Using Clauses as Nouns, Adjectives, and Adverbs
If a clause
can stand alone as a sentence,
it is an independent clause, as in the
following example:
Independent
the Prime Minister is in Ottawa
Some clauses, however, cannot stand
alone as sentences: in this case, they are dependent
clauses or subordinate clauses.
Consider the same clause with the subordinating conjunction "because" added to the beginning:
Dependent
when the Prime Minister is in Ottawa
In this case, the clause could not
be a sentence by itself, since the conjunction
"because" suggests that the clause is providing an explanation for
something else. Since this dependent clause answers the question
"when," just like an adverb,
it is called a dependent adverb clause
(or simply an adverb clause, since adverb clauses are always dependent
clauses). Note how the clause can replace the adverb "tomorrow" in
the following examples:
adverb
The committee will meet tomorrow.
adverb clause
The committee will meet when the Prime Minister is in
Ottawa.
Dependent clauses can stand not only
for adverbs, but also for nouns
and for adjectives.
A noun
clause is an entire clause which takes the place of a noun in another
clause or phrase.
Like a noun, a noun clause acts as the subject
or object
of a verb
or the object of a preposition,
answering the questions "who(m)?" or "what?". Consider the
following examples:
noun
I know Latin.
noun clause
I know that Latin is no longer spoken as a native language.
In the first example, the noun
"Latin" acts as the direct object
of the verb "know." In the second example, the entire clause
"that Latin ..." is the direct object.
In fact, many noun clauses are indirect questions:
noun
Their destination is unknown.
noun clause
Where they are going
is unknown.
The question "Where are they
going?," with a slight change in word order, becomes a noun clause when
used as part of a larger unit -- like the noun "destination," the
clause is the subject of the verb "is."
Here are some more examples of noun clauses:
about what you bought at the mall
This noun clause is the object of
the preposition "about," and answers the question "about what?"
Whoever broke the vase
will have to pay for it.
This noun clause is the subject of
the verb "will have to pay," and answers the question "who
will have to pay?"
The Toronto fans hope that the Blue Jays will win again.
This noun clause is the object of
the verb "hope," and answers the question "what do the
fans hope?"
An adjective
clause is a dependent clause which takes the place of an adjective in
another clause or phrase. Like an adjective, an adjective clause modifies a
noun or pronoun,
answering questions like "which?" or "what kind of?"
Consider the following examples:
Adjective
the red coat
Adjective clause
the coat which I bought yesterday
Like the word "red" in the
first example, the dependent clause "which I bought yesterday" in the
second example modifies the noun "coat." Note that an adjective
clause usually comes after what it modifies, while an adjective usually
comes before.
In formal writing, an adjective
clause begins with the relative pronouns "who(m)," "that," or "which."
In informal writing or speech, you may leave out the relative pronoun when it
is not the subject of the adjective clause, but you should usually include the
relative pronoun in formal, academic writing:
informal
The books people read were mainly religious.
formal
The books that people read were mainly religious.
informal
Some firefighters never meet the people they save.
formal
Some firefighters never meet the people whom they
save.
Here are some more examples of
adjective clauses:
the meat which they ate was tainted
This clause modifies the noun
"meat" and answers the question "which meat?".
about the movie which made him cry
This clause modifies the noun
"movie" and answers the question "which movie?".
they are searching for the one who borrowed the book
The clause modifies the pronoun
"one" and answers the question "which one?".
Did I tell you about the author whom I met?
The clause modifies the noun
"author" and answers the question "which author?".
An adverb
clause is a dependent clause which takes the place of an adverb in
another clause or phrase. An adverb clause answers questions such as
"when?", "where?", "why?", "with what
goal/result?", and "under what conditions?".
Note how an adverb clause can
replace an adverb in the following example:
adverb
The premier gave a speech here.
adverb clause
The premier gave a speech where the workers were striking.
Usually, a subordinating conjunction
like "because," "when(ever)," "where(ever),"
"since," "after," and "so that," will introduce
an adverb clause. Note that a dependent adverb clause can never stand
alone as a complete sentence:
independent clause
they left the locker room
dependent adverb clause
after they left the locker room
The first example can easily stand
alone as a sentence, but the second cannot -- the reader will ask what
happened "after they left the locker room". Here are some more
examples of adverb clauses expressing the relationships of cause, effect,
space, time, and condition:
cause
Hamlet wanted to kill his uncle because the uncle had
murdered Hamlet's father.
The adverb clause answers the
question "why?".
effect
Hamlet wanted to kill his uncle so that his father's
murder would be avenged.
The adverb clause answers the
question "with what goal/result?".
time
After Hamlet's uncle Claudius married Hamlet's mother, Hamlet wanted to kill him.
The adverb clause answers the
question "when?". Note the change in word order -- an adverb clause
can often appear either before or after the main part of the sentence.
place
Where the whole Danish court was assembled, Hamlet ordered a play in an attempt to prove his uncle's
guilt.
The adverb clause answers the
question "where?".
condition
If the British co-operate,
the Europeans may achieve monetary union.
The adverb clause answers the
question "under what conditions?"
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