Learn English Grammar: The Adjective Clause (Relative Clause)

Adam’s English Lessons Β· engVid
14 Nov 201620:58

Summary

TLDRIn this educational video, Adam from www.engvid.com delves into the intricacies of adjective clauses, also known as relative clauses. He explains the distinction between defining and modifying clauses, their function in sentences, and the use of relative pronouns like 'who', 'which', and 'that'. Adam clarifies when to use a comma and highlights the importance of placing the clause close to the noun it modifies. He also touches on exceptions to this rule and the use of prepositions with conjunctions, providing examples to illustrate each point.

Takeaways

  • πŸ“˜ The script introduces the concept of the adjective clause, a type of dependent clause that functions like an adjective by providing information about a noun in the sentence.
  • πŸ” Adjective clauses are also known as relative clauses, and they can be found in various grammar books under either term.
  • πŸ“Œ There are two types of adjective clauses: defining (essential to the meaning of the noun) and modifying (additional, non-essential information).
  • 🚫 Defining adjective clauses do not use a comma, whereas modifying adjective clauses are set off by a comma.
  • πŸ“ Adjective clauses begin with a relative pronoun, which can also act as the subject of the clause in some cases.
  • πŸ™…β€β™‚οΈ Relative pronouns like 'whom', 'whose', 'when', 'where', and 'why' cannot be the subject of the clause and only serve as conjunctions.
  • πŸ‘₯ 'Who' can be used for people, but 'that' is generally used for things, although 'that' can also refer to people.
  • 🏷 'Whose' indicates possession and is not limited to people; it can refer to possession by things as well.
  • πŸ“ The position of the adjective clause is crucial; it usually comes immediately after the noun it modifies, but there are exceptions.
  • βœ‚οΈ Adjective clauses can be complex, with multiple clauses in a single sentence, but clarity should be maintained to avoid confusion.
  • πŸ”„ The use of 'which' can modify the entire preceding clause, not just a single noun, and is one of the exceptions to the proximity rule.

Q & A

  • What is an adjective clause also known as?

    -An adjective clause is also known as a relative clause. Different grammar books may use these terms interchangeably.

  • What is the primary function of an adjective clause in a sentence?

    -The primary function of an adjective clause is to act like an adjective, providing additional information about a noun in the sentence.

  • What are the two types of adjective clauses mentioned in the script?

    -The two types of adjective clauses are defining adjective clauses, which are necessary to identify the noun, and modifying adjective clauses, which provide extra information about the noun.

  • Should you use a comma before an adjective clause?

    -You should not use a comma before a defining adjective clause, but you should use a comma before a modifying adjective clause.

  • What is a relative pronoun and why is it important in an adjective clause?

    -A relative pronoun is a word that begins an adjective clause and serves as a conjunction. It is important because it connects the clause to the noun it modifies.

  • Which relative pronouns can also function as the subject of the clause?

    -The relative pronouns 'that', 'which', and 'who' can also function as the subject of the clause.

  • What is the difference between 'who' and 'whom' when used in an adjective clause?

    -'Who' can be used as a subject in an adjective clause, while 'whom' can only be used as an object and must be followed by a verb.

  • Can an adjective clause be placed far away from the noun it modifies?

    -Generally, an adjective clause should come right after the noun it modifies. However, there are exceptions where it can be placed further away if the context is clear.

  • What is the purpose of using 'whose' in an adjective clause?

    -The word 'whose' is used in an adjective clause to indicate possession, and it does not necessarily have to refer to a person.

  • Can you use 'that' and 'which' interchangeably in all cases?

    -While some grammar books suggest that 'that' and 'which' can be used interchangeably, it is often preferred to use 'that' for identifying clauses and 'which' for modifying clauses.

  • What is a special use of 'which' in an adjective clause?

    -A special use of 'which' is to modify the entire clause preceding it, rather than just a single noun, and this is indicated by a comma.

  • Can a sentence have more than one adjective clause?

    -Yes, a sentence can have multiple adjective clauses, as many as there are nouns that require additional information.

  • What is the role of a preposition in an adjective clause?

    -In an adjective clause, a preposition can be used with a relative pronoun to indicate a specific relationship, such as possession or location, and it should be placed at the beginning of the clause.

Outlines

00:00

πŸ“š Introduction to Adjective Clauses

In the introductory paragraph, Adam from www.engvid.com welcomes viewers to a lesson on adjective clauses, a type of dependent clause. He clarifies that while some grammar books refer to them as relative clauses, they are fundamentally the same. Adam explains that an adjective clause functions like an adjective, providing information about a noun in the sentence. He distinguishes between defining and modifying adjective clauses, the former being essential for identifying the noun and the latter offering additional, non-essential information. He also touches on the use of commas in these clauses, noting that defining clauses do not require commas, whereas modifying clauses do. Adam introduces the concept of relative pronouns as the conjunctions initiating the clause, with some serving as the subject and others not.

05:03

πŸ” Understanding 'Who' vs. 'Whom' and Other Relative Pronouns

This paragraph delves deeper into the specifics of relative pronouns, highlighting the difference between 'who' and 'whom'. Adam emphasizes that 'who' can be a subject while 'whom' is strictly an object and should not be used with a verb. He further explains that pronouns like 'whose', 'when', 'where', and 'why' must have a separate subject in the clause. The paragraph provides examples to illustrate the use of these pronouns in sentences, clarifying that 'whose' indicates possession and is not limited to people. Adam also discusses the use of 'that' and 'which' for things and the correct placement of adjective clauses relative to the nouns they modify.

10:06

πŸ“ Examples of Adjective Clauses in Context

Adam presents examples to demonstrate the practical application of adjective clauses. He explains the difference between identifying and modifying clauses using sentences about a man living next door and Dr. Smith. The paragraph clarifies that identifying clauses do not use commas and are essential for understanding the noun, while modifying clauses provide extra information and are set off by commas. Adam also discusses the flexibility in using relative pronouns for both types of clauses and emphasizes the importance of placing the adjective clause immediately after the noun it modifies, with exceptions noted.

15:09

πŸ“– Advanced Usage of Adjective Clauses

This paragraph explores more complex scenarios involving adjective clauses, including situations where the clause is not immediately following the noun it modifies. Adam discusses exceptions to the rule and provides an example involving a field trip and students being sick. He also addresses the use of 'which' to modify the entire preceding clause and the importance of clarity in sentence construction. The paragraph reinforces the idea that while 'that' is commonly used for identifying clauses, 'which' can be used in both identifying and non-identifying contexts, with a preference for 'which' in non-identifying clauses to avoid repetition.

20:09

πŸŽ“ Concluding Remarks on Adjective Clauses

In the concluding paragraph, Adam summarizes key points about adjective clauses, including their ability to modify or identify nouns and the potential for multiple clauses in a single sentence. He touches on the use of prepositions with relative pronouns and the importance of not overcomplicating sentences. Adam invites viewers to engage with additional resources, such as a quiz and forum on www.engvid.com, to further practice and ask questions. He encourages viewers to subscribe to the YouTube channel and looks forward to their progress.

Mindmap

Keywords

πŸ’‘Adjective Clause

An adjective clause is a type of dependent clause that functions like an adjective in a sentence, providing additional information about a noun. In the video, the concept is central as the instructor explains that an adjective clause can be defining, giving necessary information about a noun, or modifying, adding extra descriptive details. For example, 'The man who lives next door is a doctor' uses 'who lives next door' as a defining adjective clause to specify which man is being discussed.

πŸ’‘Dependent Clause

A dependent clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb but cannot stand alone as a complete thought; it depends on an independent clause to form a complete sentence. In the script, the instructor distinguishes dependent clauses from independent clauses and delves into the specifics of adjective clauses, which are a type of dependent clause.

πŸ’‘Relative Pronoun

Relative pronouns are used to introduce an adjective clause and to connect the clause to the noun it modifies. 'Who', 'which', and 'that' are examples of relative pronouns mentioned in the video. They can act as the subject of the clause, as in 'The man who lives next door', where 'who' refers back to 'the man' and introduces the clause that provides more information about him.

πŸ’‘Defining Adjective Clause

A defining adjective clause is essential to the meaning of a sentence because it identifies or defines the noun it modifies. Without it, the sentence would be unclear or incomplete. The video script uses 'The man who lives next door' to illustrate this, where the clause 'who lives next door' is necessary to understand which man is being referred to.

πŸ’‘Modifying Adjective Clause

A modifying adjective clause provides additional, non-essential information about a noun. It can be removed from the sentence without changing the fundamental meaning. In the script, 'Dr. Smith, who lives next door, is a retired surgeon' includes a modifying clause 'who lives next door' that adds extra detail but is not required for the sentence's basic understanding.

πŸ’‘Comma Usage

Commas are used in English grammar to separate clauses and elements within a sentence. The video explains that commas are not used after defining adjective clauses because they are integral to the sentence's meaning. However, commas are used after modifying adjective clauses, as they provide extra information that is not essential to the sentence's core meaning, such as in 'Dr. Smith, who lives next door, is a retired surgeon'.

πŸ’‘Subject and Verb Agreement

In the context of an adjective clause, subject-verb agreement refers to the grammatical rule that the subject and verb within the clause must agree in number. The script mentions that some relative pronouns like 'who' can be both the conjunction and subject of the clause, agreeing with the verb, as in 'The man who lives next door' where 'who' agrees with 'lives'.

πŸ’‘Non-Identifying Clause

A non-identifying clause, also known as a non-defining clause, adds extra information to a sentence but is not necessary for the sentence's complete meaning. The video script explains that non-identifying clauses are set off by commas and can be removed without affecting the sentence's core meaning, as seen in the example 'Dr. Smith, who lives next door, is a retired surgeon'.

πŸ’‘Preposition with Relative Pronoun

The script discusses the use of prepositions in conjunction with relative pronouns to form prepositional phrases that can introduce an adjective clause. For example, 'about whom' or 'in which' are used to provide more information about a noun in a way that is grammatically correct and clear, such as 'The car in which the actor arrived is a Lamborghini'.

πŸ’‘Noun Clause

While not the main focus of the video, noun clauses are briefly mentioned as one of the three types of dependent clauses, along with adjective and adverb clauses. A noun clause functions as a noun in a sentence and can act as a subject, object, or complement. The script suggests that there is a separate video explaining noun clauses in more detail.

Highlights

Introduction to adjective clauses, also known as relative clauses, and their role in sentences.

Adjective clauses function like adjectives, providing additional information about a noun in the sentence.

Explanation of the two types of adjective clauses: defining (necessary for identifying a noun) and modifying (extra information).

For defining adjective clauses, no commas are used, while modifying clauses require commas to indicate they provide extra, non-essential information.

Adjective clauses begin with a relative pronoun like 'who,' 'whom,' 'whose,' 'which,' or 'that.'

'Who' can be the subject of the clause, while 'whom' is used for objects.

Examples showing how defining and modifying clauses function differently, like 'The man who lives next door is a doctor' (defining) vs. 'Dr. Smith, who lives next door, is a retired surgeon' (modifying).

Relative pronouns such as 'that' and 'which' are used for things, while 'who' or 'whom' are used for people.

'Whose' indicates possession and can be used for both people and things.

The importance of placing the adjective clause right after the noun it modifies for clarity, with exceptions.

Adjective clauses with 'which' can modify an entire clause rather than just a noun.

Multiple adjective clauses can exist in a single sentence, but excessive use can confuse readers.

Prepositions can be used with relative pronouns like 'who' or 'which,' as in 'The car in which the actor arrived.'

The flexibility of adjective clauses allows for various sentence structures but requires careful attention to avoid confusion.

Encouragement to explore additional lessons on dependent clauses, including noun clauses and adverb clauses.

Transcripts

play00:01

Hi. Welcome back to www.engvid.com.

play00:03

I'm Adam.

play00:04

In today's lesson we're going to look at the adjective clause.

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Now, this is a dependent clause, and if you're not sure what the difference between dependent

play00:14

or independent clause, you can check out my video about the independent clause and my

play00:20

introduction video to dependent clauses.

play00:23

In this lesson we're going to dive a little bit deeper into this particular dependent

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clause, the adjective clause.

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Now, some of you will have grammar...

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Different grammar books, and some of you will see this called the relative clause.

play00:39

Relative clause, adjective clause, same thing.

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Different books like to call them different things. Okay?

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So we're going to look at this.

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Now, the first thing to remember about an adjective clause before we look at the actual

play00:51

structure of it, the full clause is essentially an adjective.

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Although it's a clause, means it has a subject, and a verb, and maybe some modifiers - the

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whole piece, the whole clause together works like an adjective.

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So, because it works like an adjective: What does that mean?

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It means that it's giving you some information about a noun somewhere in the sentence.

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You could have many nouns in a sentence, you could have many adjective clauses in a sentence.

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There's no limit to how many you can have, although try not to have too many in one sentence

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because the sentence becomes very bulky, not a very good sentence.

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So let's get right into it.

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First of all, we have two types of adjective clause.

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We have a defining adjective clause, which means that it's basically pointing to the

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noun and telling you something necessary about the noun.

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Without the adjective clause, the noun is incomplete.

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I don't know what it is, I don't know what it's doing, etc.

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The second adjective clause is the modifying, means it is not necessary but we put it in

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to give a little bit of extra information about the noun.

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Okay?

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So it's like an adjective that just gives you a little bit more description about the noun.

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Two things to remember: The defining noun.

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Now, one of the biggest questions about adjective clauses is: Do I use a comma or do I not use a comma?

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For defining adjective clauses, no comma.

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For modifying, like the extra information, the ones that you could actually take out

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and the sentence is still okay, use a comma.

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We're going to look at examples and understand this more.

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Now, another thing to know about adjective clauses: They all begin with a relative pronoun.

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Okay? A relative pronoun.

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This is basically the conjunction of the clause.

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It is what begins the clause.

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Now, some of these can be also the subject of the clause, which means it will agree with

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the verb; some of them cannot.

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So these three...

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Whoa, sorry.

play03:09

"That", "which", and "who" can be both the conjunction and the subject.

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These ones: "whom", "whose", "when", "where", and "why" cannot be the subject of the clause;

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only the relative pronoun, only the conjunction of the clause.

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Now, in many cases, "that" can also be removed, but we're going to look at that separately.

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So, let's look at some examples to get an idea.

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"The man lives next door."

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So here we have an independent clause.

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Independent clause means it's a complete idea, it stands by itself as a sentence, it doesn't

play03:49

really need anything else.

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But the problem is "the man".

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Which man?

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That man, that man, the man across the street?

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I don't know.

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So this sentence, although it's grammatically complete, is technically, in terms of meaning,

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incomplete because I don't know who this man is.

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I need to identify him.

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So you can think of defining or identifying.

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Okay? I want to point specifically to one man because I have "the man".

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I'm looking at somebody specific.

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So here's one way we can do it: "The man who lives next door"-"who lives next door"

play04:29

-"is a doctor". Okay?

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So, again, I still have my independent clause: "The man is a doctor", but now I have my adjective,

play04:37

my identifying adjective clause telling me who the man is.

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Now, because I need this, I need this clause to identify, to define this man amongst all

play04:51

the possible men, then there's no comma here if you'll notice.

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And "who" is also the subject of the clause.

play05:03

Subject: "who", "lives" verb.

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Now, before I continue: What's the difference between "who" and "whom"?

play05:10

"Who" can be a subject, "whom" can only be an object.

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So you can never use "whom" with a verb.

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If you see "whom" beginning an adjective clause, there must be a separate subject in that clause,

play05:28

otherwise you're using it incorrectly.

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Okay?

play05:31

Same with these: "whose", "when", "where", and "why" all must have a separate subject

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to go with the verb in the clause.

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So now, I've identified the man, now I have a complete sentence with complete meaning.

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I can go on to my next sentence.

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Let's look at this example: "Dr. Smith, who lives next door, is a retired surgeon."

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Now, here you'll notice...

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Well, let me go back to my red pen, here.

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Here you'll notice I have a comma and a comma.

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What does this mean?

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It means that "who lives next door" is just extra information.

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I can take it out.

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"Dr. Smith is a retired surgeon."

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Here's my independent clause.

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Complete, doesn't need any more information.

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This is a choice.

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I want to give you a little bit of information, tell you where he lives.

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Now, you're thinking: "Well, why don't I need to identify him?"

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Because this is a proper name.

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Dr. Smith, I've already identified him by saying who, Dr. Smith.

play06:31

That's the person, that's his name, that's his honorific.

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He's a doctor, Smith.

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There's not that many Dr. Smiths around here anyway, so we already know who he is.

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I don't need to identify him, so this is extra information.

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Okay?

play06:47

Now, you can use all of these with a comma or without a comma.

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You can use all the conjunctions, all the relative pronouns I should say more correctly,

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you can use all of them in both identifying and non-identifying.

play07:02

We're just modifying uses.

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By the way, "modifying", just in case, means to change.

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So when you modify something, basically you're changing the meaning of it because you're

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giving more information, you're giving a more complete meaning so you're slightly changing it.

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So, for example, if I say: "The car", well, it could be any car, but if I say:

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"The red car",

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then I'm specifically pointing to one and I've changed the meaning of the word "car"

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because I've made it only one specific car, so I've modified the noun.

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Okay?

play07:33

We're going to look at some more examples and you'll see...

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But before that, actually, "that" and "which" we use when we're talking out...

play07:41

When the noun is a thing.

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Okay?

play07:44

You could use "that" for people, but why?

play07:47

You have "who" or "whom".

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If you have "who", use "who"; if you have "that", use "that" for things.

play07:53

That way you don't confuse yourself, less chance to make a mistake.

play07:58

One of the problems with this word: "whose", everybody...

play08:02

Or not everybody, but many people...

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I shouldn't say that, sorry.

play08:06

"Who", this word has nothing to do with "who", has nothing to do with person only.

play08:11

"Whose" means possession.

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Okay?

play08:19

It doesn't have to be about a person.

play08:21

A thing can possess something.

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The car whose front door...

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Left door is scratched is going to be repaired next week.

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"Whose" means the door belongs to the car.

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The car is a thing, but I can still use "whose".

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So don't confuse "whose" with people.

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It's just possession.

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"When", time; "where", place; "why".

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I put this one in brackets because really you can only say: "The reason why he did that."

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I...

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I'm a grammar purist, I'm sorry to say, and some of you might laugh at me, but I hate

play09:01

when I see: "The reason why."

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It's not wrong, it's commonly used, it's accepted, but reason is a thing.

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So I say: "The reason that he", etc.

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There's no need to use "why".

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The reason means why, use that.

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But if you use "why", you're okay, that's why I've put it in brackets.

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I don't like it, but it's acceptable.

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Use at your own discretion.

play09:23

Okay, let's look at some more examples.

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Okay, let's look at a few more samples, and we'll get into a little bit more detail about

play09:31

what's going on.

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"Jerry went to the same store where Jennifer bought her couch."

play09:37

So now, Jerry went shopping for a couch, and he went to a particular place.

play09:42

So he went to the same store where...

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So now I'm pointing to a place, the store.

play09:48

I could say: "The same store that Jennifer bought her couch at", but not a very good sentence.

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If it's a place, I can point to it as a place.

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Just use "where".

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I'm going to show you after, I'm going to show you a different way to say it using "at",

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"which", or whatever, a preposition plus "which".

play10:05

We're going to get to that.

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So, another thing you'll notice: There's no comma here.

play10:10

I'm identifying the store.

play10:13

The same store as what?

play10:16

The same store as she went, the same store as she went? No.

play10:19

The same store where Jennifer bought her couch.

play10:22

So I have to identify which store.

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Another thing to keep in mind: The adjective clause must almost always come right after

play10:33

the noun that it is modifying.

play10:35

Okay?

play10:36

Sometimes there are exceptions, I will show you those in a minute as well.

play10:40

So, no comma means identifying.

play10:43

"Frank went to study in Boston."

play10:45

Now, Boston, first of all you'll notice a capital B so it's a proper name.

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Everybody knows this city, Boston, I don't need to identify it.

play10:54

So anything that comes in the adjective clause after will follow the comma because it's modifying,

play11:01

it's extra information.

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"...where" means Boston, the place, the city.

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"...where some of the world's best universities are based."

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Simple enough.

play11:10

But again, right after the noun it's modifying.

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Now, generally speaking, when you have an identifying or defining clause with no commas,

play11:19

you're going to use "that".

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When you have a modifying clause with commas, you're going to use "which" when we're talking

play11:25

about things.

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But there are occasions where you can use "that" or "which".

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In many grammar books you will see "which" or "that", you can use them both.

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I prefer that you use "that" with identifying, "which" with non-identifying, but there are

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occasions where I would use "which" instead.

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"The only effort that matters is that which leads to a win."

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Okay?

play11:51

Now, what is this?

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Keep in mind that the word "that" is one of the most confusing words in English because

play11:59

it has many functions.

play12:00

In this case, this is a pronoun, a demonstrative pronoun.

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"That" means "that effort".

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Okay? So, here, it's a noun basically.

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It's a pronoun.

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So I am modifying this noun with this adjective clause.

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So I could say: "The only effort that matters is that that leads to a win."

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Not wrong, it's totally okay, you can say that, but having "that" and "that" can be

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a little bit confusing, can sound a little bit off, which is why I prefer to use "which"

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in this case.

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Otherwise, I would go with "that" for the identifying clause.

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Okay?

play12:40

I'm talking about the effort, the specific effort that leads to a win.

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Okay? But, again, I don't want to have: "that that", so I'm going to use "which" in this case.

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Otherwise, not. We're going to look at a few more examples to have a better idea of when to use what.

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Okay, let's look at our next examples, and a few things to mention here specifically

play13:01

about adjective clauses.

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So first remember I said that the adjective clause must always come right after the noun

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it's modifying.

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There are exceptions.

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This is the thing about English, there's exceptions to every rule.

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Let's look at this example:

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"Many students in Mrs. Reynold's class who went on the field trip are home sick..."

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Oh, sorry.

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"...are home sick with the flu that's going around".

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Okay?

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Now, is this adjective clause: "who went on the field trip"...

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A field trip is basically in school when the kids go out to a museum or to a play or whatever,

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that's called a field trip.

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Is this modifying "class"?

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No, of course not.

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"Class" is not a person, I can't use "who".

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I'm obviously talking about the students.

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I'm modifying the students.

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So it's very far away.

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In this case it's probably okay because: A) I have a prepositional phrase.

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Okay?

play13:58

So the prepositional phrase basically completes the idea of students, so "students" is the

play14:04

actual noun.

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Now, another thing is it's very clear that "who" is not talking about "class".

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In this case, it's very difficult for a reader to get confused.

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The reader knows that it's about students, and therefore it's okay to do it.

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Try to avoid it.

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If you can write another way, if you can say:

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"Many students who went on the field trip in Mrs. Reynold's class",

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this actually is a much more confusing sentence.

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If you try to put the modifier...

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If you try to put the adjective clause directly after "students", you would make the sentence

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even more complicated.

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If you can put it like this and it's clear and it's easy to understand, leave it.

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If you can't, rearrange the entire sentence to put it a different way so you can put the

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adjective clause next to the noun if you think the reader will be confused.

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"...are home sick"-this is two words-"with the flu that's going around".

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Now, the reason I added this...

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This is, again: "...that is going", we have another adjective clause identifying which

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flu we're talking about.

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There's a flu that's going around to all the kids.

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All I wanted to show you here that you can have a sentence with more than one adjective clause.

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You can have many adjective clauses.

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As many nouns as there are in a sentence, that's how many adjective clauses you can have.

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You can even have an adjective clause inside an adjective clause if that first adjective

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clause has a noun in it.

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Okay? But again, the more you put in, the more chance there are to confuse your reader.

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And again, we're talking more about writing than speaking here.

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In speaking you can get away with a lot more.

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Now, another thing: Remember what I said, again, about putting it right behind, right

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next to the noun you're modifying?

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Except for the case of "which".

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An adjective clause with "which" can modify the entire clause before it.

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So this "which" is not about "test".

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Okay?

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This "which" is modifying the entire clause.

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"Larry failed his test," so "which" talks about this situation,

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"means he'll have to go to summer school".

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Okay?

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So this "which" is talking about the entire situation, but you can only do it with "which",

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you can't do it with "that" necessarily.

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And, again, we're still doing...

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We're still doing a comma because when you're doing it like this, "which" above the entire

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clause, there's always going to be a comma because you're not identifying the noun before it.

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One other thing to look at here:

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"...which means that he'll have to go to summer school".

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Another thing you have to keep in mind is that the pronoun "that" can also begin a noun clause.

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If you're not sure about noun clauses, I have a video about those.

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You can check that out and you can learn about noun clauses that act...

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In this particular case, the noun clause acts as an object to the verb "means".

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Means what? "...that he'll have to go to summer school".

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So, again, you have a sentence, you have a clause inside a clause, and the whole clause

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is about the whole other clause.

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Confusing.

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No, not really.

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Everything has to make sense.

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That's the beauty about English, it must makes sense.

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If you know how to cut everything into its proper pieces, if you know how to relate every

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word or every phrase or every clause to everything around it, it all makes sense.

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So be patient, slowly go through every piece.

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Make sure that everything has its place, has its function, has its purpose.

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Okay.

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Last one.

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One last thing you want to know about adjective clauses: Sometimes we can use a preposition

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with a conjunction, with a relative pronoun.

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Most commonly you're going to use "who" or "which" to use these, and the thing to remember

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about the preposition: They're regular prepositions.

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They still have the same function as a preposition.

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So, "about" means regarding something, you're talking about something, you're pointing to something.

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So in this case, a billionaire is the person.

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"...about whom", so: "...the public knows little..."

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Whoa, sorry, I doubled here.

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Don't do that.

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Don't put both the preposition at the beginning and the end, only at the beginning.

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You could say: "...whom the public knows little about".

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But some grammar teachers will tell you that's bad English, never put "about" at the end

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of the clause; always put at the beginning or other places.

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"...about whom the public knows little, donated millions to charity".

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So: "The eccentric billionaire donated to charity"-that's your independent clause-

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"about whom the public knows".

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So "knows" is your verb, "...knows little about the billionaire".

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Okay?

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The car in which the actor arrived to the party is a Lamborghini.

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The car in which, so the actor arrived in the car, in the Lamborghini, in which, about

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whom, about which.

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To which, to whom.

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You can use any combination of preposition with pronoun, but remember that the preposition

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takes the function of a preposition, nothing else.

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Okay, so again, there's lots...

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A lot more examples that we could go through, but they all basically function in the same way.

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An adjective clause is an adjective.

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In a different lesson we're going to look at the way that adjective clauses can be reduced

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to one word or one phrase, but that's a different lesson that you can watch that and learn about that.

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And lots of things you can do.

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Remember that there are three dependent clauses: Noun clause, adjective clause, adverb clause.

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There's a lesson for each one of those.

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You can watch those.

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And that's it.

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If you like this lesson, please subscribe to my YouTube channel.

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If you have any questions about this lesson, please go to www.engvid.com.

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There's a forum there, you can ask your question and I will be happy to answer you.

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There's also a quiz with more sample sentences for you to practice with.

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And again, do the quiz, ask me the questions, everybody will get ahead in no time.

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Okay?

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Thank you very much.

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See you next time.

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Bye-bye.

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Related Tags
Adjective ClausesEnglish GrammarRelative PronounsDefining ClausesModifying ClausesLanguage LearningAdverb ClausesNoun ClausesPronoun AgreementSentence StructureEducational Video