - Adjective Clauses

A complex sentence is made up of an independent clause and a dependent clause. Example: The television was playing (independent clause which can stand alone and make sense) as I left the room (dependent clause which must be attached to the independent clause to make sense). There are three kinds of dependent clauses: adjective clause, adverb clause and noun clause.

The adjective clause is used to modify a noun or a pronoun. It will begin with a relative pronoun (who, whose, whom, which, and that) or a subordinate conjunction (when and where). Those are the only words that can be used to introduce an adjective clause. The introductory word will always rename the word that it follows and modifies except when used with a preposition which will come between the introductory word and the word it renames. Examples: The student whose hand was up gave the wrong answer. Whose hand was up is the adjective clause with whose, the relative pronoun, renaming and modifying student. Jane is a person in whom I can place my confidence. In whom I can place my confidence is the adjective clause with whom, the relative pronoun, with the preposition in between it and person, the word that whom renames and modifies.

Instructions: Find the adjective clause in the following sentences and tell which word it modifies.

1. I play a kind of music that nobody likes.

2. The man whom you saw was not the famous actor.

3. I remember the day when I took my first airplane ride.

4. I have a neighbor whose parents live in Australia.

5. The hint that I learned about cleaning the walk saved me much work.

--For answers scroll down.

Answers:

1. that nobody likes modifies either music or kind (a prepositional phrase can separate the introductory word from the word it modifies)

2. whom you saw modifies man

3. when I took my first airplane ride modifies day

4. whose parents live in Australia modifies neighbor

5. that I learned about cleaning the walk modifies hint

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DAILY GRAMMAR - - - - by Mr. Johanson

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