Adjective Clause II

Whose : Adding Descriptive Information for Possessive Nouns

An adjective clause uses pronouns to connect the dependent clause to the independent clause.

whose - possessive pronoun for people (or things in informal usage) who+his, who+her, who+their

Subject Pronouns

"Who" vs. "Whose" - subject pronouns

WHO - REPLACES A SUBJECT NOUN	WHOSE - REPLACES A POSSESSIVE SUBJECT PRONOUN
The woman who is Greek is on the phone. She is Greek.	The woman whose name is Greek is on the phone. Her name is Greek.

Adding a Clause with "Whose" - subject pronouns

Adding a Clause with "Whose" - subject pronouns

		Adding a Clause with "Whose" - subject pronouns JOIN THE SENTENCES: INDEPENDENT CLAUSE DEPENDENT CLAUSE 1 Replace the subject pronoun She with who. The woman is on the phone. Her name is Greek. whose name is Greek 2 Insert the clause into the main sentence. The woman whose name is Greek is on the phone.

Adjective Clause

Who, Whom and That : Adding Descriptive Information for People and Things

An adjective clause uses pronouns to connect the dependent clause to the independent clause.

• who (people)
• that (things or people)
• which (things)

Subject who vs. Object whom Pronouns

WHO - SUBJECT OF THE CLAUSE	WHOM - OBJECT OF THE CLAUSE
The woman who called you is here. She called you.	The woman (whom) you called is here. You called her.

Subject and Object Pronoun – that

THAT / WHICH - SUBJECT OF THE CLAUSE	THAT/ WHICH - OBJECT OF THE CLAUSE
The phone that is red is here. It is red.	The phone that you bought is here. You bought it.
The phone which is red is here. It is red OPTION: "That" can also refer to a person; "which" cannot.	The phone which you bought is here. You bought it. Option: You can omit the object pronoun..

Common Mistakes

ERRORS	FIXES
The telephone is here that is yours.	The phone that is yours is here. The pronoun must be next to the word it modifies.
*The man which you are talking about isn't a friend.	The man that / whom/ who you are talking about isn't a friend. "Which" cannot refer to a person. Use "that".

Omitting an Object Pronoun

CANNOT OMIT - SUBJECT PRONOUN OF CLAUSE	CAN OMIT - OBJECT PRONOUN OF CLAUSE
The woman who called you is here. (She called you.)	The woman [whom] you called is here. (You called her.)
The phone that is red is here. (It is red.)	The telephone [that] you bought is here.
The phone which is red is here	The telephone [which] you bought is here.

Practice

Which relative pronoun(s) can complete each sentence?

Select an option to the right. (Internet Explorer users may need to click inside the feedback box to force the text to appear.)

#	FEEDBACK	OPTIONS
1	My friend told me about a student. The student has taken the TOEFL test twelve times! My friend told me about a student has taken the TOEFL test twelve times! Feedback 1	who whom which that
2	The professor didn't know the answer to my question. I talked to the professor. The professor I talked to didn't know the answer to my question. Feedback 2	who whom which that
3	I am looking for a college program. The program offers a lot of computer courses. I am looking for a college program offers a lot of computer courses. Feedback 3	who 0 (omit the pronoun) which that
4	Some of the courses have been very useful. I took the courses last semester. Some of the courses I took last semester have been very useful. Feedback 4	who 0 (omit the pronoun) which that
5	My friend studies with me in the afternoon. My friend is in my Networks class. My friend is in my Networks class studies with me in the afternoon. Feedback 5	who whom which 0 (omit the pronoun)
6	Computer Information Systems is the kind of major. The major will guarantee a good job after graduation. Computer Information Systems is the kind of major will guarantee a good job after graduation. Feedback 6	who 0 (omit the pronoun) which that
7	The class was Programming with PHP. I didn't do will in the class. The class I didn't do well in was Programming with PHP. Feedback 7	who 0 (omit the pronoun) which that
8	The courses are mostly graphic arts classes. The courses are taught in th evening. The courses are taught in the evening are mostly graphic arts classes. Feedback 8	0 (omit the pronoun) which that who
9.	You should always study the subjects. You really like the subjects. You should always study the subjects you really like. Feedback 9	who 0 (omit the pronoun) which that
10.	A person will do well in life. A person has a positive outlook. A person has a positive outlook will do well in life. Feedback 10	who 0 (omit the pronoun) which

Compound Sentences

Compound Sentences

A compound sentence is made by joining two independent clauses together with a conjunction. Some examples: John bought some new shoes, and he wore them to a party. Lydia liked her new house, but she didn't like the front yard. We can go see a movie, or we can get something to eat. Notice that in each example, there is a subject and a verb in each independent clause. These sentences can be changed by removing the subject: John bought some new shoes and wore them to a party. Lydia liked her new house but not the front yard. We can go see a movie or get something to eat. These are still good sentences, but by removing the subject from one part of them, they are no longer compound sentences. Compound sentences are often formed with these coordinating conjunctions: and, but, for, or, nor, yet, so, and ; (the semi-colon).

Here are some more examples of compound sentences:

The two women washed the dishes, and the man dried them.
He doesn't like to get his teeth cleaned, but he knows that it's necessary.
The apples weren't selling very well, so he decided to have a sale.

Clauses and Phrases

Clauses and Phrases

A clause has a subject and a verb, but it may or not be a sentence. Some examples: Because he likes the house. This clause has a subject (he) and a verb (likes) but it lacks the main part of the sentence. However, it's okay as an answer in a conversation. Also, avoid beginning a sentence with "because" unless you put two clauses together, such as.... Because he likes the house, he decided to buy it. In the Orange Level you will learn about many different kinds of clauses. A good knowledge of clauses will help improve your writing and speaking. There are two basic kinds of clauses. Independent Clauses Dependent Clauses An indendent Clause has a subject and a verb and it can stand on its own, serving as a complete sentence. A Dependent Clause has a subject and a verb but it can not stand on its own. It needs an independent clause. Before I went to school, I ate some breakfast. Dependent clauses often begin with words such as before, after, while, during, when, because, if, etc. Knowing how to use clauses will provide more options for you to express yourself. You can also say.... I ate some breakfast before I went to school. ---------------------------- A phrase is a group of words that does not have a subject and a verb. For example: in the morning This phrase tells us when something will happen, but there isn't a subject, a person or a thing, and there isn't a verb describing activity or existence. Here's how to fix it: I go to school in the morning. Phrases are very important in English because they provide necessary information, as the examples below (with phrases in blue) demonstrate:

Here are some examples of phrases:

The children are playing in the sand. "...in the sand" tells us where the children are playing. We could write the sentence like this: The children are playing. This is a good sentence but the phrase in the sand provides important information.
The table in the dining room is very long.
A: What's your favorite thing to do on the weekend? B: Playing guitar. (Playing guitar is my favorite thing to do on the weekend. A response that doesn't have a clear subject or verb is a phrase. Many people use them in conversation, and that's okay.)

Simple Sentence

Lesson One

Simple Sentences

A simple sentence has a subject and a verb and completes a thought. For example: She went to the store. (subject = she / verb = went) However, some people choose not to use a subject, as in this example: Question: Where did she go? Answer: Went to the store. "Went to the store," is not good English. If you want your English to improve, avoid making this kind of mistake. Starting with simple sentences in this level, we will study sentence structure and if you go through all of the lessons in order, hopefully, your writing and speaking will get better.

Here are some examples:

She's afraid of spiders.
She loves her baby.
He's sitting on the ground.
The bridge fell down.
The vacuum cleaner is working.
He eats rice with chopsticks.

The Structure of a Sentence

Remember that every clause is, in a sense, a miniature sentence. A simple sentences contains only a single clause, while a compound sentence, a complex sentence, or a compound-complex sentence contains at least two clauses.

The Simple Sentence

The most basic type of sentence is the simple sentence, which contains only one clause. A simple sentence can be as short as one word:

Run!

Usually, however, the sentence has a subject as well as a predicate and both the subject and the predicate may have modifiers. All of the following are simple sentences, because each contains only one clause:

Melt!

Ice melts.

The ice melts quickly.

The ice on the river melts quickly under the warm March sun.

Lying exposed without its blanket of snow, the ice on the river melts quickly under the warm March sun.

As you can see, a simple sentence can be quite long -- it is a mistake to think that you can tell a simple sentence from a compound sentence or a complex sentence simply by its length.

The most natural sentence structure is the simple sentence: it is the first kind which children learn to speak, and it remains by far the most common sentence in the spoken language of people of all ages. In written work, simple sentences can be very effective for grabbing a reader's attention or for summing up an argument, but you have to use them with care: too many simple sentences can make your writing seem childish.

When you do use simple sentences, you should add transitional phrases to connect them to the surrounding sentences.

The Compound Sentence

A compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses (or simple sentences) joined by co-ordinating conjunctions like "and," "but," and "or":

Simple

Canada is a rich country.

Simple

Still, it has many poor people.

Compound

Canada is a rich country, but still it has many poor people.

Compound sentences are very natural for English speakers -- small children learn to use them early on to connect their ideas and to avoid pausing (and allowing an adult to interrupt):

Today at school Mr. Moore brought in his pet rabbit, and he showed it to the class, and I got to pet it, and Kate held it, and we coloured pictures of it, and it ate part of my carrot at lunch, and ...

Of course, this is an extreme example, but if you over-use compound sentences in written work, your writing might seem immature.

A compound sentence is most effective when you use it to create a sense of balance or contrast between two (or more) equally-important pieces of information:

Montéal has better clubs, but Toronto has better cinemas.

Special Cases of Compound Sentences

There are two special types of compound sentences which you might want to note. First, rather than joining two simple sentences together, a co-ordinating conjunction sometimes joins two complex sentences, or one simple sentence and one complex sentence. In this case, the sentence is called a compound-complex sentence:

compound-complex

The package arrived in the morning, but the courier left before I could check the contents.

The second special case involves punctuation. It is possible to join two originally separate sentences into a compound sentence using a semicolon instead of a co-ordinating conjunction:

Sir John A. Macdonald had a serious drinking problem; when sober, however, he could be a formidable foe in the House of Commons.

Usually, a conjunctive adverb like "however" or "consequently" will appear near the beginning of the second part, but it is not required:

The sun rises in the east; it sets in the west.

The Complex Sentence

A complex sentence contains one independent clause and at least one dependent clause. Unlike a compound sentence, however, a complex sentence contains clauses which are not equal. Consider the following examples:

Simple

My friend invited me to a party. I do not want to go.

Compound

My friend invited me to a party, but I do not want to go.

Complex

Although my friend invited me to a party, I do not want to go.

In the first example, there are two separate simple sentences: "My friend invited me to a party" and "I do not want to go." The second example joins them together into a single sentence with the co-ordinating conjunction "but," but both parts could still stand as independent sentences -- they are entirely equal, and the reader cannot tell which is most important. In the third example, however, the sentence has changed quite a bit: the first clause, "Although my friend invited me to a party," has become incomplete, or a dependent clause.

A complex sentence is very different from a simple sentence or a compound sentence because it makes clear which ideas are most important. When you write

My friend invited me to a party. I do not want to go.

or even

My friend invited me to a party, but I do not want to go.

The reader will have trouble knowing which piece of information is most important to you. When you write the subordinating conjunction "although" at the beginning of the first clause, however, you make it clear that the fact that your friend invited you is less important than, or subordinate, to the fact that you do not want to go.

Written by David Megginson