1. Relative Clauses Ed McCorduck English 402--Grammar SUNY Cortland

2. slide 2: definition of relative clauses
A relative clause is a clause-like structure that postmodifies the headword noun of a noun phrase. In other words, relative clauses also function as adjectivals (see the “Determiners and Adjectivals” lecture) and indeed they are often referred to as adjective clauses.
English 402: Grammar

3. slide 3: one difference between relative clauses and “normal” clauses
There are two main differences between relative clauses and other types of clauses (see the chapter 5 “Clauses” lecture):
Relative clauses begin (or “open”) with a relative pronoun, which can be either that or one of the wh- words who(m), which, whose, when or where, or sometimes the relative pronoun is omitted entirely but ONLY when it is not the subject of the relative clause. The relative pronoun replaces the noun phrase in a main clause that it refers to (i.e., its antecedent) and the antecedent NP can fill any function in the main clause that an NP can.
English 402: Grammar

4. slide 4: another difference between relative clauses and “normal” clauses
Because the relative pronoun must always open the relative clause, it may move out from its normal slot in the relative clause. That is, if a relative pronoun functions in “deep structure” as the direct or indirect object of a transitive verb or the subject complement of a linking verb in the relative clause it will move out of the this position to the beginning of the relative clause, even if this results in two NPs—the relative pronoun and the subject of the relative clause—together before the verb.
English 402: Grammar

5. exx (relative clause in red)
slide 5: examples of relative clauses modifying NPs in different slots in the main clause
exx (relative clause in red)
The rebels who had been captured were frog-marched away.
ant. (subj) r.p. (subj in r.c.)
I bought a GPS that can spy on my ex.
ant. (dir obj) r.p. (subj in r.c.)
That’s the jackass who cut me off.
ant. (subj comp) r.p. (subj in r.c.)
English 402: Grammar

6. That’s the jackass. I want him behind bars. dir obj ⇒
slide 6: examples of relative clauses where the relative pronoun is not the subj
That’s the jackass. I want him behind bars.
dir obj ⇒
That’s the jackass whom I want behind bars. (formal)
ant r.p. (dir obj) subj
That’s the jackass who I want behind bars.
That’s the jackass that I want behind bars.
That’s the jackass I want behind bars.
ant (r.p. understood) subj
English 402: Grammar

7. That’s the jackass. I gave him the bird. indir obj ⇒
slide 6: more examples of relative clauses where the relative pronoun is not the subj
That’s the jackass. I gave him the bird.
indir obj ⇒
That’s the jackass whom I gave the bird. (formal)
ant r.p. (indir obj) subj
That’s the jackass who I gave the bird.
That’s the jackass that I gave the bird.
ant r.p. (indir obj) subj
That’s the jackass I gave the bird.
ant (r.p. understood) subj
English 402: Grammar

8. That’s the jackass. I gave the bird to him .
slide 7: examples of relative clauses where the relative pronoun is the object of a preposition
That’s the jackass. I gave the bird to him . ⇒
That’s the jackass to whom I gave the bird. (formal)
That’s the jackass who(m) I gave the bird to.
That’s the jackass that I gave the bird to.
That’s the jackass I gave the bird to.
English 402: Grammar