Chapter 28 Relative Clauses

Relative clauses What is a clause? What is a relative? Must have a subject and verb Can be a main (independent) clause Can be a subordinate (dependent) clause All relative clauses are subordinate clauses What is a relative? Someone/something that has a connection to someone/something else A relative clause is connected to the noun that precedes it (called an antecedent) Acts as an adjective to describe the antecedent

Relative clause English Example Suppose you heard a friend say, “I like a girl.” That’s a sentence, a complete thought, with a subject and verb. However, it leaves you wanting more information about the girl. So, your friend could say, “I like a smart girl.” or “I like the funny girl.” Smart and funny are adjectives modifying the girl. He could also say, “I like the girl who sits under the tree.” Now you have girl modified by a relative clause and know that your friend likes Cornelia! Notice that who sits under the tree has a subject and a verb making it a clause, but cannot stand alone making it subordinate.

Relative clause English Example I like the girl who sits under the tree. Girl is the noun that immediately precedes the relative clause, so she is the antecedent. Relative clauses begin with a relative pronoun (unless the pronoun is the object of a preposition), in this case who. Since relative clauses act as adjectives modifying the antecedent, they must agree: relative pronouns agree with the antecedent in gender AND number, in this case: feminine singular. The cases of the antecedent and the relative pronoun are determined by their uses in their own clauses: I like the girl (girl is the direct object of like) accusative who sits under the tree (who is the subject of sits) nominative

Relative pronouns translate: who-people, which-things, that-either Singular Masc. Fem. Neut. qui quae quod cuius cuius cuius cui cui cui quem quam quod quo qua quo Remember in Latin People are either masculine or feminine Plural Masc. Fem. Neut. qui quae quae quorum quarum quorum quibus quibus quibus quos quas quae Things can be masculine (carrus-cart), feminine (arbor-tree), or neuter (plaustrum-wagon)

Relative Clause Latin Example I like the girl who sits under the tree. I like the girl A simple sentence easily translated into Latin: Ego amo puellam puellam=acc. (direct object) sing. fem. who sits under the tree. We need to choose a sing. fem. Latin relative pronoun to agree with puellam, but what case? Sometimes it is difficult to determine the case of the relative pronoun. However, who is a pronoun taking place of a noun in this clause. If I exchanged who with Cornelia Cornelia sits under the tree. One could easily see that Cornelia is the subject of that clause. So we must choose nom. sing. fem. relative pronoun quae sub arbore sedet. Ego amo puellam quae sub arbore sedet.