Adjective Clauses

Hii felas, we meet again. Today I’d like to show you about Adjective Clauses. Let’s chek it down!!!
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Adjective Clauses 

 

Adjective clauses

An ajective is a dependent clause used as an adjective ; it modifies a noun or a pronoun. These clauses are introduced by two different kinds of words which always occur just after the noun that the clause modifies.

Adjective clauses are usually introduced by the relative pronouns who,whom, whose, which, and that. These pronouns function in nounpositions in the clauses they introduce.

Krakatao, which is a volcano on an Indonesian island, exploded.
People who lived 3,520 kilometers away heard the noise.
The  thousands whom the tidal wave killed live on the island of java.

***Notice that in the first of preceding two sentences, the relativepronouns (relative coz they relate to the nouns they modify) function as the subjects of the clauses they introduce. In the other sentence, the relative pronounis the direct object of the verb in clause it introduces.

Adjective clauses may also be introduced by the surbodinate conjuntions when, where, and why.

People still speak of the day when the explosion occurred.
The ocean covered the place where the volcano had been.
Only scientist can explain the reason why this distater happened.

1.       Punction Adjective Clauses

Notice that one of the adjective clauses give in the Illustration is set off by comma, while the other are not. If a clauses is necessary to the meaning of the sentence, it’s said to restrictive (essential) and requires no punctuation.

The  man who wrote about the explosion was an eyewitness.

The italicized clause is necessary  to identify the man, the subject of the sentence. Hence ,it’s restrictive and requires no commas.

In the following example, on the other hand, the italized clause is not essential to the meaning of the sentence.

                R. D. Verbeck, who was an eyewitness, wrote about the explosion.

In this sentene the identity of the subject of the sentence is known coz his name is given. The adjective clause only supplies added information and is not essential to the meaning of the sentence. Hence it is nonrestrictive (nonessential) and musst be set by comma!!

2.       Omitting the Subordinating Word

Notice that the subordinator is often omitted from restrictive adjective clauses.

The blast you reaf about occured in 1883
This is the place we saw the accident.

In  the first of the preceding two sentences that or which has been omitted after the word blast. In the second sentence where has been omitted after the word place. If the subordinator is the subject of the clause, it cannot be omitted.

-          That’s a place that looks dangerous. (subject)

-          The man who wrote  about it saw it . (subject)

-          The blast (that) you read about occured in 1883.

-          The blast that occured in 1883 was very destructive. (subject)

-          The ocean covered the place (where) the volcano had been

-          Giveus the reason (why) this disaster happend.

The subordinators are never ommited from nonrestictive adjective clauses.

3.       Relative Pronoun as Object of Prepositions
It has already been stated thatrelative pronouns function in noun positions in the clauses they introduce. When a relative pronoun is the object of a prepostion, the entire prepositional phrase may be used as the subordinator.

Peolpe will speak of the day when the explosion occured.
People still speak of the day which the explosion occured on. (colloquial but awkward)
People still speak of the day on which the explosion occured.

Sometimes the difference between separating the pronoun and its object is a difference in the level offormality of the language being used.

-          The person to whom you gave the message was y friend. (formal)

-          The person you gave the message to was my friend. (informal)

The least but not the last thanks for reading pals *XOXO*