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Ouvrir dans l'app →Adjective Pronouns, Noun Clauses, Reported Speech & Adverbs
1. Adjective Clauses
Adjective clauses are also called **relative clauses**. They come after nouns and modify them. In other words, they tell the listener or reader more about the person or thing that the noun refers to. The pronouns that often begin adjective clauses are called **relative pronouns** (*that, which, who, whom, whose, where*).
- A person who sweeps the floors in buildings is known as a janitor.
- A person who sails is a sailor.
- The man who sold the red house is a friend of mine.
2. Reducing Adjective Clauses to Adjective Phrases
If the subject relative pronoun is followed by the verb *be* in any tense, both the relative pronoun and the verb *be* can be omitted.
-
The realtor who is selling the house is Ann.
→ The realtor selling the house is Ann. -
The garment that is worn by priests is usually white.
→ The garment worn by priests is usually white.
3. Relative Pronouns as Objects
The object relative pronouns for people are **who, whom, that**. *Whom* is more formal than *who*. The object relative pronouns for things are **which, that**.
You may omit the relative pronoun in restrictive adjective clauses.
- The first time I voted was in 1982.
- The candidate who gets more votes becomes the president.
- The first time that I voted was in 1982.
4. Restrictive / Nonrestrictive Relative Clauses
The two main types of adjective clauses—restrictive and nonrestrictive—have distinct meanings and uses.
A restrictive adjective clause gives information that helps to uniquely identify the noun it describes.
- My sister who attends KU is very shy.
(I have two sisters. One attends KU; the other does not.)
A nonrestrictive adjective clause adds extra information about the noun. This information is not necessary to identify the noun.
- Mary, who attends KU, is very shy.
| Noun in Main Clause | Relative Clause | Rest of Main Clause |
|---|---|---|
| The man | who called | is an old friend of mine. |
| The woman | whom I met | lives near my house. |
| The letter | that Mary received | was very important. |
| The book | which we discussed | was a best-seller. |
| The writer | whose book we discussed | will visit with us next week. |
Adjective Clauses vs. Adjective Phrases
1. Adjective Clause
The woman who is dressed in red is my mother.
2. Adjective Phrase
The woman dressed in red is my mother.
3. Restrictive / Nonrestrictive Examples
- My brother who is 10 years old starts working today. (restrictive)
- My brother, who is 10 years old, starts working today. (nonrestrictive)
1. Noun Clauses as Subjects
Noun clauses are **that-clauses** that have a subject and a verb. There is no comma between the main clause and the noun clause.
In speaking, it is common to move the noun clause to the end of the sentence and use it as a dummy subject.
- It annoyed the teacher that Albert smoked in class.
- That several students came late to class annoyed the professor.
- The fact that you are from South America made you ideal for the job.
2. Noun Clauses as Objects
- The teacher reported that Albert smoked in class.
- The teacher reported Albert smoked in class.
3. Noun Clauses Made from Questions
Questions can be changed into noun clauses and used as subjects or objects.
-
Information questions begin with who, what, when, why, etc.
- Amanda wondered why Nick broke up with her.
- It is a mystery why Nick broke up with Amanda.
-
Yes–No questions begin with if or whether.
- Amanda wonders if Nick will talk to her again.
- It is unknown whether the weather will be warm or rainy.
4. Reported Speech – Pronouns
We can report what someone said in two ways.
Quoted Speech
Uses the exact words of the speaker and quotation marks.
- "I don't like your attitude," Joanna said to Jill.
Reported Speech
Changes the quote into a noun clause.
- Jill said that it wasn’t his fault.
5. Reported Speech – Statements
The most common verbs used to report statements are **say** and **tell**. When *tell* is used, it must be followed by a noun or pronoun. - *Mike said that we were going to the beach on the weekend.* - *Mike told us that we were going to the beach on the weekend.*
Other common reporting verbs include: add, admit, claim, declare, explain, indicate, mention, observe, state, reply, point out, etc.
When a statement is put into reported speech, the reporting verb is usually in the simple past, and the verb in the reported clause often changes tense.
| Direct Speech | Reported Speech |
|---|---|
| simple present | simple past |
| present progressive | past progressive |
| present perfect | past perfect |
| will | would |
| can | could |
6. Reported Speech – Questions
- Yes/No questions begin with if or whether.
- Information questions keep the question word but use statement word order.
-
"Is the fire under control?"
→ Mike asked John if the fire was under control. -
"How did you pass the test?"
→ Mary asked Pete how he had passed the test.
7. Reported Speech – Imperatives
-
"Drive carefully," the man said to Cris.
→ The man told Cris to drive carefully. -
"Don't touch the artworks," the teacher warned the kids.
→ The teacher warned the kids not to touch the artworks.
Adverb Clauses
In the sentence:
I saw the movie yesterday, on Friday, before I left for Calgary.
- yesterday is an adverb,
- on Friday is an adverb phrase,
- before I left for Calgary is an adverb clause.
An adverb clause is a dependent clause introduced by a subordinating conjunction and cannot stand alone.
| Type | Question Answered | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Place | Where? | Wherever there are computers, there is Microsoft software. |
| Time | When? | After the fruit is harvested, it is sold at the market. |
| Cause | Why? | I didn’t call her because I’m shy. |
| Purpose | Why? (reason) | She took a computer course so that she could get a better job. |
| Concession | Why is this unexpected? | Although Jay has a Master’s degree, he works as a store clerk. |
| Condition | Under what conditions? | If you save your money, you will be able to go to college. |
Most adverb clauses can be recognized because they are introduced by subordinating conjunctions.
Subordinating Conjunctions
after, before, until, while, because, since, as, so that, in order that, if, unless, whether, though, although, even though, where
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