Sentence Complexity and Embedding

Adjective Clauses

Activity 16.3: Understanding Relative Pronouns

Exercise A -- Study the sentences below and place an X in front of the ones that include adjective clauses. Underline the adjective clauses and circle the relative pronouns in each.

______ 1. Yesterday I saw a man. The man was picking his nose.
__X___ 2. Yesterday I saw a man who was picking his nose.
______ 3. Yesterday I saw a house. The house was painted turquoise.
___X__ 4. Yesterday I saw a house which was painted turquoise.
______ 5. Yesterday I saw a woman. I knew the woman.
___X__ 6. Yesterday I saw a woman whom I knew.
______ 7. Yesterday I saw a dog. I chased the dog down the street.
__X___ 8. Yesterday I saw a dog which I chased down the street.
______ 9. Yesterday I saw a dog. The dog’s collar was studded with spikes.
___X__ 10. Yesterday I saw a dog whose collar was studded with spikes.
______ 11. Yesterday I saw a man. The man’s hair was green.
___X___ 12. Yesterday I saw a man whose hair was green.

Exercise B — Now look closely that the words you circled and try to determine why that pronoun is used. What is involved in relative pronoun choice?

Relative pronouns must agree with their referents in animacy, but take their case from their grammatical role in their own clause.

Adjective Clause 1