RELATIVE CLAUSES

Syntax of the English Language2012/2

RELATIVE CLAUSES Air pollution is a hazard to human, plant, and animal health as well as to physical structures.

When hiking, you should carry a map of the area where you plan to be.

A proton is one of two kinds of particles making up the nucleus of an atom.

RELATIVE CLAUSEWhat is similar about the underlined parts of the

sentences?All of the underlined parts work as adjectives.

The first sentence has several single-word adjectives.

The second one contains a relative clause.The third sentence has an adjective phrase,

which is a relative clause that has been reduced.

RELATIVE CLAUSE

* A Relative Clause is a subordinate clause that functions in the same way that a single-word adjective does.

* A Relative Clause describes, defines, modifies, or gives information about a noun.

RELATIVE CLAUSERELATIVE PRONOUNS

People Animals/thingsSubject who, that which, that

Object whom, that which, that

Possessive whose whose

RELATIVE CLAUSE• Relative Clauses can also begin with

these subordinators: whenWhereWherebywhy

RELATIVE CLAUSE• When a Relative Clause is need to recognize a

noun, it is called a restrictive relative clause.e.g. Of all living things, the chimpanzee has a

genetic make-up that is most similar to ours.• When a Relative Clause gives extra

information and is not necessary to identify the noun, commas are placed around the relative clause. Commas are the clue that can help you recognize some relative clauses.

e.g. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who was born in NY,was an early American feminist.

RELATIVE CLAUSE

Note: When commas are used around

a relative clause, that cannot begin

the clause.

RELATIVE CLAUSE

• Some Relative Clauses can be reduced to adjective phrases. It can happen when the clause has who, which, or that as its subject.

e.g. The general who led the Union Army to victory was Ulysses S. Grant.

Reduction: The general leading the Union Army to victory was Ulysses S. Grant.

RELATIVE CLAUSE

• To reduce a Relative Clause to ans adjective phrase:

oOmit the subject of the clause (the relative pronoun)

oOmit the auxiliary verbs, if there are anyoChange the verb to its –ing form

RELATIVE CLAUSE

• Note: Use the –ing form (present participle) when the relative clause is in the active voice. Use –ed form (past participle) when the clause is in the passive voice.

These rules apply to verbs in any tense.

RELATIVE CLAUSE

• Examples: The technology that impacts us most is what we use

in our homes. The technology impacting us most is what we use in

our homes. Yellowstone, which was authorized by Congress in

1872, is the oldest national park in the United States. Yellowstone, authorized by Congress in 1872, is the

oldest national park in the U.S.

RELATIVE CLAUSE

• Some adjectives can be reduced to appositive phrases. An appositive is a noun phrase that is placed near another noun to define or explain it. Appositives do not have verbs.

e.g. One application of the laser is holography, which is the production of three-dimensional images. (relative clause)

e.g2 One application of the laser is holography, the production of three-dimensional images. (appositive phrase)