Noun, Adjective, and Adverb Clauses

Shintia a. And yesi l.

Noun Clauses

A noun clause is a subordinate

clause that acts as a noun.
Usually start with a relative
pronoun
Relative Pronouns: that,
which, who, whom, whose
Acts like a noun or an adjective

Functions in
Sentences

Examples

Subject

Whoever travels the

Chattahoochee River follows the
yellow rafts gently floating down a
peaceful track.

Direct Object

You must pack whatever you will

need.

Indirect Object

You should give whoever waits at

the camp a copy of your route.

Object of a
Preposition

Robert Campbell settled trading

camps in whatever regions the
Hudsons Bay Company sent him.

Predicate
Nominative

At 40, Campbells most notable

achievement was that he
established Fort Selkirk.

(is a noun or pronoun that

appears with a linking verb
and renames, identifies, or
explains the subject)

Adjective Clauses

An adjective clause is a
subordinate clause that modifies a
noun or pronoun by telling what kind
or which one. Adjective clauses act
like adjectives.
Usually connected to the word it
modifies by one of the relative pronouns
(that which, who, whom, or whose).
Sometimes, it is connected by a relative
adverb (after, before, since, when,
where, or why).

Examples of Adjective
Clauses
Arctic winters, which are long
and cold, are severe.
The arctic is a region where
life is difficult.
She likes the guy who sits in
front of her.

Essential and Nonessential

Adjective Clauses

An adjective clause that is

nonessential to the basic
meaning of a sentence is set off
by commas.
The

ship, which was a nuclear

submarine, became the first
vessel to pass beneath the North
Pole.

Example of an Essential
Adjective Clause

Essential adjective clauses are

not set off by commas.
The

first vessel that passed

beneath the North Pole was a
nuclear submarine.

Practical Use of Adjective

Clauses

By using either a nonessential or an

essential adjective clause, you can
often combine the ideas from two
sentences into one.
The Arktika was the first surface ship to
crack through the Arctic icepack. It was
a Soviet ice breaker.
Combine the above two sentences using
an essential or nonessential adjective
clause.

Solution

The Arktika, which was a Soviet

icebreaker, was the first surface
ship to crack the Arctic ice pack.

Adjective Clauses Continued

Relative pronouns and relative

adverbs not only introduce
adjective clauses, but also
function within the subordinate
clause.

Adjective Clauses Continued

A relative pronoun or relative

adverb:
Connects

the adjective clause to

the modified word
Acts within the clause as a
subject, direct object, or other
sentence part.

The Uses of Relative

Pronouns Within the Clause
As a Subject:
that is within the Arctic Circle

The part of Alaska that is

within the Arctic Circle is cold
most of the year.

As a Direct Object:
(Reworded) I met whom last
year

The explorer whom I met last

year has never been to the
North Pole.

As the Object of a
Preposition:
(Reworded) little foliage can
grow in which obj of prep

The climate is one in which

little foliage can grow.

As an Adjective:
whose sled left without him
Adj.

I saw a dog whose sled left

without him.

Adverb Clauses

Adverb clauses modify verbs,

adjectives, adverbs, or verbals by
telling where, when, in what way, to
what extent, under what condition,
or why.
An example of an adverb clause is
as follows:
The

Yukon entered Canadas

confederation after a gold rush brought
100,000 people to the territory.

Adverb Clauses Continued

The Yukon entered Canadas

confederation after a gold rush
brought 100,000 people to the
territory.
Here the subordinate clause after a
gold rush brought 100,000 people to
the territory is modifying or
describing the verb entered.

More on Adverb Clauses and how these

clauses function in sentences
Remember that adverb clauses modify verbs, adjectives, adverbs, or
verbals (gerund, participial, and infinitive phrases) by telling where,
when, in what way, to what extent, under what condition, or why.

Modified
Words

Examples

Verb:

The Yukon entered Canadas confederation

after a gold rush brought 100,000 people to
the territory.

Adjective:

The miners children were nervous whenever

he entered a tunnel.

Adverb:

Todays dig lasted longer than the one

yesterday.

Participle:

The miners, cheering whenever someone

made a strike, were excited.

Gerund:

Digging wherever miners thought there was

gold has left the Yukon full of old miners.

Infinitive:

The tired miners wanted to relax after the

workday ended.

Elliptical Adverb Clauses

In an elliptical adverb clause,

especially those beginning with
as or than, the verb or both the
subject and the verb are not
stated but are understood.
Verb

Understood: I am taller than

he (is).
The Yukon has as many rural
inhabitants as (it has) urban
inhabitants.