Lesson Six

LESSON SIX 

In this Lesson you are going to learn more about three  different types of Dependent Clauses: Adjective Clauses, Adverb  Clauses, and Noun Clauses.  

Review: You know how to find verbs and their subjects. You also  know how to identify Independent Clauses and Dependent Clauses.  You know the difference between a phrase and a clause. You also know to watch for the various types of conjunctions (Simple,  Correlative, and Subordinate). 

Now let's learn a little more about the three different types of  dependent clauses.  

TELL ME MORE! Click the PLAY button to hear additional  information. 

ADJECTIVE DEPENDENT CLAUSES 

Remember that Dependent Clauses are made up of the verb, its  subject, and all words which stick together to form a glob, including  prepositional phrases. An Adjective Clause is basically just an  overgrown adjective. Think of it this way. An Adjective Clause is similar  to taking an air pump, "airing" up a one word adjective, and turning it into  an Adjective Clause. Just as a one-word adjective can modify a noun or a pronoun, an Adjective Clause can modify a noun or a pronoun. The  difference is that an Adjective Clause is a group of words which sticks  together and has a subject, a verb, and no complete thought. The entire  clause modifies a noun or pronoun in the Independent Clause. 

Usually Relative Pronouns (who, whose, whom, which, that) introduce  Adjective Clauses. 

Example: The road [that they took] went right through the city. (That they took is a glob of words which sticks together; the glob  contains the verb took and the subject they. The glob sticks together  and cannot be separated. It is a clause. The entire clause, that they  took, is giving more information about the word road. Since road is  a noun, the Dependent Clause that they took is an Adjective Clause. 

Example: Celia and Jerome, [who often sing duets together], are  about ready to present their rehearsed presentation. (Who often  sing duets together is a clause that modifies or gives more  information about the nouns Celia and Jerome. The Dependent  Clause who often sing duets together is an Adjective Clause. Who  often sings duets together is also a Restrictive Adjective Clause.  Adjective Clauses are either restrictive [necessary] or non restrictive [not necessary]. A Restrictive Adjective Clause is not set  off with a comma or commas because the information contained in it is  necessary to the meaning of the sentence.  

A Non-restrictive Adjective Clause contains information which is  not really necessary to make the meaning of the sentence clear to the  reader. The Non-restrictive Adjective Clause simply gives extra  information. Non-restrictive Adjective Clauses should be set off with a  comma or commas. Who often sing duets together is not vitally  necessary to establish the meaning of the sentence but instead  provides more information about Celia and Jerome. Therefore, who  often sing duets together should be set off with commas. 

Example: The policeman [who directs traffic] is a good friend of  mine. (Who directs traffic is an Adjective Clause talking about the  noun policeman. Which policeman? The one who directs traffic.  This Adjective Clause is necessary to point out which policeman the  writer is talking about. Therefore, who directs traffic is necessary to  establish the meaning of the sentence and is not set off in commas. It  is a "necessary" Restrictive Adjective Clause.

TELL ME MORE! Click the PLAY button to hear additional  information. 

ADVERB DEPENDENT CLAUSES 

Adverb Dependent Clauses are just like overgrown adverbs; they modify  verbs, adjectives, or adverbs. 

Just as adverbs can fall anywhere in the sentence, so can Adverb  Clauses fall anywhere in the sentence. An Adverbial Clause is not  necessarily written close to the word that it modifies.  

Adverb Dependent Clauses begin with Subordinate  Conjunctions which you have already learned. The Subordinate  Conjunctions are although, as if, because, if, so that, than,  unless, even though, when, where, while, that, though,  whenever, wherever, whether, as long as, as though, in order  that, provided, whatever, as far as, considering, inasmuch as,  so long as, whereas -- (those which are also on the preposition list)  -- after, as, before, since, until, till.

The important thing to remember about Subordinate Conjunctions is that they are stuck to a glob of words and cannot be unstuck when  testing for a complete thought. Because it is raining outside is a Dependent Clause, and because is stuck to it is raining outside.  

Example: [When the rain began], the lights went out. (When the  rain began is an introductory Adverbial Clause and requires a  comma after it. When the rain began answers the adverb question  when? The lights went out when? The other question words  which will help you locate adverbs or Adverbial Clauses are: how?  where? why? to what extent?)  

Example: The car starts easily [because we just had it repaired]. (Because we just had it repaired starts with a Subordinate  Conjunction and answers the question word why? The clause  because we just had it repaired is an adverbial clause and modifies  the verb starts.) 

When an Adverbial Clause comes at the beginning of the sentence, the  Adverbial Clause should be set off by a comma. When the Adverbial Clause comes at the end of the sentence, no comma is necessary.

Sometimes words are left out of sentences. Such words are called "elliptical" words. These words need to be added back in when you  try to figure out the grammatical structure of a sentence. Example:  Roses are more beautiful [than the tulips (are beautiful)]. The Adverbial Clause is than the tulips (are beautiful).  

TELL ME MORE! Click the PLAY button to hear additional  information. 

NOUN DEPENDENT CLAUSES 

Adjective and Adverb clauses modify. Noun Clauses do not modify. Noun Clauses can do anything that a noun can do.  

A Noun Clause can be used as a subject, direct object, object of a  preposition, predicate noun, indirect object, or an appositive.  

When trying to figure out whether the Dependent Clause is being used  as an adjective, adverb, or a noun, be sure to analyze the  Independent Clause first. 

Example: [Whatever Jill can learn about swimming] will be  helpful to her career. (First, find the verbs. Can learn is a verb.  Will be is another verb. What will be? Whatever Jill can learn  about swimming will be helpful to her career. Whatever Jill can  learn about swimming is the subject of will be. What is the subject  of can learn? Who or what can learn? Jill can learn. This sentence has a Noun Dependent Clause being used as the subject of the Independent Clause: Whatever Jill can learn about swimming is the subject of the verb will be. Therefore, whatever Jill can learn  about swimming is a Noun Clause because it is the subject of the  sentence.) 

Example: [Who sent the package] is a mystery. (Who sent the  package is the subject of is. Who sent the package is a Noun  Clause used as the subject of the sentence.) 

Example: I know [that they like her]. (Know is the verb. I is the subject. I know what? that they like her. That they like her is a  direct object answering the question what or whom. Therefore, that  they like her is a Noun Clause.) 

Example: The teacher gave [whoever was absent] a bad grade. (Gave is the Transitive Active verb. Teacher is the subject of the  verb. The teacher gave what? a bad grade. Grade is the direct object. Who got the grade? whoever was absent. Whoever was  absent is a Noun Clause being used as the indirect object.) 

Noun Clauses can be introduced by the following words: whose, why,  whom, whomever, which, whichever, who, whoever, what, whatever, when, whether, where, wherever, that, how.