Dependent Clauses: Adjectival, Adverbial, Nomial Dependent clauses may work like adverbs, adjectives, or nouns in complex sentences.

Recognize an adjective clause when you see one. An adjective clause—also called an adjectival or relative clause—will meet three requirements: it will contain a subject and verb. it will begin with a relative pronoun [who, whom, whose, that, or which] or a relative adverb[when, where, or why]. it will function as an adjective, answering the questions What kind? How many? or Which one?

Adjective Clauses Adjective clauses modify nouns or pronouns. An adjective clause nearly always appears immediately following the noun or pronoun. To test for adjective clauses ask: Which one? What kind? How many?

Examples Diane felt manipulated by her beagle Santana, whose big, brown eyes pleaded for another cookie. Whose = relative pronoun; eyes = subject; pleaded = verb. Chewing with her mouth open is one reason why Fred cannot stand sitting across from his sister Melanie. Why = relative adverb; Fred = subject; can stand = verb [not, an adverb, is not officially part of the verb]. Growling ferociously, Oreo and Skeeter, Madison's two dogs, competed for the hardboiled egg that bounced across the kitchen floor. That = relative pronoun functioning as subject; bounced = verb.

Practice- Adj. Clause present or Not? I bought a car from Merdine, and it turned out to be a lemon. none Mr. Mann has small, dark eyes, which peer inquisitively from behind metal-rimmed glasses. which peer inquisitively from behind metal-rimmed glasses

Practice- Adj. Clause ? I have lost my wedding ring, which is worth at least ten dollars. which is worth at least ten dollars People who smoke cigarettes should be considerate of nonsmokers. who smoke cigarettes

Adverb Clauses

Recognize an adverb clause when you see one. An adverb clause will meet three requirements: it will contain a subject and verb. You will also find a subordinate conjunction that keeps the clause from expressing a complete thought. you will notice that the clause answers one of these adverb questions: How? When? Where? To what degree? or Why?

Common subordinating conjunctions: as far as even though after whether whenever supposing (that) in order (that) because as soon as how unless provided (that) no matter how than although while where if insofar as before as if that until since now that though as why wherever in case (that) in that even if as though till when so that once

Examples Tommy scrubbed the bathroom tile until his arms ached. How did Tommy scrub? Until his arms ached, an adverb clause. Josephine's three cats bolted from the driveway once they saw her car turn the corner. When did the cats bolt? Once they saw her car turn the corner, an adverb clause. After her appointment at the orthodontist, Danielle cooked eggs for dinner because she could easily chew an omelet. Why did Danielle cook eggs? Because she could easily chew an omelet, an adverb clause.

Practice If you don't know where you are going, If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there. If you don't know where you are going, Memory is deceptive because it is colored by today's events. because it is colored by today's events. You have to kiss a lot of toads before you find a handsome prince. before you find a handsome prince. As soon as you forbid something, you make it extraordinarily appealing. As soon as you forbid something,

Noun Clauses

Noun or Nomial Clause A noun clause is a clause that plays the role of a noun. For example (noun clauses shaded): I like what I see. I know that the tide is turning. Compare the examples above to these: I like cakes. I know London.

Examples of Noun Clauses That he believes his own story is remarkable. (Jerome Blattner) (This noun clause is the subject of the sentence. Be aware that starting a sentence with a noun clause starting That is acceptable, but it grates on lots of people's ears. As a result, many writers prefer to precede it with "The fact…".) My one regret in life is that I am not someone else. (Woody Allen) (This noun clause is a subject complement.)  Ask your child what he wants for dinner only if he's buying. (Fran Lebowitz) (This noun clause is the direct object of ask.)

How do noun clauses differ from other dependent clauses? Other dependent clauses act as adjectives and adverbs. We can remove them and still have a complete independent clause left, with a subject and verb and any necessary complements. That is not the case with most noun clauses. A clause acting as an indirect object or an appositive may be removable, but other types of noun clauses are too essential to the sentence to be removed. Consider these examples: Whether you drive or fly is up to you. I wondered if you would like to go to the barbecue. Sandy led us to where she had last seen the canoe. If we remove these noun clauses, what is left will not make much sense: is up to you I wondered Sandy led us to

Appositives An appositive is a noun, pronoun, or nominal (a word or word group acting as a noun) that is placed next to a noun to explain it. For example, in the following sentence, the noun phrase the mayor of Riverton is an appositive explaining who John Allen is: John Allen, the mayor of Riverton, is speaking tonight. Noun clauses are nominals and can act as appositives. In that case, they may require commas if they are not essential to the meaning of the sentence: I did not believe his original statement, that he had won the lottery, until he proved it to us.

Practice The old man knew where the treasure was kept. I'll never forget what happened on our way to the carnival. what happened on our way to the carnival I knew that the safe was behind the picture. that the safe was behind the picture. What happened on June 30, 1973, will never be forgotten in our town. What happened on June 30, 1973