Relative Clause Tutorial
In order to be able to choose the right relative pronoun and to punctuate the sentence containing the relative clause correctly, one must recognise
Here are some examples of what each point refers to.
a') Sentence pronouns vs. relative pronouns:
At the drug-store yesterday, I ran into the witch-doctor.
He gave me advice about acid indigestion at the party last week.
I met him at last winter's New Age Medical Convention.
I talked with him at last year's convention about acupuncture with bamboo splints.
His brother-in-law used to teach boomerang-throwing.
His two nephews are training to become witch-doctors too. (It is implied here that the witch-doctor has exactly two nephews.)
Two nephews of his / Two of his nephews are training to become witch-doctors too. (It is implied here that the witch-doctor has other nephews.)
In these sentences, he (gave), (met) him, (to) him, his (brother-in-law), his (two nephews), and (two nephews of) his / (two of) his (nephews), the witch-doctor is replaced by he, him, or his. These we may call sentence pronouns, of which the witch-doctor is the antecedent.
Each sentence of the example sentences is considered simple, in that it does not contain other sentences. There is one verb and one subject. The objects may include a lot of details, but in these examples there are no relative clauses.
When sentences like these are used inside other sentences as adjectives to identify or comment on the antecedent, the sentence pronouns must be replaced by relative pronouns. In these examples, he è who, him è who(m), and so on.
In the following, the two simple sentences (the first one with the antecedent, and the second with the sentence pronoun) are put together to make one complex sentence containing a relative clause. The sentence pronoun must be changed for the corresponding relative pronoun:
At the drug-store yesterday, I ran into the witch-doctor
[who gave me advice about acid indigestion at the party last week].
At the drug-store yesterday, I ran into the witch-doctor
[
At the drug-store yesterday, I ran into the witch-doctor
[ with whom I talked at last year's convention about acupuncture with bamboo splints].
or
[ whom I talked with...]
or, more ordinarily,
[
ф I talked with...]At the drug-store yesterday, I ran into the witch-doctor
[ whose brother-in-law used to teach boomerang-throwing ].
At the drug-store yesterday, I ran into the / that witch-doctor [whose two nephews are training to become witch-doctors too].
At the drug-store yesterday, I ran into the / that witch-doctor [who has two nephews training to become witch-doctors too].
b') Sentence and relative pronouns with human antecedents vs. non-human antecedents
At the drug-store yesterday, I found the talisman.
It fell out of my pocket last week.
I found the talisman.
A pick-pocket took it from me last week.
I found the talisman.
I dreamed about it last week.
I found the talisman.
A piece of it turned up in the garbage last week.
I found the talisman.
Its function is to soothe eczema.
I found the talisman.
Its design is pre-Columbian.
I found the talisman.
I couldn't describe the shape of it.
In these cases, the antecedent of it, its and (of) it is the talisman. The antecedent is non-human, and the sentence pronoun it reflects this.
The corresponding non-human relative pronouns are which and (of) which. that is used in most academic writing for non-human antecedents, although in some dialects, older literary uses, and conversational styles, that can also take human antecedents. In this tutorial, it will be assumed that that is non-human and that it varies optionally with which, according to whether or not an idea of selection is present (more on this below).
The following sentences are compounded from the simple ones above, and contain relative clauses:
At the drug-store yesterday, I found the talisman [that / which fell / had fallen out of my pocket last week].
I found the talisman [
I found the talisman [
ф / that / which I dreamed / had dreamed about last week].I found the talisman [ of which a piece turned up / had turned up in the garbage last week].
I found the talisman [ of which the function is to soothe eczema]. (To express the meaning of an identifying clause, most people would just say, "...the talisman for soothing eczema.")
I found the talisman [ of which the design is pre-Columbian].
or
I found the talisman [the design of which is pre-Columbian]. (More usual as a "comment" relative clause, and thus with a comma after "talisman", than as an identifying relative clause. For an identifying relative clause, most people would just say: "...with the pre-Columbian design.")
I found the talisman [
ф I couldn't describe the shape of].I found the talisman [ which I couldn't describe the shape of].
Summary of pronoun types:
sentential vs. relative, human vs. non-human
|
Sentence pronouns: |
Relative pronouns: |
|||
|
Function: |
human: |
other: |
human: |
other: |
|
subject |
he |
it |
who |
that / which |
|
object |
him |
it |
whom / who |
that / which |
|
poss. (X's Y) |
his |
its |
whose |
X the Y of which |
|
poss. (the Y of X) |
of his |
of it |
of whose |
X the Y of which |
c') "identifying" or "defining" relative clauses
vs. relative clauses for adding "comments"
Almost all of the preceding examples of sentences containing relative clauses could have been pronounced (and correspondingly punctuated) such that the English listener or reader would understand at once that the antecedent was supposed to be previously known to him, the relative clause therefore being intended to supply a non-essential comment about the antecedent. For example, contrast the following dialogues:
[First context]
A: I ran into the witch-doctor at the drug-store.
B: The witch-doctor? Which witch-doctor?
A: You know, the one whose brother used to give boomerang lessons at Expo-Québec. [in other words:] I ran into the witch-doctor [no pause here] whose brother used to give boomerang lessons at Expo-Québec.
[Second context]
B: You really should see someone competent about that eczema. You're getting about as scaly as a wide-mouthed bass. The witch-doctor might have a little something you could try. My grandmother is pretty good with mud-plasters and herbs.
A: Thanks, I'll think it over. I was just talking to your grandmother. I like her style. In fact, my mother remembers collecting mushrooms and pop bottles with her back in the fifties.
B: Anyway, you've got to see someone.
A; I was at the drug-store yesterday, and I ran into the witch-doctor. Remember, his brother used to give boomerang lessons at Expo-Québec! [in other words] I ran into the witch-doctor [strong pause here] whose brother used to give boomerang lessons at Expo-Québec.
RELATIVE (ADJECTIVE CLAUSE) EXERCISES
Put the following simple sentences together to form a complex one containing a well-formed adjective clause.
a: My brothers had filled the place with Hallowe'en decorations.
b: Several of them were highly flammable.
a: My brothers had filled the place with Hallowe'en decorations.
b: Two of them have worked for Dizney Studios.
a: The decorations were made of carved styrofoam.
b: They were supposed to make the place look like a cemetery.
a: The children were not at all impressed.
b: They said that it looked like cafeteria garbage.
a: My brother's feelings were hurt.
b: He had worked the hardest.
a: The children did not even come inside.
b: We had especially invited them.
a: My brothers' wives were particularly scary.
b: I was not accustomed to some of their strange manners.
CORRECTION KEY
a: My brothers had filled the place with Hallowe'en decorations, SEVERAL OF WHICH WERE...
b: Several of them were highly flammable.
a: My brothers had filled the place with Hallowe'en decorations.
b: Two of them have worked for Dizney Studios.
MY BROTHERS, TWO OF WHOM HAVE WORKED FOR DIZNEY, FILLED...
a: The decorations were made of carved styrofoam.
b: They were supposed to make the place look like a cemetery.
THE DECORATIONS, WHICH WERE SUPPOSED TO MAKE THE PLACE LOOK LIKE A CEMETERY, WERE MADE...
a: The children were not at all impressed.
b: They said that it looked like cafeteria garbage.
THE CHILDREN, WHO SAID IT LOOKED LIKE CAFETERIA GARBAGE, WERE NOT...
a: My brother's feelings were hurt.
b: He had worked the hardest.
MY BROTHER WHO HAD WORKED THE HARDEST HAD HIS FEELINGS HURT.
THE FEELINGS OF MY BROTHER WHO HAD WORKED THE HARDEST WERE HURT.
a: The children did not even come inside.
b: We had especially invited them.
THE CHILDREN, WHOM WE HAD ESPECIALLY INVITED, DID NOT EVEN...
a: My brothers' wives were particularly scary.
b: I was not accustomed to some of their strange manners.
MY BROTHERS' WIVES, SOME OF WHOSE STRANGE MANNERS I WAS NOT ACCUSTOMED TO, WERE ...