大学英语语法11-定语从句

3. Introducers 3.1. In restrictive adjective clauses The following relative pronouns are used to introduce restrictive adjective clauses. Person Subject who/that Object whom, who, that/ø Possessive whose Things which/that which, that/ø whose
2. Kinds Adjective clauses can be divided into two kinds: restrictive and nonrestrictive. A restrictive adjective clause gives essential information. Without the clause, the complete meaning of the sentence would not be expressed clearly. A restrictive adjective clause should not be set off by commas. • • • • • • • • A clown is a person. He makes you laugh. A clown is a person who makes you laugh. (Without the clause, “A clown is a person” doesn’t make sense.) Let’s go to a country. In the country, the sun always shines. Let’s go to a country where the sun always shines. (Without the clause, “Let’s go to a country” doesn’t make the meaning of the sentence clear.)
• • • • • • • • •
When an adjective clause is not absolutely needed in order to express the complete meaning of a sentence, it is called a nonrestrictive adjective clause. It can be omitted from a sentence clause. without affecting the basic meaning of the sentence. It should be set off by commas. We were worried about our nearest neighbors. They were newcomers to the district. We were worried about our nearest neighbors, who were newcomers to the district. district. (As “our nearest neighbors” are clear, the sentence makes sense without the clause.) A brother was lost for a long time. People presumed him to be dead. He was really alive all the time. A long-lost brother, who was presumed dead, was really alive all longdead, the time. (As “brother” has a modifier “long-lost”, it is still clear without the “longclause.)
Clauses
There are two kinds of clauses: main clause and subordinate clause. A main clause (or a simple sentence) contains a complete thought and therefore can stand alone as a sentence. Every sentence must contain at least one main clause (MC). • We waited for half an hour. • Nothing happened. • We waited for half an hour, but nothing happened. happened.
The following subordinating conjunctions are used in restrictive adjective clause. Time Reason Place Adverbial where when why
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
who, whom and which can be replaced by that. This is very common in spoken English. that can be omitted (ø) when it is the object of the clause. It is one of the ugliest faces (that) I have ever seen. seen. whose is used for things as well as for people. The man whose bike was stolen called the local police. The car whose window has been broken is my neighbors. whom is very formal and is only used in written English. In spoken English, that is usually replaced by who/that, or who/that, nothing (ø). that is usually used after the words like something, anything, everything, nothing, all and superlatives. There is something that we will never forget. forget. That was the most exciting news that I have ever heard. heard.
• He picked up a long pipe. • The pipe was covered with coins. • He picked up a long pipe which was covered with coins. coins. • (which = pipe, as a subject of the adjective clause.) • He caught sight of a figure. • He immediately recognized it. • It was our local grocer. • He caught sight of a figure whom he immediately recognized as our local grocer. • (whom = figure, as an object of the adjective clause.)
College English Grammar:
Grammar and Writing
By Zhu Xiangjun
Unit 11
Clause: Adjective clauses
• Grammar: Adjective clauses • Writing: Correcting: Lack of Subject-Verb Agreement SubjectRewriting: Inter-sentence coherence Inter-
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• Why did he fail? • The reason is still obscure. • The reason why he failed is still obscure. • (why = for which; which = reason; as an adverbial of the clause.) • I can not remember the day. • At that day, they got engaged. • I can not remember the day when they got engaged.. • (when = at which; which = day; as an adverbial of the clause.) • She forgot the name of the store. • At that store, her father bought her an MP4. • She forgot the name of the store where her father bought her an MP4. • (where = at which; which = store; as an adverbial of the clause.)
A subordinate clause also has a subject and a predicate, but it cannot stand alone to make sense. It needs a main clause to complete its meaning. A subordinate clause is usually introduced by subordinating conjunctions or relative pronouns. • The sun had set. • We returned to our hotel at once. • As soon as the sun had set, we returned to our hotel at once. • Now he knew it. • He would be able to reach the South Pole. • The South Pole was 300 miles away. • He now knew that he would be able to reach the South Pole, Pole, which was 300 miles away. away.
1. Functions and forms An adjective clause is a sentence clause that modifies a noun or a pronoun as an adjective does. Both relative pronouns (who, whom, whose, that and (who, which) which) and the subordinating conjunctions (where, (where, when and why) may be used as introducers to begin why) adjective clauses. Do remember that introducers play roles in the adjective clauses and relative pronouns replace the noun that the adjective clauses modify. A noun + an adjective clause Introducer + (subject) + predicate + …