Using Clauses as Nouns, Adjectives, and Adverbs (Introduction)

Phrase
A phrase is a group of related words. It does not contain a subject and a verb. In (a) His story is a noun phrase, In (b) sitting next to me is an adjective phrase, In (c) While walking to class is an adverb phrase, and in (d) in the library is a prepositional phrase.

(a) His story was interesting.
(b) The girl sitting next to me is Maria.
(c) While walking to class, I ran into an old friend.
(d) The student studies in the library.

Clause

A clause is a structure that has a subject and a verb. In (a) What he said is a noun clause, in (b) who is sitting next to me is an adjective clause, and in (c) While I was walking to class is an adverb clause.

(a) What he said was interesting.
(b) The girl who is sitting next to me is Maria.
(c) While I was walking to class, I ran into an old friend.

There are two kinds of clauses:

• independent clause: is a main clause and can stand alone as a sentence.

• dependent clause: cannot stand alone as a sentence; it must be connected to an independent clause.

(a) I met a man = an independent clause; it is a complete sentence.
(b) He lives in chicago = an independent clause; it is a complete sentence.
(c) who lives in Chicago = a dependent clause; it is NOT a complete sentence.
(d) I met a man who lives in Chicago = an independent clause + a dependent clause; a complete sentence.

NOUN CLAUSE

A noun is a word that is the name of something (such as a person, animal, place, thing, quality, idea, or action) and is typically used in a sentence as subject or object of a verb or as object of a preposition. In (a) and (b) Canada and English are subjects, country and language are the objects of the verb be, and in (c) desk is the object of the preposition on:

(a) Canada is a country.
(b) English is a language.
(c) Ann put her books on the desk.

A noun phrase is used as a subject or an object in a sentence but it does not contain a subject and a verb:

(a) I know his address.

In (a), his address is a noun phrase; his address is the object of the verb know.

A noun clause is used as a subject or an object in a sentence and contains a subject and a verb. In other words, a noun clause is used in the same ways as a noun phrase.

(a) I know where he lives.

In (a), where he lives is a noun clause. where he lives is the object of the verb know. The noun clause where he lives has its own subject and verb: he is the subject of the noun clause where he lives; lives is the verb of the noun clause where he lives.

1) A noun clause can begin with a question word. These common question words can be used to introduce a noun clause: when, where, why, how, who, whom, what, which, whose. Question word order is NOT used in a noun clause. A noun or pronoun comes in front of the verb in a noun clause. The prepositional phrase in the office does not come in front of be in a noun clause, as in (c):

(a) I know where my book is.
(b) Tell me whose pen this is.
(c) Tell me who is in the office.

2) A noun clause can begin with if or whether. When if introduces a noun clause, the expression or not sometimes comes at the end of the clause, as in (b). Whether has the same meaning as if. (a), (b), and (c) have the same meaning :

(a) I don't know if Ed is at home.
(b) I don't know if Ed is at home or not.
(c) I don't know whether Ed is at home or not.

3) A noun clause can begin with that. That-clauses are frequently used as the object of verbs that express mental activity. Some common verbs followed by That-clauses are: believe, feel, hear, hope, know, learn, read, say, suppose, think. The word that is often omitted, especially in speaking, as in (b):

(a) I know that the word is round.
(b) I know the word is round.

ADJECTIVE CLAUSE

An adjective modifies a noun. "Modify" means to change a little. An adjective describes or gives information about the noun. An adjective usually comes in front of a noun:

(a) I met a kind man.
(b) I met a famous man.

An adjective phrase is used as an adjective in a sentence but it does not contain a subject and a verb:

(a) The major was a man of great wealth.

In (a), of great wealth is a adjective phrase; of great wealth describes the noun man.

An adjective clause is a dependent clause that modifies a noun. It describes, identify or gives further information about a noun. An adjective clause follows a noun:

(a) I met a man who is kind to everyone.
(b) I met a man who is famous poet.
(c) I met a man who lives in chicago.

An adjective clause used pronouns to connect the dependent clause to the independent clause. The adjective clause pronouns are who, whom, which, that, and whose.

1) Subject pronouns are changed to who or that but cannot be omitted to make an adjective clause when refers to people, and object pronouns are changed to whom, who, that or can be omitted when refers to people to make an adjective clause:

The man is friendly. He lives next to me.
Subject pronoun: he
(a) and (b) has the same meaning

(a) The man who lives next to me is friendly.
(b) The man that lives next to me is friendly.

The man was friendly. I met him.
Object pronoun: him
(c), (d) and (e) have the same meaning

(c) The man who(m) I met was friendly.
(d) The man that I met was friendly.
(e) The man I met was friendly.

2) Subject pronouns are changed to which or that but cannot be omitted to make an adjective clause when refers to things, and object pronouns are changed to which, that, or can be omitted when refers to things to make an adjective clause:

The river is polluted. It flows through the town.
Subject pronoun: it
(a) and (b) have the same meaning.

(a) The river which flows through the town is pollated.
(b) The river that flows through the town is polluted.

The books were expensive. I bought them.
Object pronoun: them
(c), (d), and (e) have the same meaning.

(c) The books which I bought were expensive.
(d) The books that I bought were expensive.
(e) The books I bought were expensive.

SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT: The verb in the adjective clause is singular or plural when the noun refers to a singular or plural noun:

(a) I know the man who is sitting over there.
(b) I know the people who are sitting over there.

PREPOSITIONS: When a preposition precede an object pronoun, the preposition is included at the end within the adjective clause. In very formal English, a preposition comes at the beginning of an adjective clase, as in (d) and (h). Remember that object pronouns are changed to whom, who or that when refers to people, and to which or that when refers to things, or also can be omitted  to make an adjective clause:

The man was helpful. I talked to him.
Object pronoun: him
Preposition: to
(a), (b), (c), and (d) have the same meaning.

(a) The man whom I talked to was helpful.
(b) The man that I talked to was helpful.
(c) The man I talked to was helpful.
(d) The man to whom I talked was helpful. (formal)

The chair is hard. I am sitting in it.
Object pronoun: it
Preposition: in
(e), (f), (g), and (h) have the same meaning.

(e) The chair which I am sitting in is hard.
(f ) The chair that I am sitting in is hard.
(g) The chair I am sitting in is hard.
(h) The chair in which I am sitting is hard. (formal)

3) Possessive adjectives are changed to whose to make an adjective clause. Whose shows possession:

Possessive adjectives: his in (a), her in (b), and their in (c).

The man called the police. His car was stolen.
(a) The man whose car was stolen called the police.

I know a girl. Her brother is a movie star.
(b) I know a girl whose brother is a movie star.

The people were friendly. We bought their house.
(c) The people whose house we bought were friendly.

ADVERB CLAUSES

An adverb is a word that describes a verb, an adjective, another adverb, or a sentence and that is often used to show time, manner, place, or degree. The adverb carefully describes the action of the verb drives in (a), and the adverb quiet describes the noun hometown in (b):

(a) Ann drives carefully.
(b) My hometown is small and quiet.

A adverb phrase is used to describe a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. but it does not contain a subject and a verb:

(a) He spoke in a polite manner.

In (a), in a polite manner is an adjective phrase; in a polite manner describes the verb spoke.

Adverb clauses are dependent clauses (NOT a complete sentence) that is used to describe a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. They cannot stand alone as a sentence in written English. They must be connected to an independent clause:

(a) He drank water because he was thirsty.
(b) Because he was thirsty, he drank water.

PUNTUATION: When the adverb clause follows an independence clause, usually no comma is used, as in (a). When an adverb clause precedes an independent clause, a comma is used to separate the clause, as in (b).

In spoken English, and adverb clause can be used as the short answer to a question, as in (a):

(a) Why did he drink some water?
     Because he was thirsty.

Adverb clauses are used to express time, cause and effect, contrast, direct contrast and condition.

Summary list of words used to introduce adverb clauses:

TIME		CAUSE AND EFFECT	CONTRAST	CONDITION
after before when while as as soon as since until	by the time (that) once as/so long as whenever every time (that) the first time (that) the last time (that) the next time(that)	because now that since	even though although though DIRECT while whereas	if unless only if whether or not even if in case in the event that

1) Time clauses are adverb clauses (adverb clause of time) that are used to show TIME relationships. The following sentences are introduced by when, after, before, white, until, and as soon as:

(a) When the phone rang, I was watching TV.
(b) I went to bed after I finished my work.
(c) Before I went to bed, I finished my work.
(d) The phone rang while I was watching TV.
(e) I stayed up until I finish my work.
(f) As soon as I finish my work, I went to bed.

2) Adverb clauses are used to show CAUSE AND EFFECT with because, now that (means "because now", as in (b)), and since (means "because", as in (c)):

(a) He went to bed because he was sleepy.
(b) Now that the semester is over, I'm going to rest a few days and then take a trip.
(c) Since Monday is a holiday, we don't have to go to work.

3) Adverb clauses are used to express CONTRAST (unexpected result) like even though:

(a) Even though the weather was cold, I went swimming.

4) Adverb clauses are used to show DIRECT CONTRAST with while and whereas. A comma is usually used even if the adverb clause comes second:

(a) Mary is rich, while John is poor.
(b) Whereas Mary is rich, John is poor.

5) Adverb clauses are used to express CONDITIONS with If-Clauses (also called adverb clauses of conditions). A present tense, not a future tense, is used in an If-Clause even though the verb in the If-Clause may refer to a future event or situation, as in (b). Also may express with whether or not as in (c), even if as in (d), in case as in (e), in the event that as in (f), unless as in (g), and when only if begins a sentence, the subject and verb of the main clause are inverted and no commas are used, as in (h):

(a) If it rains, the streets get wet.
(b) If it rains tomorrow, I will take my umbrella.
(c) I'm going to go swimming tomorrow whether or not it is cold.
(d) Even if the weather is cold, I'm going to go swimming.
(e) I'll be at my uncle's house in case you need to reach me.
(f) In the event you should need to reach me, I'll be at my uncle's house.
(g) I'll go swimming tomorrow unless it's cold.
(h) Only if it rains will the picnic be canceled.

REDUCTION OF ADVERB CLAUSES TO MODIFYING ADVERBIAL PHRASES: Some adverb clauses may also be changed to modifying phrases, and the ways in which the changes are made are the same: 1- Omit the subject of the dependent clause and the be form of the verb, as in (b). Or 2- If there is no be form of a verb, omit the subject and change the verb to -ing, as in (d):
 
(a) While I was walking to class, I ran into an old friend.
(b) While walking to class, I ran into an old friend.
(c) Before I left for work, I ate breakfast.
(d) Before leaving for work, I ate breakfast.

An adverb clause can be changed to a modifying phrase only when the subject of the adverb clause and the subject of the main clause are the same. A modifying adverbial phrase that is the reduction of an adverb clause modifies the subject of the main clause,as in (b) and (d).