THE RELATIVE PRONOUN 97
LESSON XXXVIII
THE RELATIVE PRONOUN AND THE INTERROGATIVE PRONOUN
219. Sentences are simple, compound, or complex.
a. A simple sentence is a sentence containing but one statement, that is, one subject and one predicate: The Romans approached the town.
b. A compound sentence is a sentence containing two or more independent statements: The Romans approached the town | and | the enemy fled.
Note. An independent statement is one that can stand alone; it does not depend upon another statement.
c. A complex sentence is a sentence containing one independent statement and one or more dependent statements: When the Romans approached the town | the enemy fled.
Note. A dependent or subordinate statement is one that depends on or qualifies another statement; thus the enemy fled is independent, and when the Romans approached the town is dependent or subordinate.
d. The separate statements in a compound or complex sentence are called clauses. In a complex sentence the independent statement is called the main clause and the dependent statement the subordinate clause.
220. Examine the complex sentence
The Romans killed the men who were taken
Here are two clauses:
- a. The main clause, The Romans killed the men
- b. The subordinate clause, who were taken
The word who is a pronoun, for it takes the place of the noun men. It also connects the subordinate clause who were taken with the noun men. Hence the clause is an adjective clause. A pronoun that connects an adjective clause with a substantive is called a relative pronoun, and the substantive for which the relative pronoun stands is called its antecedent. The relative pronouns in English are who, whose, whom, which, what, that.
