Grammar Lesson Plan

Adjective Clauses

Teacher: Aaron D. Alder Date of Presentation: November 21, 1996 Class: Linguistics 577 Location: Brigham Young University Proficiency Level: High Intermediate/Advanced Age Level: College/College Prep Estimated Time of Lesson: 10 minutes Teaching Point/Objectives:

Students will learn about adjective clauses. Students will practice using subject and object pronouns in adjective clauses. Student will be able to identify the noun that the adjective clause is modifying.

Materials Needed:

Overhead projector Transparencies Erasable marker

Learning/Teaching Activities 1. Pre-Assessment/Warm-Up: (1 minute) a) clause: A clause is a group of words containing a subject and a verb. (transparency) Ask the students to define a clause and give examples. Explain that a simple sentence is a clause. Give examples. b) independent clause: An independent clause is a complete sentence. It contains the main subject and verb of a sentence. (It is also called a main clause.) Ask the students to define an independent clause and give examples. Explain that an independent clause is any clause that can stand alone -- it makes sense all by itself. c) dependent clause: A dependent clause is not a complete sentence. It must be connected to an independent clause. Ask the students to define a dependent clause and give examples. Explain that a dependent clause cannot stand alone. Explain that there are many kinds of dependent clauses, but we want to specifically talk about one type of dependent clause, the adjective clause.

2. Introduction: (1 minute)

Adjective clause: An adjective clause is a dependent clause that modifies a noun. It describes, identifies, or gives further information about a noun. (An adjective clause is also a relative clause.) (transparency) Ask the students what an adjective is -- a word that modifies, or describes, a noun or pronoun. It limits or makes clearer the meaning of the noun or pronoun. Ask the students to define an adjective clause. 3. Presentation: (3 minutes) a) Using Subject Pronouns: who, which, what (transparency) i) I thanked the woman. She helped me. Ask the students if they can guess how they might make one sentence out of two. a) I thanked the woman who helped me. What part is the adjective clause? What does it modify? b) I thanked the woman that helped me. What part is the adjective clause? What does it modify? ii) The book is mine. It is on the table. a) The book which is on the table is mine. What part is the adjective clause? What does it modify? b) The book that is on the table is mine. What part is the adjective clause? What does it modify? Note: A subject pronoun may not be omitted b) Using Object Pronouns: who(m), which, that (transparency) i) The man was Mr. Jones. I saw him. a) The man who(m) I saw was Mr. Jones. What part is the adjective clause? What does it modify? b) The man that I saw was Mr. Jones. What part is the adjective clause? What does it modify? c) The man I saw was Mr. Jones. What part is the adjective clause? What does it modify?

4. Practice/Evaluation: (3 minutes) a) The House That Crack Built (transparency) Have the students work in small groups, underlining each of the adjective clauses and showing which noun or pronoun they modify. i) Model: And these are the tears we cry in our sleep that fall for the baby with nothing to eat.

5. Contingency Plan: a) If the students are having difficulty understand adjective clauses, do the following oral exercises: i) GAME - Adjective Clause stretcher (Picture cards) The instructor gives the first student a picture card who begins by saying perhaps e.g. The car is red. The second student has to attach an adjective clause, e.g. The car is red, that is parked on the beach. And so on through the class. Depending on the ability

of the students, the instructor may wish to limit the game to one sentence with an adjective clause per card. The instructor can widely vary the game. For example, the classroom could be divided into two teams and score could be kept.

6. Assignment: a) Write 10 sentences with adjective clauses using current issues. Underline all adjective clauses and indicate the noun which it modifies. Paragraph must have 10 adjective clauses. i) Model: a) The plane crashed that was hijacked in Italy. b) The man was embarrassed who said the Utes would win. c) The man was angry who lost the election. d) IPO,s are the investment most people want to buy.

7. Self-Evaluation: OVERHEAD #1 1. REVIEW clause: A clause is a group of words containing a subject and a verb independent clause: An independent clause is a complete sentence. It contains the main subject and verb of a sentence. dependent clause: A dependent clause is not a complete sentence. It must be connected to an independent clause.

2. INTRODUCTION adjective clause: An adjective clause is a dependent clause that modifies a noun. It describes, identifies, or gives further information about a noun. Using Subject Pronouns: who, which, what I thanked the woman. She helped me. I thanked the woman who helped me. I thanked the woman that helped me. The book is mine. It is on the table The book which is on the table is mine. The book that is on the table is mine. Using Object Pronouns: who(m), which, that The man was Mr. Jones. I saw him. The man who(m) I saw was Mr. Jones. The man that I saw was Mr. Jones. The man I saw was Mr. Jones

Note: A subject pronoun may not be omitted OVERHEAD #2 And these are the Tears we cry in our sleep that fall for the Baby with nothing to eat, born of the Girl who's killing her brain, smoking the Crack that numbs the pain, bought from the Boy feeling the heat, chased by the Cop working his beat who battles the Gang, fleet and elite, that rules the Street of a town in pain that cries for the Drug known as cocaine, made from the Plants that people can't eat, raised by the Farmers who work in the heat and fear the Soldiers who guard the Man who lives in the House that crack built. Taylor, C. (1992). "The House That Crack Built." San Francisco: Chronical Books Advanced Composition for Non-Native Speakers of English http://eslbee.com Adjective Clauses At a certain point in your writing in English, you should be able to identify every sentence you write as simple, compound, or complex. Two additional structures, adjective clauses and appositives, will give you a much greater sentence variety within which to accomplish your writing objectives. This page contains a small amount of information about adjective clauses along with just ten very difficult exercises. First, we will define what adjective clauses are and how they work. An adjective clause is a dependent clause that modifies a noun. It is possible to combine the following two sentences to form one sentence containing an adjective clause: The children are going to visit the museum. They are on the bus. The children who are on the bus are going to visit the museum. | adjective clause | In the sentence above, there are two other ways to write the sentence correctly using the second sentence as the adjective clause. The children that are on the bus are going to visit the museum. The children on the bus are going to visit the museum. Some other sentences can be combined into a sentence using adjective clauses in a variety of ways, and they are all correct. Note the variety of ways in which the following two sentences can be combined. The church is old. My grandparents were married there. The church where my grandparents were married is old. The church in which my grandparents were married is old. The church which my grandparents were married in is old.

The church that my grandparents were married in is old. The church my grandparents were married in is old. In the sentences above, the adjective clauses are underlined. All answers are correct. Note the use of the word "in" and how and where it is used. IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT PUNCTUATION Managing simple, compound, and complex sentences, and then adding adjective clauses into the mix can result in some confusing situations regarding punctuation. There are some specific rules when punctuation is permissible or required around adjective clauses (when the information in the adjective clause is non-essential information); however, in my composition classes, I insist that students NOT use commas around adjective clauses for several reasons. First, non-essential information should generally be avoided in academic writing, at least in the short essays required for these composition classes. Thus, not including the commas will more often be right than wrong. Second, my Spanish speaking students have a natural tendency to write long sentences using many commas inappropriately. By not using commas around adjective clauses, students can perhaps more readily recognize when a period is required. Third, I believe it is easier to learn to apply commas later when they are required than the other way around. Indiscriminate use of commas is a hard habit to undo in my experience. Therefore do not use commas around adjective clauses, at least for one semester. Are you ready to take the quiz? This quiz is very difficult. These sentences are actually the hardest I could find (in the sense that you need to know ALL the rules in order to get them all correct), so please follow the directions carefully. 1. Do not use commas in any of the completed sentences. 2. Make adjective clauses of the second sentence in every case. (Obviously, any of these sentences could be written using the first sentence as the adjective clause; however, making adjective clauses of the second sentence is harder because it requires knowledge of all the "rules" of writing adjective clauses.) 3. Spell correctly! This quiz is "graded" by computer, so any spelling mistake or punctuation error, like forgetting a period at the end of a sentence, will be counted wrong. Take the QUICK QUIZ now! Finally, for those interested in more information about writing adjective clauses, a Google search of "adjective clauses" and "quiz" yields over 385 hits available here.

Examples of Adjective Clauses Adjectives modify nouns and pronouns, giving a description or more information. An adjective clause is simply a group of words with a subject and a verb that provide a description. The clause starts with a pronoun such as who, whom, that, or which or an adverb such as when, where and why. Ads by Google Study in Australia Contact an Education Provider Today Ask for Information on Scholarshipswww.StudiesInAustralia.com Adjective Clauses In Action Adjective clauses do not change the basic meaning of the sentence. In some cases, when they provide more information into a sentence, they need to be set off with commas. Here are several examples of sentences with the adjective clauses underlined:

Pizza, which most people love, is not very healthy. The people whose names are on the list will go to camp. Grandpa remembers the old days when there was no television. Fruit that is grown organically is expensive. Students who are intelligent get good grades. Eco-friendly cars that run on electricity save gas. I know someone whose father served in World War II. Making noise when he eats is the main reason why Sue does not like to eat with her brother. The kids who were called first will have the best chance of getting a seat. Running a marathon, a race of twenty-six miles, takes a lot of training. I enjoy telling people about Janet Evanovich whose latest book was fantastic. The people waiting all night outside the Apple store are trying to purchase a new iPhone. "He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe is as good as dead." - Albert Einstein Those who do not complain are never pitied. - Jane Austen People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid. Sren Kierkegaard Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died. - Erma Bombeck Ads by Google Product information. Free for your webshop or ERP system. More than 2000 brands supported. www.icecat.biz Create a Facebook Profile Find & Share A Wide Variety Of Facebook Applications. Sign Up Now! www.Facebook.com Turning Adjective Clauses into Phrases An adjective clause with a subject pronoun - such as which, that or who - can also be shortened into a phrase. You can shorten an adjective clause in two ways:

1. Omit the subject pronoun and verb. 2. Omit the subject pronoun and change the verb to the form ending in "ing." Here are some examples of how to create an adjective phrase:

Adjective Clause: The books, which are lost, are not really necessary. Adjective Phrase: The books lost are not really necessary.

Adjective Clause: The girl who is running is my best friend. Adjective Phrase: The girl running is my best friend.

Adjective Clause: His share of the money, which consists of $100,000, was given to him on Monday. Adjective Phrase: His share of the money, consisting of $100,000, was given to him on Monday.

Adjective Clause: Something that smells bad may be rotten. Adjective Phrase: Something smelling bad may be rotten.

Remember, the goal of an adjective clause is to add more information to a noun or a pronoun. You can add the information by including a few more words or by changing the adjective clause to a phrase.

Adjective Clauses First, lets remember that adjectives modify (or describe) nouns and pronouns. Example: Intelligent students understand adjectives. (The word "intelligent" is an adjective because it describes the noun "students.") But adjectives are not always single words. Sometimes they are clauses: Example: Students who are intelligent understand adjectives. (The adjective clause is underlined. It is an "adjective" clause because it describes the noun "students.") Remember A clause is a group of related words with a subject and verb.

Remember bAdjective clauses are always dependent clauses. Adjective clauses, like adverb clauses, are introduced by dependent signals. If you want to be considered cool and impress members of the opposite sex, remember this: Subordinating conjunctions introduce adverb clauses and relative pronouns introduce adjective clauses. OK, OK, so that wont impress most members of the opposite sexonly English majors. If you happen to be in love with a botanist, a cocktail waitress or a rock singer, it will be OK just to remember this: Adverb and adjective clauses are both introduced by dependent signals, but those signals are different. And now the good news (finally!). . There are only five words which introduce adjective clauses. They are called relative pronouns because they relate the clause to something in the sentence. If you find yourself not caring a hoot in a far country about that, just remember that there are only five dependent signals which introduce adjective clauses. They are: Who Whom Whose Which That

A Word of Caution: Sometimes these words function as dependent signals, but sometimes they dont. Example: How did you come up with that? ("That" doesnt introduce a clause. It identifies something. If you really want to know, it is a demonstrative pronoun. But dont worry your noggin about that now. Just be aware that these dependent signals can sometimes do other things.) Lets look at a couple of examples: I love sentences which extol the virtues of English teachers.

(The adjective clause is underlined. It modifies the object "sentences.") Students whom I admire want to become English teachers. (Again, the adjective clause is underlined and modifies the subject "students.") Remember A noun is a subject or an object, so adjectives will always modify subjects or objects. Lets look at these sentences a little more closely. I love sentences which extol the virtues of English teachers. (The verb of this clause is "extol." The subject is "which" because it stands for "sentences.") Students whom I admire want to become English teachers. (The verb of this clause is "admire." The subject of the clause is "I." The object is "whom.") If you are well fed, well rested, and psychologically at peace with yourself, you have no doubt come to an astonishing realization. Dependent signals which introduce adjective clauses perform a double duty. They introduce the clause and they also function inside the clause as a subject or object. Therefore, I call these little devils (sorry, I mean these relative pronouns), double duty dependent signals. Again, the double duty dependent signals which introduce adjective clauses are: Who Whom Whose Which That But what about these examples? The grade I received was a shock. (We dont see any dependent signal do we? But we know we have two clauses because we have two subject-verb combinations"grade/was," "I/received.") The book I borrowed was full of grammatical wisdom. (No dependent signal here either. But we have two subject verb combinations"book/was" and "I/borrowed"so we know we have two clauses.)

Look at them now: The grade [that] I received was a shock. The book [that] I borrowed was full of grammatical wisdom. (Heres the point. Sometimes the dependent signal [usually "that"] is implied. Mentally insert it, and the sentence will be easier to analyze.) Theres only one more thing about adjective clauses that you need to know. Its something youve never, ever understood, and Im going to explain it so that youll never, ever forget it. (So try to contain your joy!) Some adjective clauses need to be set off by commas and others dont. Now heres the part youve never understoodnon-restrictive clauses need commas and restrictive clauses dont. "What in the Sam Hill is the difference?" you say. It is this: Some adjective clauses are like gossip, they provide additional detail about someone (or something) whose identity we already know. Put commas around those. Examples: My English teacher, who wears old fashioned ties, is laughed at by the students. (The adjective clause is underlined. It doesnt identify the English teacher; it just provides a gossipy sort of detail about him. Set these off with commas.) My English book, which is a monument of boredom, is used mainly as a door stop. (Once again, the adjective clause is underlined. It doesnt identify the English book, it just provides a gossipy, editorial comment about it. Set this clause off with a comma.) Now take a look at these: The English teachers that I like best forget to go to class. (This isnt pure gossip any longer. The writer doesnt like all English teachers equally well. The adjective clause identifies which ones he likes best. Because it helps identify, dont set if off with commas. ) Anyone who reads all of this will go away happier and wiser. (Once again, this clause identifies who will go away happier and wiser. Its not gossip, its essential information, so dont put commas around it.)