The ESL HELP! Desk

Look at the sentences below and see how the adjective clause helps the writer to combine two simple sentences that have a common noun or pronoun into one complex sentence by use of a relative (or adjective) pronoun.

Example A

Two simple sentences:

Then everybody goes to a party.  Live music is performed there.

One complex sentence:

Then everybody goes to a party and live music is performed there.

One compound sentence:

Then everybody goes to a party where live music is performed.

Example B

Two simple sentences:

I have a friend.  My friend's family comes from China.

One complex sentence:

I have a friend and my friend's family comes from China.

One compound sentence:

I have a friend whose family comes from China.

Very often the noun or pronoun in common is also an object of a preposition. 

When this occurs, phrases that inclue the appropriate oreposition (e.g. to which, of which, from whose, from where, etc.) are used.

See how to do this in the examples below.

Example B

Two simple sentences:

We climbed to the top of a tree.  We could see the whole apple orchard from the top of the tree.

One complex sentence:

We climbed to the top of a tree, from where we could see the whole apple orchard.

Next...  Relative Clauses

In our next lesson, we continue with relative clauses.

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