Functions of Dependent ClausesAdjective, Adverb, and Noun

The Adjective Clause

• An adjective clause (surprise!) acts like an adjective.

• These relative pronouns relate an adjective clause to the noun that it is modifying.That which who whom whose– Hamsters that injure their hamstrings are hampered

from doing handsprings. (That relates the adjective clause that injure their hamstrings to hamsters, the noun that the adjective clause is modifying.)

The Adjective Clause

• Sometimes adjective clauses also begin with adverbs likeWhere when why– Cousin Henrietta always tells the story about the time

when she was on an elevator with someone who looked a little like someone who might be famous.(When she was on the elevator with someone modifies the noun time.)

The Adjective Clause

• Relative pronouns are actually multi-talented. Not only do they relate clauses to nouns, they often act as either subjects or objects in their own clauses.– Aphrodite recently joined a self-help group for people

who are addicted to self-help groups.(Who is the subject of the clause who are addicted to self-help groups.)

The Adjective Clause– For some reason, the children’s book that Opal wrote

about head lice, an invisible terror, was not a best-seller. (Which book? The children’s book that Opal wrote.)

– Tadpoles that swallow marbles become bloated when they swallow cantaloupes. (Which tadpoles?)

– Tadpoles, which are smaller than rhinos, become bloated when they swallow cantaloupes.(Which tadpoles?

(Spoiler alert: There are other dependent clauses in the tadpole sentences. What are they modifying? Yep, we’ll be talking about adverb clauses next.)

The Adjective Clause– With his new braces, which have pieces of taco salad

caught in them, Erkle can receive messages from alien life forces.

– The messages that Erkle receives through his braces are prank calls from bratty little space aliens.

– Chucky, who has a degree in psychology, counsels angst-ridden teenage monkeys.

– Everyone who counsels angst-ridden teenage monkeys must have a degree in psychology.

– Jed’s brother who sheds is named Harry.

The Adjective Clause– Geese that feast on greasy gravy are usually obese.– The children who sold the most candy bars for the

Thespian Club had to act like they won a prize.– Mr. Sqwakleman, a slightly myopic but considerate

driver, always replaces the neighborhood pets that he runs over.

– Novack has a birthmark, which is shaped like a hunchbacked yak, on his back.

The Adjective Clause

• That pesky implied that:– Sometimes the relative pronoun that is

invisible. You can’t see it when it starts a clause, but you know it is there.• Where is the picture of the squiggly line you

painted in your art class? (The subordinate clause is actually that you painted in your art class, but the relative pronoun that is omitted. Don’t ask me why. I guess it saves time talking. Every .00000009 of a nano-second counts.)

The Adverb Clause

• An adverb clause functions as what in a sentence?– A toaster?– A hamster?– An adverb?– A small rock?

If you guessed an adverb, congratulations! If you guessed toaster, hamster, or small rock, don’t worry. I know this grammar stuff can be pretty tricky. That’s why I have this handy powerpoint.

The Adverb Clause• An adverb clause is simply a type of dependent clause

that functions as an adverb. An adverb clause answers these questions about a verb, an adjective, or another adverb: – how?– when?– where?– Why– How much?– Under what condition?

The Adverb Clause• After Little Miss Muffet ate too much whey, she

weighed too much to sit on a tuffet. (After Little Miss Muffet ate too much whey answers when? about the verb weighed.)

• If an octopus had only three legs, would it be called a tripus? (If an octopus had only three legs answers under what condition? about the verb would be called.)

The Adverb Clause• Binky’s mother was upset because Binky brought

home a tarantula for a pet. (Because Binky brought home a tarantula for a pet answers why? about the adjective upset.)

• People misunderstand Stan because he always stands on his hands. (Because he always stands on his hands answers why? about the verb misunderstand.)

The Adverb Clause• Aston proudly burped louder than anyone else in

his kindergarten class. (Than anyone else in his kindergarten class answers the question how much? or to what degree? about the adverb louder.)

The Adverb Clause• Adverb clauses begin with little gizmos called

subordinating conjunctions. Some of the most frequently used of these are:– After if when– Although in order that whenever– As since where– As if so that wherever– As long as than while– As soon as though– Because unless– Before until

The Adverb Clause• Beware of words like after, since, before, and

until. They are sneaky! They look like subordinating conjunctions, but sometimes they function as prepositions that begin phrases, not clauses. Remember: A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun – the object of the preposition.– After much debate, the senators voted to make the

daisy the state flower and the fonsecaea pedrosoi the state fungus.

– After Hailey quit biting her nails, she began chewing on screws.

The Noun Clause• The last, but not least, type of clause is the noun

clause. Noun clauses pop up in places where you would expect to find nouns or pronouns. Noun clauses can be used for all the things that nouns or pronouns can be used as:– Subjects– Direct objects– Indirect objects– Objects of the preposition– Predicate nominatives

The Noun Clause• Noun clauses usually begin with some of the same

pronouns that begin adjective clauses.– Who– Whoever– Whom– Whomever– That– What– WhateverThese pronouns often (but not always) function as the

subjects or objects of the clauses they begin.

The Noun Clause

• Whoever ate that piece of fudge actually swallowed a pudgy bug. (Whoever ate that piece of fudge is the subject of the sentence. The pronoun whoever is the subject of its own clause.)

• One finding of the Highway Commission revealed that 67 percent of all roadkill is due to squirrel hazing. (The clause that 67 percent of all roadkill is due to squirrel hazing is the direct object of the verb revealed. The pronoun that functions only as an introduction to the clause.)

The Noun Clause• The winner is whoever picked the lottery numbers

2, 6, 7, 15, 29, 204, 907, 3, 22, 1, 18, 30, 405, 92, and 508. (The clause whoever picked the lottery numbers 2, 6, 7, 15, 29, 204, 907, 3, 22, 1, 18, 30, 405, 92, and 508 is the predicate nominative of the sentence and the pronoun whoever is also the subject of its own clause.)

• Remember predicate nominatives? I was afraid of that. A predicate nominative is a noun or pronoun (or a noun clause!) that follows a linking verb and points back to the subject to identify it further.

The Noun Clause

• Sometimes adverbs start noun clauses.– When– Where– Whether– Why– How

• For the science fair, Eldridge demonstrated how to make furniture polish out of earwax. (How to make furniture polish out of earwax is the direct object of the sentence. )