Adjective Clauses Adjective clauses are also called relative clauses. (Projnoun Antecedent’ Meaning: Introductory Word Illustrative Sentences 1. aperson relative pronoun: Introductory word functioning as: who (whom or whose) Subject—He paid the man who (or that) had done the that work Object of verb—He paid the man whom (or that) he had hired. Object of preposition—He paid the man from whom he had borrowed the money. Possessive adjective—This is the girl whose picture you saw, 2. athing which Subject—Here is a bouk which (or that) describes animals. that Object of verh—The chair which (or that) he broke is being repaired. Object of preposition—She was wearing the coat for which she had paid $2,000. relative adverb: 3. atime when This is the year when the Olympic Games are held. 4. aplace where Here is the house where I live. 5. areason — why Other words that may introduce adjective clauses are: before or after He became sick the day before he was to leave for his vacation as (after the same) She made the same mistakes as (or that) her sister did. ‘An antecedent is the noun or pronoun before the adjective clause which the clause refers to: the woman who wrote the book; the book which became a best seller. 4546 Modern English Use Commas (nonrestrietive clauses) When the antecedent is restricted in itself: Antecedent a proper noun Antecedent of one of a kind Antecedent restricted Late in the evening by the preceding context rancid. Many people congratulated William Faulkner, who had just won the Nobel Prize for literature. The boy's mother, who loves him very much, has made many sacri- fices for his happiness. some coffee. The coffee, which had been boiling for a long time, tasted 3-1 PUNCTUATION OF ADJECTIVE CLAUSES Do Not Use Commas (restrictive clauses) When the antecedent is restricted by the adjec- tive clause: Many people congratulated the man who had just won the Nobel Prize for literature A mother who loves her son very much will make many sacrifices for his happi- ness. Coffee which has been boiling for a long time will taste rancid they sent out for When the antecedent refers to all of a class: The chairs, which were in bad condition, were sent repaired and refinis the chairs were in bad condition and were sent out.) When the antecedent is limited by the adjective clause to some of a class: The chairs which were in bad condition were sent out to be repaired and refinished. (Some of the chairs—those in bad condition— were sent out. The remaining chairs were not sent out.) t out to be hed. (All Note that the clause without the commas (restrictive clause) distinguishes one or some from others. If no distinction—or choice—is intended or necessary, a clause with no commas (nonre- strictive clause) is used. Insert the adjective clause in each of th clause serves to identify the antecedent 1e sentences below. Do not use commas if the adjective or to limit the quantity of the antecedent. Adjective clause—who has too great expectations from his son. may be disappointed. may be disappointed. is a very old and reliable one. is a very old and reliable one. L a. Dr. White b. Aman 2, Adjective clause—where he keeps his money now. a. The bank b. The National Savings Bank 3. Adjective clause—who gave the lecture yesterday a. The gentleman is a famous scientist. b. Dr. William Johnson is a famous scientist.Adjective Clauses 47 4, Adjective clause—which revolves around the sun a, Theearth is called a planet. b. Aheavenly body —_______is called a planet. 5. Adjective clause—who serves as a symbol of nobility and dignity a The queen of England ______ is loved by her people. b. Aqueen_______is loved by her people, 6. Adjective clause—who has studied his culinary art in France a. The restaurant hired a new cook recently. The cook is expected to be very good. b. Acook —_____is expected to be very good. 7. Adjective clause—which has all the latest improvements a. An air-conditioner ______________ is quite expensive. b. An air-conditioner is being installed in the new theater. The air-conditioner is quite expensive. 8. Adjective clause—which were painted by the great masters of the Renaissance. a. Some of the pictures sold for a high price at the auction. (omit some of) b. All the pictures sold for a high price at the auction. (omit all) 3-2 CASE OF RELATIVE PRONOUNS INTRODUCING ADJECTIVE CLAUSES Relative Pronoun as Person Thing Subject The doctor who (or that) came to see the | The tree which (or that) was planted last year sick woman gave her some medicine. already has blossoms. Object of ‘The doctor whom (or that) they had called | The tree which (or that) his father planted last verb was delayed because of a traffic accident. | year already has blossoms. Informal: The doctor who they had called | Informal: The tree his father planted last year was delayed because of a traffic accident. | already has blossoms. or ‘The doctor they had called. . . . cont.48 Modern English Relative Pronoun as Object of preposition Possessive Person The doctor to whom she sent her friend is a well-known specialist. Informal: The doctor who{m) she sent her friend to is a well-known specialist. or The doctor she sent her friend to is a well-known specialist. Her doctor, whose office was newly deco- rated, started to charge higher fees. Thing The tree under which he is standing is a very old one. Informal: The tree which (or that) he is stand- ing under is a very old one. or The tree he is standing under is a very old one. That tree, the branches of which are almost bare now, is a very old one. Informal: That tree, whose branches are almost bare, is a very old one.” That is used for persons and things in restrictive clauses only. The relative pronoun may be omitted only in restrictive clauses, Change the second sentence in each group of sentences into an adjective clause and insert in the space in the first sentence. Be careful of the punctuation of the adjective clauses. Observe formal usage, but note where informal choices may be made. EXAMPLE: 2Even in formal Engi phrase. The police finally arrested the thieves They had participated in the great train robbery The police finally arrested the thieves who (or thet) had participated in the greet train robbery. ‘The musicians The rains The farmers were expecting them. Abstract art arrived very late because of the storm. The company had hired them for the office party. came too late to save the crops. is concerned with esthetic form rather than with graphic representation Many people do not understand abstract art. At the flea market she bought a ring It was supposed to be 200 years old. |, Many writers prefer whose to the more awkward of whichAdjective Clauses 49 The car was continually being stopped by the cheering crowds. The President was riding in the car. The man was reluctant to report the theft to the police. His money had been stolen. The Browns were greatly impressed by the brilliance of Mr. Jones, the young author They had just been introduced to Our next-door neighbor moved to another town. Her husband had recently been transferred. 3-3 RELATIVE PRONOUNS AS OBJECTS OF PREPOSITIONS Change the second sentence in each group of sentences into an adjective clause and insert it into the first sentence. Use both the formal and the informal forms of the adjective clause. Be careful of the punctuation of the clause. EXAMPLE: a. The company _______ employs many people. She works for the company. The company for whict jorks employs many people. works for employs many people. ‘The company (which or that) b. Prof. Emery ___ has written a very controversial book. Everyone is talking about him these days. Prof. Emery, about whom everyone is talking these days, has written very controversial book. Prof. Emery, whom) everyone is talking about these days, has written a very controversial book. The house —__is very old. The Taylors live in the house The fire _____is now under control The Fire Department has been fighting against it for several hours. The bank ________is very reliable. I have just borrowed some money from it.50 Modern English 10, LL My father-in-law _____________is lending me some money for a new house. I can always depend on him for help. Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata ___________is a great piece of music. I listen to it whenever I play my records. He has gotten himself into a dangerous situation He has no control over this situation The Empire State Building ings in the world. We are just going into this building. is one of the tallest build- The Rocky Mountains ________are very beautiful. We will soon be fying over them. He picked up the toy His son was playing with the toy. The enemies ____ are poverty and injustice. Every country fights against these enemies ‘The street —______is a very busy one. Our store is located on that street.Adjective Clauses 51 3-4 RELATIVE PRONOUNS PATTERNING LIKE SOME OF WHICH AND SOME OF WHOM A relative pronoun may be in an of phrase which is preceded by the word it refers to. This construction is especially common after pronouns of indefinite quantity and after superlatives used as nouns: The new students, some of whom came from other countries, were re- quired to take a special orientation program. This nightclub has put on many shows, the most spectacular of which is the present one. This construction may also be used with other types of nouns. They decided to see the movie at the Bijou, the title of which intrigued them, In such clauses, whose may be an alternative for of which—One of his books, the title of which (or whose title) escapes me at the moment, tells all about the “lost continent.” In each group of sentences, change the second sentence into an adjective clause and insert it in the blank in the first sentence. Use commas for the adjective clause. EXAMPLE: The toys, ______________ were retuned to the manufacturer. Most of them had been damaged The toys, most of which had been damaged in transit, were returned to the manufacturer. 1. The members of the band _—_____ came from all parts of the city. The majority of them were amateurs. 2. She hurried home to feed her cats. One of them had just had kittens. 3. The president appointed a special committee The chairman of the committee was to report to him periodically. 4. Their apartment was one of the most expensive in the building. The windows of their apartment faced the river. iS) is cl bok has had a great influence on me. The author of the book is unknown.52 Modern English The children —————___________ went to look for something to stand on. The tallest of them could not reach the shelf where the cookies were. The storekeepers in the neighborhood —________________ asked for more police protection. Several of them had already been robbed. The residents —_______ were given help by the Red Cross. Alll of their homes had been damaged by the flood. He was put out of business by his many competitors ‘The most unscrupulous of them had cut prices below cost ADJECTIVE CLAUSES USED IN DEFINITION A word is usually defined by first placing it in a class and then stating what makes it different from the other members of its class (differentiae). Geography—A science (class) that deals with the earth and its life. (differentiae) Define the following words by adding adjective clauses to the class words that are given. Use the dictionary where necessary. 1 Cannibal—A human being who Euphemism—An expression that Socialism—A system or condition of society in which Atom—The smallest component of an element that Bullfight—A spectacle in which Economics—A science that Demagogue—A political leaderAdjective Clauses 53 8. Capitalist—A person 9. Peninsula—A body of land 3-6 REVIEW OF ADJECTIVE CLAUSES Combine the following groups of sentences so that the second sentence in each group becomes an adjective clause modifying the italicized word(s) in the first sentence. Punctuate carefully. Consider all possible forms, both formal and informal, for the introductory words. Person as Antecedent 1. Albert Einstein will always be revered in history. He was not only a great scientist but a great human being. 2. A person meets all his responsibilities Everyone admires such a person. (omit such) 3. The student was highly praised by his teacher. The student's composition was read in class. 4, Ellen Peters is a very prominent lawyer. The judge is talking to her at the moment. 5. ‘The woman is a very prominent lawyer. The judge is talking to her at the moment. 6. All of the office workers were dismissed by the company. (omit all of) They had gone on strike for higher pay.54 Modern English 7. Some of the office workers were dismissed by the company. (omit some of) They had gone on strike for higher pay. 8. Suddenly a man appeared at the back door. She knew the man was wanted by the police > 9. The soldiers on the European front were overjoyed when they received the news of the armistice. Many of them had been on active duty for four years. Thing as Antecedent 10. Tennis offers a pleasant means of recreation for young people. It can be played by two or four players. 1. His last letter was lost. It was the letter in which he enclosed the check. 12. The books finally arrived. He had sent away for the books. 13. The ABC television program is very popular with young children. Some educators are producing the program. 14, Some people do not like modern art. They believe it is only a random splashing of paint on canvas. 3in an adjective clause, a phrase like she knew, he remembers, the people believe is considered parenthetic and does not affect the form of the introductory pronoun. In this sentence, the introductory relative pronoun is the subject of was wanted.Place as Antecedent (use where) Adjective Clauses 15. The town has been very much in the news these days. The university is located there. 16. The city is rich in historical associations. Henry James preferred to live there 17. London is rich in historical associations. Henry James preferred to live there 18, The garage is very expensive. The executives of the company park their cars there. 19. There was a wonderful view from the hilltop. The hikers had stopped there to have lunch. Time as Antecedent (use when) 20. The president will see you on Saturday On this day he will have more time to spend with you. 21. Most students look forward to the Christmas holidays. At this time they can relax after months of hard work. 22. They generally take a short vacation in January. In this month there is very little business in their store