Chapter 17: Relative ClausesCopyright © 2013

http://www.cr.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/hstr/

“A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities

and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties.”

President Harry S. Truman quote (with two Relative Clauses). For more information on President Truman, (Click Here).

http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/203941.Harry_S_Truman

We need to use a few grammar terms in this chapter, for which we apologize. Some vocabulary cannot be avoided. We promise that we’ll define the terms, so you can work with them and learn from them. Here are three terms you’ll want to remember in Chapter 17:

Subordinate Clause Relative Clause Relative Pronoun

And that’s all!

A Subordinate Clause is a group of related words connected to the Main Sentence to provide Support for the Main Sentence. Both the Subordinate Clause and the Main Sentence (Main Clause) have their own Subject and Verb.

There are two kinds of Subordinate Clauses: Adverb and Relative Clauses. This chapter focuses on Relative Clauses; the last chapter explained Adverb Subordinate Clauses (see chapter 16).

Here’s an example of a Relative Clause developed from two simple sentences. The second sentence has been converted to a Relative Clause:

Two Sentences: Dr. Bostwick ran in the Boston Marathon.He is my math professor.

Relative Clause with Main Sentence:

Dr. Bostwick, who is my math professor, ran in the Boston Marathon.

A Relative Clause is connected to the Main Sentence using a Relative Pronoun. In the above sentence, who is the Relative Pronoun and who is my math professor is the Relative Clause.

A Relative Pronoun connects two sentences that are related when one of the sentences is a Relative Clause.

The good news about Relative Pronouns is that there are not many you have to learn. In fact, there are only three important Relative Pronouns that signal a Relative Clause:

Who

Which

That The bad news about Relative Clauses is that they can be inserted between the Subject and the Verb.Here are some examples:

Relative Pronoun

Relative Clause in a Sentence

Which 1. Charlie didn't get the job, which really surprised his friends.

Which(Relative Clause

inserted between the Subject and the

Verb.)

2. The assignment, which is on Blackboard, is about the Civil War.

That 3. Isabel knew that she was about to be laid off.

That 4. IBM was the company that hired her right out of college.

That(implied)

5. Isabel knew she was about to be laid off.

Who(Relative Clause

inserted between the Subject and the

Verb.)

6. Professor Villa , who used to live in Houston, moved to Denver last year.

Who(Relative Clause

inserted between the Subject and the

Verb.)

7. His neighbor who had been bothering him for years finally moved.

Comma Rules with Relative Clauses

While the comma rules with Relative Clauses can be tricky, here’s a way to simplify them so they are not too hard at all. In fact, all you need to know about Commas and Relative Clauses can be found in one little quote that’s easy to memorize and easy to use:

Which: Always use a comma.That: Never use a comma.Who: You choose (whether to use a comma).

When using which in a Relative Clause, always use a comma. Here are some examples:

I looked for the golf course, which is in the park. The game, which was played in San Francisco, was a double header.

Notice that when the Relative Clause interrupts the sentence, you have a comma both before and after the Relative Clause.

When using that in a Relative Clause, never use a comma.

I figured that you were right.

The story that won the Pulitzer Prize was published in the New York Times.

Whether or not to use a comma when who signals a Relative Clause can be tricky. So tricky, in fact, that it can even trouble people who think they use perfect grammar. But there’s good news: you can simplify the decision without having to make many errors at all. The simplified rule is that with who you get to choose whether to use a comma! Base your decision on whether the Relative Clause seems to interrupt the sentence to give extra or non-essential information. Think of it this way: If the clause gives extra information, use extra commas.

However, since you get to choose, you can’t go wrong no matter what!

Challenge Grammar 1: When is it okay to use commas when who signals a Relative Clause?

Whether or not to use commas when who signals a Relative Clause can be one of the trickiest decisions in English, so if you want to explore this Challenge Grammar section further here’s my advice: take it one step at a time.

Let’s look at some examples:

Comma: My math teacher, who is also my tennis coach, missed class today.

The writer is focusing on his math teacher missing class. The fact that the math teacher is also his tennis coach is extra information. Because the Relative Clause provides extra information, you use commas.

You can test this idea by removing the Relative Clause. If the sentence has the same meaning, you know the Relative Clause is extra, and you should use commas.

My math teacher missed class today.

Since this sentence has essentially the same meaning as the original, you know that you need to use commas with the Relative Clause.

No Comma: The members of the chess club who won their match last week will represent the club in the state tournament.

The writer is focusing on “the members of the chess club who won their match last week,” and not all the members, so the Relative Clause is essential to understanding which

members the writer is talking about. Because the (Subject + Relative Clause) are one unit, you don’t use commas.

You can test this idea by removing the Relative Clause. If the sentence no longer has the same meaning, you know the Relative Clause is essential and should not have commas.

The members of the chess club will represent the club in the state tournament.

Notice how the meaning changed. Now, it seems like all the members “will represent the club in the state tournament” and not just the members who won last week!

Comma: Marcia, who hopes to graduate next year, is planning a career in nursing.

The writer is focusing on “Marcia’s plan for a career in nursing.” That she “hopes to graduate next year” is extra information. Because the Relative Clause provides extra information, you should use commas.

You can test this idea by removing the Relative Clause. If the sentence has the same meaning, you know the Relative Clause is extra, and you should use commas.

Marcia is planning a career in nursing.

Since this sentence has essentially the same meaning as the original, you know that you use commas with the Relative Clause.

No Comma: Only the professors at the college who are not good writers themselves think they understand good writing in their students.”

The writer is focusing on the group of professors who are

not good writers, so the Relative Clause is essential to understanding which professors he is talking about. Because the (Subject + the Relative Clause) is one unit, you don’t use commas.

You can test this idea by removing the Relative Clause. If the sentence no longer has the same meaning, you know the Relative Clause is essential.

“Only the professors at the college think they understand good writing in their students.”

Notice how the meaning has changed. Now, we no longer know that it’s the “professors at the college who are not good writers themselves” who think they understand their students’ writing, but all the professors.”

If these examples have only served to confuse—no worries. Whether to use commas with the Relative Pronoun who is your call!

Challenge Grammar 2: Relative Pronouns can also be the Subject.

A Clause has both a Subject and Verb, if that’s true, then what is Subject of the Relative Clause in the following sentence:

My uncle , who is also an insurance agent, is advising us on what health insurance product is best for our family.

In the Relative Clause, who is also an insurance agent what is the Subject?

The Subject cannot be insurance agent, because the Subject must come before the Verb. The Subject is Relative Pronoun who.

In most cases, the Subject of a Relative Clause is the Relative Pronoun. That’s because (who, which, and that) are also Subject Pronouns, just like I, We, and They. Here are some examples:

Main Sentence combined with a Relative Clause using which as the Subject Pronoun:

Charlie didn't get the job in administration, which really surprised his friends.

Two separate sentences with the second sentence using a Subject Pronoun:

Charlie didn't get the job in administration. This really surprised his friends.

Main Sentence combined with a Relative Clause using who as the Subject Pronoun:

Professor Villa , who used to live in Houston, moved to Denver last year.

Two separate sentences with the second sentence using a Subject Pronoun:

Professor Villa moved to Denver last year. He used to live in Houston.

Main Sentence combined with a Relative Clause using that as the Subject Pronoun:

The assignment *that is on Blackboard is about the Civil War.

Two separate sentences with the second sentence using a Subject Pronoun:

The assignment is about the Civil War. It is on Blackboard.

The Relative Pronoun that is tricky in several ways:

First, because that doesn’t have to be the Subject of the sentence.

Here’s an example of a Relative Clause when that is the Subject:

IBM was the company that hired her right out of college.

Here’s an example of a Relative Clause when that is not the Subject:

Isabel knew that she was about to be laid off.

The second reason using that in Relative Clauses is tricky is because in most cases, you’re better off removing that from the sentence. The Relative Clause does just fine without it.

Examples of taking that out of the sentence:

ThatLeft In:

Isabel knew that she was about to be laid off.

ThatImplied:

Isabel knew she was about to be laid off.

ThatLeft In:

She thought that she had found the answer.

ThatImplied:

She thought she had found the answer.

A famous quote from Mahatma Gandhi illustrates the point:

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”—Mahatma Gandhihttp://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/mahatmagan109075.html#LEleR2xAIkfQcSuF.99

The Relative Pronoun that is understood: “You must be the change [that] you wish to see in the world.”

Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) was the preeminent leader of Indian nationalism in British-ruled India. Employing non-violent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for non-violence, civil rights and freedom across the world.

For Gandhi, ahimsa (a way of living and thinking which respects every living being) was the expression of the deepest love for all humans, including one’s opponents; this non-violence therefore included not only a lack of physical harm to them, but also a lack of hatred or ill-will towards them. Gandhi rejected the traditional dichotomy between one’s own side and the “enemy;” he believed in the need to convince opponents of their injustice, not to punish them, and in this way one could win their friendship and one’s own freedom. If need be, one might need to suffer or die in order that they may be converted to love.

Gandhi also firmly believed that if violence was used to achieve any end – even if it was employed in the name of justice – the result would be more violence.http://www.socialchangenow.ca/mypages/gandhi.htm

The only time you need to keep Relative Pronoun that in the sentence is when removing that causes confusion. Here are some examples:

ThatLeft In:

IBM was the company that hired her right out of college.

Taking That outcauses confusion:

IBM was the company hired her right out of college.

ThatLeft In:

Jesus said that on Friday he would be back in class.

Taking That outcauses confusion:

Jesus said on Friday he would be back in class.

Challenge Grammar 3: Misplaced Relative Clauses

While it is fine to change the position of a Relative Clause, to add variety to your writing, you cannot put them just anywhere. There are limits. That’s because a Relative Clause attaches itself to the Noun it is closest to, which can cause confusion. You can clear up the confusion by moving the Relative Clause closest the Noun you want it to support.

Here are some examples that appear in the book Line by Line by Claire Kehrwald Cook:

The issues in labor disputes that are hardest to resolve concern job security.

The Relative Clause is confusing. Is it saying that “labor disputes that are hardest to resolve,” or that “the issues are hardest to resolve”?

In labor disputes, the Now we know the Relative

issues that are hardest to resolve concern job security.

Clause is saying that it’s the issues that are hardest to resolve.

The son of the company’s founder, who was a compulsive gambler ran the business for only a short time.

Who was a compulsive gambler, the company’s founder or his son?

A compulsive gambler, the son of the company’s founder ran the business for only a short time.

Now we know it’s the son who was a compulsive gambler.

A key point in the research that many have overlooked is the effect of turnover on efficiency.

What has been overlooked: the key point or the research as a whole?

In the research, a key point that many have overlooked is the effect of turnover on efficiency.

Now we know it’s the key point that has been overlooked.

Challenge Grammar 4: Wishing and Hoping with Relative Clauses—The Dreaded Subjunctive Mood

The 1931 movie, Dracula, starring Bela Lugosie

http://horrorhothousereview.wordpress.com/2012/01/21/top-13-vampire-movies/

There’s a special case when using Relative Clauses. That’s when you’re writing about something that’s not true, but you’re wishing or imagining what would happen if it were true. Grammar people call it the Subjunctive Mood, but enough of that: it just means that the Verb was in the Relative Clause becomes were. In these special cases, the sentence usually has wish as its Main Verb.

Here are some examples:

• [Your friend asks if you are going to get a new car, to which you respond: “I wish it were true.” (You’re not going to get a new car, but wish you were.)

• I wish I were eighteen, so I could live on my own. (You’re not eighteen—yet.)

Here’s a helpful website where you can explore Relative Clauses further: (Click Here) for the Purdue Online Writing Lab.

Practice 1.1 Pick-up Soccer Level

http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/b/e/c/0/global_7608832.jpeg

In the following sentences, underline the Subject and put the Verb in bold of the Main Sentence (if you’re not using a computer double underline the Verbs), and put parentheses around the (Adjective Subordinating Conjunctions). Add any commas that are needed.

Example: The suitcase, (which is in the den), has the papers.

Sentences with Relative Clauses have at least two sets of Subjects and Verbs.

As always, identify the Verbs first, then, knowing that the Subject comes before the Verb, do a (fill-in-the-blank) in front of each Verb to find the Subject. Example: “(Who or What) has the papers.” “The suitcase has the papers,” so suitcase is one of the Subjects.

A Relative Clause must come in front of one of the Subjects. There is nothing before suitcase, and the word which is before the Verb is. Check to see if which is on the list of Relative Pronouns below:

Who

Which

That

Which is on the list, which is the Relative Pronoun. Notice that which is also the Subject of the Relative Clause (which is in

the den).

Notice, also, the Relative Clause divides the Subject of Main Clause from the Verb of the Main Clause: “The suitcase, (which is in the den), has the papers.”

Finally, you always use commas with which; you never use commas with that, and with who, you choose whether to include commas.

1. The U.S. seems far from ready to spend the money which is needed to create long-term solutions to global warming.

2. The U.S. seems far from ready to spend the money that is needed to create long-term solutions to global warming.

3. The need to remake our energy economy is a challenge to our scientists that will be even greater than the moon race.

4. Steven Chu who was the U.S. Secretary of Energy in the Obama administration did research that won him a Nobel Prize in physics.

5. Executives in American clean energy companies who visited Capitol Hill on July 28 worry that the U.S. could be falling behind in alternative energy development.

Practice 1.2 Pick-up Soccer Level

In the following sentences, underline the Subject and put the Verb in bold of the Main Sentence (if you’re not using a computer double underline the Verbs), and put parentheses around the (Adjective Subordinating Conjunctions). Add any commas that are needed.

Example: The suitcase (that is in the den) has the papers.

Which: Always use a comma.That: Never use a comma.

Who: You choose (whether to use a comma).

1. The studies found that people who begin using tanning beds before age 30 increase their risk of developing skin cancer by 75%.

2. The warning is not enough to deter the 28 million Americans who use the booths every year.

3. The World Health Organization classified tanning beds as the agency's highest cancer risk category which also includes radon gas, plutonium, and radium.

4. Abnormal cell growth which can lead to cancer is best countered with vitamin D.

5. There are so many other forms of getting vitamin D that are healthier than a tanning booth.

“Assessing the Risks of Tanning Beds” “Clean Energy: U.S. Lags in Research and Development”Time Magazine Time MagazineAlice Park Bryan WalshFriday, Jul. 31, 2009 Saturday, August 1, 2009

Practice 2.1 Intermediate Soccer Level

http://dailytrojan.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/sports-mens-soccer-by-alejandra.jpg

In the following sentences, underline the Subject and put the Verb in bold of the Main Sentence (if you’re not using a computer double underline the Verbs), and put parentheses around the (Adjective Subordinating Conjunctions). Add any commas that are needed.

Example: The suitcase (that is in the den) has the papers.

Which: Always use a comma.That: Never use a comma.

Who: You choose (whether to use a comma).

1. Boris Worm who is a marine biologist at Dalhousie University in Canada predicts that the world will run out of seafood by 2048.

2. Worm held fast to his predictions that the oceans have limits and are declining fast.

3. The two-year study which broke the world's oceans into 10 major marine ecosystems found improvement in half of them, when efforts to limit overfishing appeared to be working.

4. The Atlantic region, like several others, is beginning to recover, thanks to sustainable control measures that prevent overfishing.

5. Tim McClanahan who is based in Kenya is a senior conservation zoologist with the Wildlife Conservation Society which has taken a strong position on the environmental and economic problems of overfishing.

6. Scientists cautioned that seafood recovery is far from safe and urgent action is needed if we are to create sustainable fishing stocks which can support fishing for future generations.

“Can the World's Fisheries Survive Our Appetites?” Time MagazineBryan Walsh August 1, 2009

Practice 2.2 Intermediate Soccer Level

In the following sentences, underline the Subject and put the Verb in bold of the Main Sentence (if you’re not using a computer double underline the Verbs), and put parentheses around the (Adjective Subordinating Conjunctions). Add any commas that are needed.

Example: The suitcase, (which is in the den), has the papers.

Which: Always use a comma.That: Never use a comma.

Who: You choose (whether to use a comma).

1. Anorexia which is an eating disorder may be a disorder more of the metabolism than the mind.

2. A review of research that was published in the June issue of the journal Molecular Psychiatry argues that the disease is a sort of cousin of diabetes. 

3. With a broken starvation response, a few initial rounds of dieting could trigger a metabolism gone haywire which leads to extreme dieting symptoms.

4. In this theory, it's not a mental disorder that keeps anorexics from eating; it's their own bodies.

5. Like anorexics, people who are starving often report that they're doing much better than their physical condition would suggest.

Practice 3 Challenge Soccer Level

http://www.cubuffs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=3937&SPID=259&DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205129453&DB_OEM_ID=600

(YouTube Video: Incredible Soccer Goals)

In the following sentences, underline the Subject and put the Verb in bold of the Main Sentence (if you’re not using a computer double underline the Verbs), and put parentheses around the (Adjective Subordinating Conjunctions). Add any commas that are needed.

Example: The suitcase (that is in the den) has the papers.

Which: Always use a comma.That: Never use a comma.

Who: You choose (whether to use a comma).

1. The new emphasis on declining workplace activity represents a major shift in thinking which suggests that health care professionals and others on the front lines against obesity, who for years have focused primarily on eating habits and physical activity at home and during leisure time have missed a key contributor to America’s weight problem.

Harry S. Truman holding up the newspaper "Dewey Defeats Truman" the morning after the 1948 election. The newspapers got it wrong; Truman won.

http://www.nps.gov/hstr/parknews/index.htm

Harry S. Truman, the 33rd president of the United States, was born in Missouri on May 8, 1884. Truman grew up on the family farm in Independence, Missouri, and did not attend college. He worked a variety of jobs after high school, first as a timekeeper for a railroad construction company, and then as a clerk and a bookkeeper at two separate banks in Kansas City. After five years, he returned to farming and joined the National Guard.

Truman was elected to the United States Senate in 1934. In his first term, he served on the Senate Appropriations Committee, which was responsible for allocating tax money for Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal projects, and the Interstate Commerce Committee, which oversaw railroads, shipping, and interstate transport. Along with Senator Burton Wheeler, Truman began investigating railroads, and in 1940, he initiated legislation that imposed tighter federal regulation on the railroads, which helped him establish his reputation as a man of integrity.

In 1944, President Roosevelt, running for a fourth term, selected Truman as his Vice President nominee and both were elected in November of 1944. Truman served as vice president just 82 days before Roosevelt died of a massive stroke, and he was sworn in as president on April 12, 1945.

With no prior experience in foreign policy, Truman was thrust into the role of commander in chief and charged with ending a world war. In the first six months of his term, he announced the Germans’ surrender, dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki—ending World War II—and signed the charter ratifying the United Nations.

Truman had his favorite quote prominently displayed on his desk in the White House. “The buck stops here,” it read, making sure people understood that he would take responsibility for decisions made by his administration. Truman strongly supported creation of the United Nations, and included Eleanor Roosevelt on the delegation to the UN's first General Assembly. With the Soviet Union expanding its sphere of influence through Eastern Europe, Truman won bipartisan support for both the Truman Doctrine, which formalized a policy of Soviet containment (which attempted to keep the Soviet Union from expanding without fighting a world war), and the Marshall Plan, which aimed to help rebuild postwar Europe. These policies started what became known as the Cold War and shaped American foreign policy for the next fifty years, until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Republicans won both houses of Congress in 1946, which was seen as a judgment of Truman’s policies, and polls indicated that reelection was all but impossible. So certain seemed the victory of New York Governor Thomas Dewey that the “Chicago Tribune” famously went to press with the headline “Dewey Defeats Truman” before many polling locations had released results. The final outcome was a win for Truman with 49.5 percent of the vote, compared with Dewey’s 45.1 percent, and was one of the greatest upsets in the history of American elections.

After retiring from the presidency, Truman returned to Independence, Missouri, where he wrote his memoirs, oversaw the construction of his presidential library and took long walks. He died on December 26, 1972, and is buried next to his wife, Bess, in the courtyard of the Truman Library.

http://www.biography.com/people/harry-s-truman-9511121?page=3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_S._Truman