English grammar

295. We learned in Lesson XX that a dependent clause often has the use of an adjective, that is, it modifies a noun; as in the sentence, “This is the house that Jack built.” Such a clause as that Jack built is called an adjective clause. Why?

296. An adjective clause may be used for two different purposes.

(1) It may serve to point out a particular person, place, or thing; as, “This is the maiden all forlorn that milked the cow with the crumpled horn.” Here the clause tells what particular maiden is meant. A clause of this sort is called a restrictive clause, because it limits, or restricts, the application of the word it modifies.

(2) An adjective clause may serve merely to bring in a new thought, something that is worth telling, of course, but still not necessary to the truth of the sentence; as, “My father had ten cows, which I had to escort to and from pasture night and morning.” This clause does not tell what particular cows my father had, but merely tells an additional fact about them. Such a clause as this is called an unrestrictive clause. It is set off by a comma.

297. A restrictive clause is usually necessary to the truth of a sentence; as, “A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid,” “A prince that is a tyrant is unfit to rule.”

To find out whether a clause is restrictive or not, determine first what word it modifies; then ask yourself the question, Did the author put this clause into the sentence to point out a particular object?

Could such a term as The Declaration of Independence, my mother’s father, Theodore Roosevelt, the planet Mars, or Boston be modified by a restrictive adjective clause?

Summary.—An adjective clause is a dependent clause that modifies a noun or a pronoun.

A restrictive adjective clause is one that points out a particular person, place, or thing. A restrictive clause is not set off by commas.

An unrestrictive adjective clause is one that merely adds a new thought to the sentence. An unrestrictive clause is set off by a comma.

Exercise 1.—Select the adjective clauses. Tell what they modify. Then find out whether they are restrictive or not, and why.

Note.—Always test an adjective clause first to find out whether it is restrictive. If you decide that it is not restrictive, then it must be unrestrictive.

1. Charley Marden, whose father had promised to cane him if he ever set foot on sail or row boat, came down to the wharf in a sour-grape humor to see us off.

2. A sharp tongue is the only edged tool that grows keener with constant use.

3. From one corner of St. Paul’s churchyard runs the lively street called Cheapside, from which John Gilpin started on his famous ride.

4. The reason why the women and children slept upon the floor was their fear lest the Indians should fire through the windows and kill them in their beds.

5. The king whose despotic power was felt over the entire extent of the cattle range was an old gray wolf.

6. The monks who put peas in their shoes as a penance do not suffer more than the country boy in his penitential Sunday shoes.

7. There is a girl in the carriage, who looks out at John, who is suddenly aware that his trousers are patched on each knee and in two places behind.

8. He could see the pale and naked trunk of a pine tree, which the lightning had shattered.

9. The night that was so favorable to the wild rabbits was favorable also to the fox, the wildcat, and the weasel.

10. The only days that I can remember in Yonkers were hot.

11.

All things that are on earth shall wholly pass away,

Except the love of God, which shall live and last for aye.

12. Sleek, unwieldy porkers were grunting in the repose and abundance of their pens, whence sallied forth, now and then, troops of sucking pigs, as if to snuff the air.

Exercise 2.—Write sentences containing restrictive adjective clauses pointing out a certain river, a certain boy, a certain bridge, a certain house, a certain day.

Write sentences containing unrestrictive clauses that tell something about the moon, the President of the United States, Salt Lake City, the Sistine Madonna, the Eiffel Tower.

Write sentences containing adjective clauses introduced by the conjunctive adverbs when, where, and why. (See Lesson LXVI.) Tell whether your clauses are restrictive or unrestrictive.