COMPLEX SENTENCES

English for Academic Purposes

Universitas Indonesia
A Complex sentence
contains one independent clause and one (or more)
dependent clause(s).

The kinds of dependent clauses are:

- Adverb clause
- Adjective clause
- Noun clause
ADVERB CLAUSE
• A dependent adverb clause begins with an adverbial
subordinator such as when, while, because, although, if,
so that, etc.
Example
• Women in the US could own a property.
• They could not vote until 1920

• Although women in the US could own a property, they

could not vote until 1920.
• In the US, women could not vote until 1920 although they
could own a property.
EXERCISE
• The government has imposed a 40 percent tariff on
imports of raw materials.
• This is why Indonesian cable manufacturers are facing
difficult times.
• Indonesian cable manufacturers are facing difficult times
because the government has imposed a 40 percent tariff
on imports of raw materials.
• A lot of harmful incidents have recently happened in
society.
• This is because sophisticated technological devices are
very vulnerable to electromagnetic devices.
• A lot of harmful incidents have recently happened in
society because sophisticated technological devices are
very vulnerable to electromagnetic devices.
• People in Jakarta have problems with the public transport.
• The reason is that the number of vehicles is insufficient to
meet the demand.
• People in Jakarta have problems with the public transport
as the number of vehicles is insufficient to meet the
demand.
ADJECTIVE CLAUSES
• An adjective clause
is a dependent clause that modifies a noun.
It describes, identifies, or gives further information about a
noun (it’s also called a relative clause)
Types of Adjective Clauses
1. Using subject pronouns: who, which, that
I thank the woman.
She helped me.

(a)I thank the woman who helped me.

(b)I thank the woman that helped me.
The book is mine.
It is on the table.

(a) The book which is on the table is mine.

(b) The book that is on the table is mine.
2. Using object pronouns: who(m), which, that
PRONOUN USED AS THE OBJECT OF A VERB

The man was Mr. Jones.

I saw him.

(a) The man who(m) I saw was Mr. Jones.

(b) The man that I saw was Mr. Jones.
(c) The man I saw was Mr. Jones.
The man who saw me is Mr Jones

The man whom I saw is Mr Jones.

The movie wasn’t very good.
We saw it last night.

(a) The movie which we saw last night wasn’t very good.
(b) The movie that we saw last night wasn’t very good.
(c) The movie we saw last night wasn’t very good.
PRONOUN USED AS THE OBJECT OF A
PREPOSITION
She is the woman.
I told you about her.

(a) She is the woman about whom I told you.

(b) She is the woman whom I told you about.
(c) She is the woman that I told you about.
(d) She is the woman I told you about.
3. Using Whose
I know the man.
His bicycle was stolen.
I know the man whose bicycle was stolen.

Mr. Catt has a painting.

Its value is inestimable.
Mr. Catt has a painting whose value is inestimable.
• Mr Catt has a new painting.
• His collection is inestimable.
• Mr Catt whose collection is inestimable has a new
painting.
4. Using where
The building is very old.
He lives there (in that building).

The building where he lives is very old.

The building in which he lives is very old.
The building which he lives in is very old.
The building that he lives in is very old.
The building he lives in is very old
5. Using when
I’ll never forget the day.
I met you (on that day).

I’ll never forget the day when I met you.

I’ll never forget the day on which I met you.
I’ll never forget the day that I met you.
I’ll never forget the day I met you.
Punctuation of Adjective Clauses
• General guidelines:
• DO NOT USE COMMAS IF the adjective clause is
necessary to identify the noun it modifies.
• USE COMMAS IF the adjective clause simply gives
additional information and is not necessary to identify the
noun it modifies.
• The professor who teaches Chemistry 101 is an excellent
lecturer.
• Professor Wilson, who teaches Chemistry 101, is an
excellent lecturer.
• Hawaii, which consists of eight principal islands, is a
favorite vacation spot.
• The island which is bigger than Java island is the dirtiest.
Compare the meaning
• We took some children on a picnic. The children, who
wanted to play soccer, ran to an open field as soon as we
arrived at the park.

• We took some children on a picnic. The children who

wanted to play soccer ran to an open field as soon as we
arrived at the park.
REDUCED CLAUSES
I. Reduction of adjective clauses to adjective phrases
An adjective phrase
is a reduction of an adjective clause that modifies a
noun and does not contain a subject and a verb
• The student who is talking to the teacher is from
Bengkulu
• The student talking to the teacher is from Bengkulu
Two ways in which adjective clause is changed to an
adjective phrase
1. The subject pronoun and the be form of the verb are
omitted
Clause: Last night Prof. Joan Kennedy gave a lecture
which was on technological developments in her
country
Phrase: Last night Prof Joan Kennedy gave a lecture
on technological developments in her country
2. If there is no be form of a verb in the adjective clause, it’s
possible to omit the subject pronoun and change the verb
into its –ing form
Clause: English has an alphabet that consists of 26
letters
Phrase: English has an alphabet consisting of 26
letters.
Noun Clause
• A noun is used as a subject or an object
• A noun clause is used as a subject or an object

• His story was amazing

• What he said was amazing
Noun Clauses which begins with a question word
• I don’t know where she lives.
• I couldn’t hear what he said.
• Do you know when they arrive?
Noun Clauses which begins with whether or if
• I don’t know whether she will come
• I don’t know if she will come
Noun Clauses which begins with That
• Expression of an idea or fact:
• He is a good actor:
• I think that he is a good actor
• I think he is a good actor

• She doesn’t understand spoken English:

• That she doesn’t understand spoken English is obvious
• It is obvious (that) she doesn’t understand spoken English
• One language experiment used colored plastic shape as
substitutes for spoken words. One language experiment
succeeded in teaching a chimpanzee to communicate
with her trainers. The chimpanzee was named Sarah.
• One language experiment which succeeded in teaching a
chimpanzee, named Sarah, to communicate with her
trainers used colored plastic shape as substitutes for
spoken words.
• It is understandable. People like to live in a city.
• It is understandable that people like to live in a city.

• Credit cards are dangerous. They encourage people to

buy things. These are things that people do not really
need.
• Credit cards are dangerous because they encourage
people to buy things that people don’t really need.
• Many Americans use their microwave to make popcorn.
The Iroquois Indian used heated sand to pop theirs.
• Many Americans use their microwave to make popcorn
while the Iroquois Indian used heated sand to pop theirs.
HOMEWORK
• PAGE 130 – 132
• FORMAT: MICROSOFT WORD DOCUMENT (.DOC)
• SUBJECT :
• CLASS 23– FTUI – (YOURNAME)-CLAUSE
HOMEWORK
• SEND TO : aria.aradhea@ui.ac.id