Tuesday, 17 January 2023

Sentence Structure Tutorial Week 7- adjective clauses

 

Week 7- Adjective clauses

Blog: haleyshec.blogspot.com

ahaley@vsb.bc.ca

Next week will be the final week – noun clauses

 

 

REVIEW Sentence types:

 

* SIMPLE- one main clause

          SV   SSV    SVV   SSVV   Imperative   Interrogative

 

STYLE ADVICE: If something is important and you want to people to remember it, write it in a simple sentence.

-powerful, clear, direct

 

* COMPOUND – two main clauses joined together

1.       , FANBOYS   , SOBA

2.       ; semicolon

3.       ; TRANS,

Transitional words and terms: e.g. however    therefore   also   nevertheless   to tell the truth    in general   moreover  

 

* COMPLEX – one main clause + one subordinate clause

1.       adverb clauses- because   when   if   since   so that   so...that, as, while, whenever, so that, before, after, etc

2.       THIS WEEK adjective clauses

3.       NEXT WEEK noun clause- verbs- feel think say know believe / pronouns?- that why how

 

 

***

COMPLEX SENTENCES

adjective clauses – more in-depth, more detailed

keep it as simple as possible to start- start basic and then go deeper

 

adjectives – describes a noun

the red hat adjective

the nice red hat adjective

 

He is wearing a green hat.

 

green- new at a job, don’t know what you’re doing yet

 

ORDER OF ADJECTIVES (or other nouns functioning as adjectives):

opinion, size, age, shape, colour, material, origin, purpose NOUN

 

It is a beautiful diamond ring.

It is a diamond beautiful ring. XXX

 

 

octagonal (adj) eight sides ,  eight-sided

octopus- eight feet

ped- foot, pedestrian, pedal, pedicure, manicure

pediatrist- foot doctor

pediatrician -children doctor

veterinarian – vet

 

 

opinion, size, age, shape, colour, material, origin, purpose NOUN

My grandmother broke her gorgeous sky-blue English teapot.

Shari loves to listen to ancient Persian music.

The dog plays with a big round plastic chew toy.

Yuko collects old Japanese tea sets.

 

I got some coffee cups. coffee- noun, acting like an adjective

I love coffee.  Coffee- noun, acting like a noun

neck tie   school book   sports shoes   eyeglasses   water bottle

 

individual adjectives – good for simple ideas

 

e.g black tea, herbal tea, green tea, Orange Pekoe, mint tea, apple tea

cinnamon tea

 

more complicated, in-depth description – use adjective clauses

 

e.g. I love the tea that my sister makes from flower petals.

complicated ideas – my sister made it, made from flower petals

 

More complicated ideas- use an adjective clause

Three most common pronouns for adjective clauses: who that which

 

*** 95% of the time- who that which ***

 

Other less commonly used pronouns for adjective clauses: whom, where, whose

 

PARTICULAR POINT OF CONFUSION

whom – rarely used, very fancy sounding, sounds like a grammar book

Native English speakers rarely use ‘whom’.  We say ‘who’.

MY FREE ADVICE: Forget about ‘whom’. It is not important.

 

One exception about ‘whom’. writing to someone, don’t know who will be receiving the letter

GREETING: To whom it may concern,

Not an everyday occurrence. Pretty rare.

Get the words right!  To whom it may concern,

 

FORMAL SOUNDING ENGLISH  preposition + whom

to whom   from whom   with whom  

With whom are you speaking? EXTREMELY FORMAL STYLE

With whom are you speaking? STIFF SERIOUS

Who are talking to? CASUAL

 

Pick your tone. Who are you talking to? What impression are you trying to make?

 

FOCUS ON HIGH FREQUENCY USAGE: who that which – 95% of the time

 

*who – used for people, any people, sounds nice, sounds polite and respectful, you can use it for all people

 

*that- things that are not alive, animals, people (sounds a little disrespectful, sounds like you don’t like that person)

SUBTLETY IN ENGLISH, signal your opinion of a person:

The guy that my sister married is a creep. adjective clause

creep- a person who gives you a weird negative feeling, makes you feel uncomfortable

 

The man who my other sister married is awesome. adjective clause

That people that did not respect me are now out of my life.

The people who are my true friends will always be with me.

 

‘that’ -tricky word in English, many uses in English

Who is that? Not an adjective clause, sounds polite

Who is that woman you were talking to?

That is a beautiful baby!

Is that your son? -sounds ok

 

*which- special things (special to you), unique things

 

This is a watch that I bought last week. not special, just a watch

I really like the watch which my dad gave me for my 18th birthday. special

 

wedding ring – which

necklace that your grandmother gave you – which

toothbrush – that

glasses- that

 

*which – special things, unique things

special things- You decide if it is special to you.

I have a silver ring which my son gave me. a special thing to me

Mei is wearing the jade necklace which her grandmother gave to her.

Shirin is wearing the jade necklace that her grandmother gave to her. (sounds like a regular necklace, not special)

Clara put the picture which her son painted for her up on the fridge.

 

unique things- only one in the world

Beijing, which is the capital of China, hosted the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. unique

GOOD RULE OF THUMB: only one, put commas around it

 

Edmonton, which has a huge indoor mall, is in north Alberta.

Marta visited the Eiffel Tower, which is in Paris.

Marta visited the Eiffel Tower that is in Paris. XXX sounds like there are several Eiffel Tower

The CN Tower, which is in Toronto, has the Edgewalk.

 

 

who- people

My neighbour who is very elderly does not like my son to play in the backyard.

who is very elderly adj cl  SV

 

elderly(adj) – elder, senior, aged (Biblical), older, old (doesn’t sound polite), senior citizen

My dad is getting older. He is older now. He is 79.

 

impolite- one foot in the grave, on his last legs, knocking on Heaven’s door, long in the tooth, ready to give up the ghost

That old dog is long in the tooth. very old

 

long in the tooth (idiom)- horses teeth grow their whole life, also mice, also beavers

 

Sometimes people who are very elderly start to worry about going to heaven. They start going to church and praying and reading Holy books.

“They are cramming for the final.”

‘cramming for the final’ - studying all night before a big test

cram- study hard in a short period of time

‘cram schools’ – Japan, school that promote intense studying for a exam

 

Jun’s sister who lives in Spain is a nurse.

Jun’s sister that lives in Spain is a nurse. XXX SOUNDS STRANGE, Don’t use ‘that’ for a person.

 

 

COMMON ERROR:

Jun’s sister who lives in Spain.  sentence fragment, not a complete sentence, half a sentence

*In a sentence with an adjective clause, you have to say two things, two SV.

Jun’s sister who lives in Spain is a nurse. 1 2

The phone that she bought was not expensive. 1 2

 

 

**that – animals, things, people we don’t like or don’t respect

Marta has a dog who that has cute floppy ears. ‘who’ sounds strange for animals

Shirin got a new phone that has a seven-inch screen.

I met the guy that Joanne is seeing now. -sounds like don’t like him, subtlety

The guy that my sister married is a bit of a clown.

The guy that my sister married is a clown.

a bit of a – a little bit

My friend is a bit of a drama queen.

drama queen- big emotions all the time, like an actor, dramatic, big show, like a soap opera

 

The guy that my sister married is coming over for a visit. -secret message- don’t like him much-

The guy who my sister married is coming over for a visit. – secret message- like him-

The guy who my sister married is really good fellow.

 

SOURCE OF CONFUSION ‘that’ is used in noun clauses and adjective clauses, also a pronon

multi-use word, confusing

Examples

That sandwich was delicious.

The sandwich that she made was very tasty.

I think that that sandwich was scrumptious. noun clause, pronoun

She thinks that that sandwich that you made was so good that she wants to have another one. confusing, not good writing, grammar is fine

 

REVIEW:

SIMPLE

COMPOUND

COMPLEX  – adverb clauses

-         Adjective clauses

-         Noun clauses

 

Example from my EF56 students:

1.    His house, which is located in North Vancouver, is very expensive.

2.    I came to Vancouver, which is the best city to live in the world.

3.    I would like to visit my grandmother, who will turn 100 years old next month.

 

4.    Mei’s son who is 12 loves to play with Lego. two or three sons

Mei’s son, who is 12, loves to play with Lego. one son

 

TRICKY        -essential and non-essential clauses

-restrictive and non-restrictive clauses

Look these up in a grammar book or website.

 

REMEMBER: Basic adjective clauses are not difficult, but they get more detailed the deeper you go.

 

5.    My friend who is very beautiful is a fashion icon. lots of friends

My friend, who is very beautiful, is a fashion icon. only one friend

6.    I do not like the crafts that/which I have to do at work.

7.    Her dog that has a long tail is brown.

8.    I visit my mother, who lives in Ottawa.

9.    I went to the aquarium which is in Stanley Park.

10.                       I have to visit my best friend who played with me since I was a seven-year-old. awk

She is seven years old.

She is a seven-year-old. (noun)

11.                       The girl who is wearing the red shirt is my little sister.

12.                       My daughter who is playing the violin decided to study more music.

13.                       I love the ring which my husband gave me on my birthday.

14.                       Joe bought a new laptop that cost $2000.

15.                       The girl who is standing in the corner is my classmate.

16.                       My friend visited the park which is close to my home.

17.                       I have a lot of apples that my mother gave me yesterday.

18.                       My boss who is very polite resigned yesterday.

19.                       James wore a fine black tux which his dad gave him.

 

combover

 

 

Adjective clause

Basic level of knowledge

who- people

that- things, animals

which- special things, unique things

 

Deeper level

commas or no commas around adjective clauses

-commas – special, unique, only one- a good time to use commas

 

SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT MEANINGS / MESSAGES

A.   Dave’s dog, that has white fur, loves to swim.

B.    Dave’s dog that has white fur loves to swim.

 

A.   Dave’s dog, that has white fur, loves to swim. Suggests that Dave has one dog.

B.    Dave’s dog that has white fur loves to swim. Suggests that Dave has more than one dog.

 

* detail, subtle, not a major problem if you get it wrong

 

A.   My car that I bought at Richmond Auto Mall is a 2018.

B.    My car, that I bought at Richmond Auto Mall, is a 2018.

 

GRAMMAR: difference between main subject and complete subject

main subject – just one noun, subject of the sentence

complete subject  - main noun plus all the modifiers, subject of the sentence

 

A.   My car that I bought at Richmond Auto Mall is a 2018.

B.    My car, that I bought at Richmond Auto Mall, is a 2018.

 

complete subject

My car that I bought at Richmond Auto Mall is a 2018. suggests 2+ cars

My car, that I bought at Richmond Auto Mall, is a 2018. suggests 1 car

 

commas around an adjective clause means just extra information

 

Look it up in a grammar book:

restrictive and non-restrictive clauses

OR

essential and non-essential clauses

 

 

Examples:

A.   Her son who is nine is very shy.  essential information, we need that information

B.    Her son, who is nine, is very shy. not essential, extra information

MEANING IS A BIT DIFFERENT

 

 

A.   Her son who is nine is very shy.

B.    Her son, who is nine, is very shy. Her son is very shy.

 

A.   Her son who is nine is very shy. How many sons?

B.    Her son, who is nine, is very shy. How many sons?

 

main subject complete subject

Her son who is nine is very shy. How many sons? 2+

Her son, who is nine, is very shy. How many sons? 1

 

Mohamed moved to Edmonton, which is the largest city in Alberta.

comma or no comma? How many Edmontons are there?

which is the largest city in BC – extra information

 

Your school, which is at Fraser and 43rd, is holding in-class classes. 1 school

Your school which is at Fraser and 43rd is holding in-class classes. suggests 2+ schools eg. SHEC, VCC

 

Let’s meet at Starbucks. enough information?

Let’s meet at Starbucks which is on Main and 13th. essential information

Let’s meet at SHEC, which is on Fraser and 43rd. not essential information, extra

 

Your son is outgoing.

Your son, who is 7, is outgoing.

Your brother who is shy lives in Vancouver. essential information, distinguish between them

 

My mom, who is 79, likes to walk everyday. one mother

My mom who is 79 likes to walk everyday. two woman who you consider your mothers

My uncle who is retired loves to fish. more than one

 

 

 

 

speaking – commas are breath marks, take a beat, slight pause

 

 

Let’s meet at Scienceworld, which is open right now. not necessary information, just extra information, non-essential clause

 

** subtle difference – has meaning to an English listener

*** If you get it wrong, it is a small problem.

 

Shirin’s mother, who is retired, likes to travel. 1 mother

Shirin’s mother who is retired likes to travel. 2+ mothers

MORE LIKELY EXAMPLE:

Shirin’s aunt who is retired likes to travel. 2+ aunts

 

REVIEW

A.   My sister who lives in Spain volunteers for a dog rescue society.

B.    My sister, who lives in Spain, volunteers for a dog rescue society.

 

A.   How many sisters do I have? One or more than one? suggest 2+

Subject is “My sister who lives in Spain”

The adjective clause is restricting the meaning of ‘sister’.

Grammar book: restrictive clause, essential clause

 

B.    How many sisters do I have? One or more than one? 1

Subject is “My sister”

The adjective clause is not restricting the meaning of ‘sister’.

Grammar book: non-restrictive clause, non-essential clause

 

I never met my grandmother who passed away five years ago. several GMs

 

I never met my maternal/paternal grandmother who passed away five years ago.

 

I never met my paternal grandmother. I knew my maternal grandmother very well.

 

maternal(adj) maternity(n) maternity ward, mat leave

matriarch- head woman in the family, the boss woman in the family

My wife wears the pants in the family.

IDIOM ‘wear the pants’ boss in the family

She has the last word.

IDIOM ‘have the last word’- you get final decision, last one to talk

 

ARGUMENT You always want the last word.

 

‘eat soft rice’ CHINESE- man supported by a woman, no job

He is a kept man. She is a kept woman.

 

the patriarchy- society controlled by men, power held by men

 

patriotic(adj) – love your country, patriot

 

motherland- your home country

Germany – fatherland

 

alpha- boss dog

I am Butter’s Alpha.

 

 

Restrictive and non-restrictive clauses

Essential and non-essential clauses

commas or no commas around adjective clauses

e.g.

Janice’s husband, who lives in Hong Kong, visits Vancouver every second month.

You can delete the non-essentiual adj cl, and the sentence will still be clear.

Janice’s husband, who lives in Hong Kong, visits Vancouver every second month.

Janice’s husband visits Vancouver every second month.

 

Janice’s sister who lives in Hong Kong visits Vancouver every second month. two or more sisters

We cannot delete the essential clause and still have the sentence be clear.

 

, commas are breath marks   , take a beat, rest, pause

 

MORE INFORMATION TO EXPLORE:

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/using-that-and-which-is-all-about-restrictive-and-non-restrictive-clauses/?gclid=CjwKCAjwruSHBhAtEiwA_qCppvmHGTPcCPEl-fiCdNnSoq5n02Ygj0govWwh5Of09op_QWBYrJ5CHxoCh74QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

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