Content clause A content clause, also known as a "noun clause", provides content implied or commented upon by its main clause. It can be a
subject,
predicate nominative,
direct object,
appositive,
indirect object, or object of the
preposition. Some of the English words that introduce content clauses are
that, who (and formal
whom),
whoever (and formal
whomever),
whether, why, what, how, when, and
where. Notice that some of these words also introduce relative and adverbial clauses. A clause is a content clause if a pronoun (
he, she, it, or
they) could be substituted for it. Examples: • I know
who said that. (I know them. The dependent clause serves as the object of the main-clause verb "know".) •
Whoever made that assertion is wrong. (They are wrong. The dependent clause serves as the subject of the main clause.) In English, in some instances the
subordinator that can be omitted. Example 1: • I know
that he is here. • I know
he is here. Example 2: • I think
that it is pretty. (less common) • I think
it is pretty. (more common)
Relative (adjectival) clause In
Indo-European languages, a relative clause, also called an adjectival clause or an adjective clause, meets three requirements: • Like all dependent clauses, it contains a verb (and also a subject unless it is a
non-finite dependent clause). However, in a
pro-drop language the subject may be a
zero pronoun: the pronoun may not be explicitly included because its identity is conveyed by a verbal
inflection. • It begins with a
relative adverb [
when, where,
how, or
why in English] or a relative pronoun [
who, whom, whose, that, what or
which in English]. However, the English relative pronoun (other than
what) may be omitted and only implied if it plays the role of the object of the verb or object of a preposition in a restrictive clause; for example,
He is the boy I saw is equivalent to
He is the boy whom I saw, and
I saw the boy you are talking about is equivalent to the more formal
I saw the boy about whom you are talking. • The relative clause functions as an adjective, answering questions such as "what kind?", "how many?" or "which one?" The adjective clause in English will follow one of these patterns: • Relative Pronoun [Functioning as Object of Verb] + Subject + Verb :This is the ball '''
that I was bouncing.''' • Relative Pronoun [Functioning as Object of Verb] (Omitted but Implied) + Subject + Verb :This is the ball
I was bouncing. • Relative Adverb + Subject + Verb (possibly + Object of Verb) :That is the house '''
where I grew up.''' :That is the house '''
where I met her.''' • Relative Pronoun [Functioning as Subject] + Verb (possibly + Object of Verb) :That is the person '''
who hiccuped.''' :That is the person '''
who saw me'''. • Relative Pronoun [Functioning as Object of Preposition] + Subject + Verb (possibly + Object of Verb) + Preposition :That is the person '''
who(m) I was talking about.''' :That is the person '''
who(m) I was telling you about.''' • Preposition + Relative Pronoun [Functioning as Object of Preposition] + Subject + Verb (possibly + Object of Verb) :That is the person '
about whom
I was talking.' :That is the person '
about whom
I was telling you.' • Possessive Relative Pronoun + Noun [Functioning as Subject] + Verb (possibly + Object of Verb) :That is the dog '''
whose big brown eyes pleaded for another cookie.''' :That is the dog '''
whose big brown eyes begged me for another cookie.''' • Possessive Relative Pronoun + Noun [Functioning as Object of Verb] + Subject + Verb :That is the person '''
whose car I saw.''' For a discussion of adjective clauses in languages other than English, see Relative clause#Examples.
Punctuation English punctuation The punctuation of an adjective clause depends on whether it is essential (restrictive) or nonessential (nonrestrictive) and uses commas accordingly. Essential clauses are not set off with commas; nonessential clauses are. An adjective clause is essential if the information it contains is necessary to the meaning of the sentence: • The vegetables
that people often leave uneaten are usually the most nutritious. The word "vegetables" is non-specific. Accordingly, for the reader to know which are being mentioned, one must have the information provided in the adjective clause (in italics). Because it restricts the meaning of "vegetable", the adjective clause is called a restrictive clause. It is essential to the meaning of the main clause and uses no commas (and so does not experience a pause when spoken). However, if the additional information does not help to identify more narrowly the identity of the noun antecedent but rather simply provides further information about it, the adjective clause is nonrestrictive and so requires commas (or a spoken pause) to separate it from the rest of the sentence: • Broccoli,
which people often leave uneaten, is very nutritious. Depending on context, a particular noun could be modified by either a restrictive or nonrestrictive adjective clause. For example, while "broccoli" is modified nonrestrictively in the preceding sentence, it is modified restrictively in the following. • The broccoli
which (or
that) people leave uneaten is often nutritious.
Adverbial clause "He saw Mary
when he was in New York" and "They studied hard
because they had a test" both contain adverbial clauses (in italics). Adverbial clauses express
when, why, where, opposition, and
conditions, and, as with all dependent clauses, they cannot stand alone. For example,
When he was in New York is not a complete sentence; it needs to be completed by an independent clause, as in: • He went to the Guggenheim Museum
when he was in New York. or equivalently •
When he was in New York, he went to the Guggenheim Museum.
Non-finite dependent clauses Dependent clauses may be
headed by an
infinitive,
gerund, or other
non-finite verb form, which in linguistics is called
deranked. For instance: • Sit up straight
while singing. In these cases, the subject of the dependent clause may take a non-
nominative form. An example is: • I want
him to vanish. ==Sentence structure==