Writing Academic English 4th Edition

172 Part 111 ISentenceStructure

ComplexSentences.

Complex

Sentences

Acomplexsentencecontainsoneindependentclauseandone(ormore)dependent

clause(s).Ina complexsentence,oneideais generallymoreimportantthanthe

other.Weplacethemoreimportantideaintheindependentclauseandtheless

importantideainthedependentclause.

Therearethreekindsofdependentclauses:adverb,adjective,andnoun.Youwill

studyallofthesekindsofclausesingreaterdetailinChapters12,13,and14.

ComplexSentenceswithAdverbClauses

Anadverbclauseactslikeanadverb;thatis,it tellswhere,when,why,andhow.An

adverbclausebeginswitha subordinator,suchaswhen,while,because, although,

if,so,orthat.It cancomebeforeorafteranindependentclause.

I DEPENDENTADVERBCLAUSE I I INDEPENDENTCLAUSE I

AlthoughwomenintheUnitedStatescouldownproperty,theycouldnotvoteuntil1920.

I INDEPENDENTCLAUSE I,------DEPENDENTADVERBCLAUSE--,

A citizencanvoteintheUnitedStateswhenheorsheis 18 yearsold.

ComplexSentenceswithAdjectiveClauses

Anadjectiveclauseactslikeanadjective;thatis,it describesa nounorpronoun.

Anadjectiveclausebeginswitha relativepronoun, suchas who,whom, which,

whose,orthat,orwitha relativeadverb,suchaswhereorwhen.It followsthenoun

orpronounit describes.

DEPENDENT

~JECTIVECLAU~

Menwhoarenotmarriedarecalledbachelors.

I DEPENDENTADJECTIVECLAUSE I

LastyearwevacationedinCozumel,whichfeaturesexcellentscubadiving.

ComplexSentenceswithNounClauses

A nounclausebeginswithawh-questionword,that,whether,andsometimesif.A noun

clauseactslikea noun;it canbeeitherthesubjectoranobjectoftheindependentclause.

,- DEPENDENTNDUNCLAUSE --,

'Thatthereisa holeintheozonelayerofEarth'satmospher~iswellknown.

DEPENDENT

!NOUNCLAUSEl

Scientistsknowwhatcausedit.

Inthefirstexample,Thatthereisa holeintheozonelayerofEarth'satmosphereis

thesubjectoftheverbis.Inthesecondexample,whatcauseditis theobjectofthe

verbknmv.

A. Step 1 Underlinetheindependentclauseofeachsentencewitha solidline.

Step 2 Underlinethedependentclausewitha brokenline.Onesentencehas

twodependentclauses.

Step 3 WriteSub.abovethesubordinator.Refertothelistofsubordinatorson

page163.

Thefirstonehasbeendoneforyouasanexample.