How to distingulish between the usage of clauses and relative clause? PartII

Question

Hi, everyone, thanks for the replies in my first post.
And I have some ideas to distinguish between clauses and relative clauses right now.

I make a conclusion and would you mind correct me if it is wrong?

"If the relative pronoun (when, where, who, whose, etc) cann't be replaced by and(anymore?), we can say the clause must be relative clause, otherwise, we cann't as it must be a kind of adjectival, adverbial or noun clause. "

Examples like this:
He was taken to the police station where he proceeded to make a full confession.
Note that you could use "and" in place of "where" without changing the essential meaning. Note that the syntax is still correct:
He was taken to the police station and he proceeded to make a full confession.
You cannot do that for the relative clauses, which need a relative pronoun to refer to the noun:

My sister who lives near me loves to sing.
X My sister and lives near me loves to sing.

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

Hi hktrader;
You have missed one point - that a relative clause is also called an adjectival clause because it has the function of an adjective. That is, to modify (describe, delimit) a noun.

The fence, which is around the garden, is really too high for climbing. (the relative clause describes the fence)
The police station where he first confessed to the crime has been torn down. (the relative clause identifies the particular station.)
Victor's mother, who is wearing the red dress, is the most beautiful woman in the room. (the relative clause describes the mother.)

In your example sentence, the clause does not serve to identify or describe the station, but it continues the action in the main clause.
He was taken to the police station where he proceeded to make a full confession.

Compare with
He was taken to the police station which was located in the Ninth Precinct.

Here is a good article on relative clauses and relative pronouns: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/645/01/

Hktrader · Answer

AlpheccaStarsHi hktrader;You have missed one point - that a relative clause is also called an adjectival clause because it has the function of an adjective. That is, to modify (describe, delimit) a noun.The fence, which is around the garden, is really too high for climbing. (the relative clause describes the fence)The police station where he first confessed to the crime has been torn down. (the relative clause identifies the particular station.)Victor's mother, who is wearing the red dress, is the most beautiful woman in the room. (the relative clause describes the mother.)In your example sentence, the clause does not serve to identify or describe the station, but it continues the action in the main clause. He was taken to the police station where he proceeded to make a full confession.Compare withHe was taken to the police station which was located in the Ninth Precinct.Here is a good article on relative clauses and relative pronouns: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/645/01 /

Thanks, Alphe.
In other words, is that relative clause MUST BE adjectival clause?
so relative clause is one kind of adjectival clause.

AlpheccaStars · Answer

Please refer to the definition of a "relative clause"
http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/american/relative-clause

There are three requirements for a relative clause:
It is a dependent clause (it cannot stand by itself as a sentence)
It is introduced by a relative pronoun (see the list of these in the link I gave you)
It describes a noun (the antecedent of the relative pronoun). - This characteristic qualifies it as an adjectival clause.

Hktrader · Answer

AlpheccaStarsPlease refer to the definition of a "relative clause" There are three requirements for a relative clause: It is a dependent clause (it cannot stand by itself as a sentence) It is introduced by a relative pronoun (see the list of these in the link I gave you) It describes a noun (the antecedent of the relative pronoun). - This characteristic qualifies it as an adjectival clause.

Actually I read the definition of relative clause so many times!
But I still find difficulties to distinguish between relative clause and others(nouns clause, adjectival clause and adverbial clause)

Can anyone give me a simple mean to see the different?

AlpheccaStars · Answer

An adjective describes / limits / identifies a noun.
A relative clause describes / limits / identifies a noun.

What is the difference?

An adjective can be a single word (green, heavy, quick), a phrase of several words (big, black, hairy), a prepositional phrase, a participle (eg. educated), or a clause.
So there are many grammatical forms that an adjective can have.

A relative clause always has the function of an adjective. Thus all relative clauses are adjective clauses.
So "relative clause" and "adjective clause" are functionally synonymous.

I am not absolutely confident that the reverse is true - that is all adjective clauses are relative clauses. It probably depends on the grammar textbook that you are using. For example, some grammar texts define "reduced clauses" that are adjectival in function but they do not begin with a relative pronoun. They can always be paraphrased as a relative clause, though.

The man wearing the black hat is my uncle. (The man who is wearing...)
The man elected president is a former army general. (The man who was elected president...)

As for the other clauses, a noun clause functions as direct object, subject, or object of a proposition in a sentence. Direct object is most common. Here is a great resource for understanding noun clauses: http://www.pitt.edu/~atteberr/comp/0150/grammar/nounclauses.html

I decided that I had to get a new car. (direct object)
We ate whatever we wanted for lunch. (direct object)

Whoever gets the most votes will win the election. (subject)
The new store will give a prize to whoever comes in between 6:00 and 6:30. (object of preposition)

So if the clause is not a noun clause, and if it is not an adjective clause, then the only possibility is the adverb..
Adverbial clauses give information such as When? "Where? Why? How?

We left because we were tired. (Why?)
We drank water when we were thirsty. (What time?)
We stayed in the bar until the sun came up.

Here is a good resource:
http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/410/grammar/advcls.htm

How to distingulish between the usage of clauses and relative clause? PartII

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