Tutorial 19: Adjective Clauses, Exercises of English

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Sentence Development Tutorial:

Tutorial 19 :

Adjective Clauses

Writing Center

English 800 Center

All notes and exercises should be done

on separate sheets of paper, which you

will bring to your conference with an

instructor in the center.

As you work through the tutorial, make sure to

see an instructional aide at the front desk in the

Writing Center or English 800 Center if you

have any questions or difficulties.

Creating Adjective Clauses

This is a list of the relative pronouns that begin adjective clauses, the kinds of nouns that each relative pronoun can refer to, and the pronoun that each relative pronoun can replace in a combined sentence. RELATIVE PRONOUN REFERS TO REPLACES USAGE EXAMPLE Who people or animals she, he, they

• Subject of clause Fido,^ who^ loves to run fast, is a very large black dog. Fido is a very large black dog. He loves to run fast. (subject) Whom people or animals her, him, them
• Object of verb or preposition within clause
• Remember the M > Who m = hi m. Fido, whom I personally trained, works as a guide dog. Fido works as a guide dog. I personally trained him. (object) Which things it, they, them
• Can be subject or object George bought a used car which/that gave him endless problems. George bought a used car. It gave him endless problems. (Subject) George bought a car which/that he thought he would like. George bought a car. He thought he would like it. (object) That people or things she, he, they, it; her, him, them
• Can be subject or object He has found a mechanic that/who does excellent work. He has found a mechanic. He does excellent work. Whose people or things her, his, their; its
• Possessive The mechanic works in a garage^ whose^ sign is broken. The mechanic works in a garage. Its sign is broken. Where place there here The mechanic works at the garage where all the locals hang out. The mechanic works at the garage. All the locals hang out there. Preposition + Whom person her, him, them
• Be careful not to repeat the preposition. The salesperson from whom George bought his car was a jerk. The salesperson was a jerk. George bought his car from him. Preposition + Which thing it, they, them
• Be careful not to repeat the preposition. The credit card which he paid with was declined. The credit card was declined. He paid with it.

Exercise 1

Instructions: The noun and its pronoun in each group of sentences are in boldface. Using Principle I and the chart “Creating Adjective Clauses,” combine the sentences with an adjective clause, by replacing the pronoun with the correct relative pronoun— who, that , or which. The first one has been done for you.

1. Lydia bought a used car. It gave her endless problems. Lydia bought a used car that ( or which) gave her endless problems.
2. Lydia took her car to a mechanic. He told her it would cost $560 to fix it. Lydia took her car to a mechanic ___________ told her it would cost $560 to fix it.
3. Lydia bought a new car. It runs like a dream. Lydia bought a new car ___________ runs like a dream.

Placement of Adjective Clauses and Relative Pronouns

Adjective clauses must be placed right after the nouns they modify. For example, to make the second sentence below into an adjective clause, we have to ask the question: what does it refer to—the chair or the TV? The chair is next to the TV. It is older than my little sister. If it refers to the chair, then put the adjective clause right after the word chair : The chair , which is older than my little sister , is next to the TV. If it refers to the TV, then put the adjective clause right after the word TV: The chair is next to the TV , which is older than my sister. Another point to remember about adjective clauses is that sometimes the pronoun you are replacing may not come at the beginning of the sentence. For example: Laura bought some tomato paste. She planned to use it to make spaghetti sauce. Laura bought a can of tomato paste , which she planned to use to make spaghetti sauce.

Exercise 3

Instructions: It is important to remember that who, which, and that , are not the only relative pronouns. Using the chart “Creating Adjective Clauses,” combine the sentences by using the correct relative pronoun. The first one has been done for you.

1. He went to the store where he met his wife.
2. The Ancient Greeks had special theaters ____________ they would go to see tragedies performed.
3. My dog Wordy, I personally trained, comes to work with me.
4. Vinh has a friend __________ family owns a restaurant.
5. My mother’s friend, __________ name means “flower” in Spanish, is coming from Guadalajara for a visit.

Punctuating Adjective Clauses

Consider the following sentences. The man who wears the brown beret owns six cats. This man lives in the house where my best friend used to live. In the first sentence, as well as describing the man, the adjective clause who wears the brown beret helps the reader identify exactly which man the writer is talking about. Similarly, in the second sentence, the clause where my best friend used to live helps to identify in which house the man lives. On the other hand, consider these sentences. Maria Torres, who works at IBM, was recently promoted. Golden Gate Park, which borders Ocean Beach , has a museum, a tea garden, and an arboretum. In these examples, Maria Torres and Golden Gate Park are very specific nouns, and the adjective clauses aren’t required to identify them. These adjective clauses merely provide additional descriptive information.

Principle III: Generally, if the adjective clause is helping to identify the noun it describes, do not use commas to set it off. However, if the adjective clause is only helping to describe the noun but is not identifying it, use commas to set off the adjective clause.

Exercise 4

Instructions: Using Principles I, II, and III, combine the sentences with an adjective clause, by replacing the pronoun with the correct relative pronoun. Remember to punctuate each adjective clause correctly. The first one has been done for you.

1. We have added a couple of plants in our backyard. They will cover most of the area in front of the tree. W e have added a couple of plants that will cover m ost of the area in front of the tree in our backyard.
2. The referee blew his whistle and then shouted at the offending player. He was obviously upset about his lack of authority.
3. Since 1984, the fashion industry has grown tremendously. It is now heavily influenced by trends from Paris and Milan.
4. Muriel Keller knows how expensive it can be to stay in style. She buys clothes, shoes and accessories.
5. One of the most relaxing activities that I can think of is camping in Sequoia National Park. There are lots of trees, meadows, and streams there.

Exercise 6

Instructions:

1. Review a classroom essay that you are working on and try to incorporate adjective clauses into your own writing.
2. Look back at the principles and exercises in this tutorial and make notes on a separate sheet of paper. You will bring these notes and the essay to your conference.
3. Make an appointment for a conference with an instructor in the Writing Center (18-104) or English 800 Center (18-102). To make this appointment, stop by the Centers or call (650) 574-6436. During this appointment, the professor will make sure you understand the concepts covered in this tutorial, answer any questions that you might have, review your answers to these exercises, and check to see if you can incorporate the skill into your writing. Reminder: For this appointment, bring

• any notes about the tutorial that you have taken
• your completed tutorial exercises
• and the essay