Grammar Terms: Modal Verbs and Clauses

Question 1

In the sentence “The chef who cooked the soup praised the fresh herbs,” which part is the relative clause and which word is the relative pronoun that introduces it?

Accepted Answer

"who cooked the soup" – the relative clause, introduced by the relative pronoun "who".

Answer

"the soup praised the fresh herbs" – the relative clause, introduced by the word "praise".

Answer

"the chef" – the relative clause, introduced by the word "chef".

Answer

"has a new wing" – the relative clause, introduced by the word "has".

Question 2

Read this sentence: "The cyclist who rode the steep hill won the race." Which option correctly names the relative clause and the relative pronoun that starts it?

Accepted Answer

Relative clause: "who rode the steep hill"; relative pronoun: "who"

Answer

Relative clause: "won the race"; relative pronoun: "who"

Answer

Relative clause: "The cyclist"; relative pronoun: "who"

Answer

Relative clause: "rode the steep hill"; relative pronoun: "who"

Question 3

In the sentence "The explorer discovered an ancient map—its edges worn and torn—while crossing the desert," why do the two dashes create a parenthesis and what is their function?

Accepted Answer

The dashes set off extra information that is not essential to the main clause, so they act as a parenthesis that adds an aside for the reader.

Answer

The dashes turn the statement into a question, which is the purpose of a parenthesis.

Answer

The dashes join two separate sentences together, which is what a parenthesis does.

Answer

The dashes show that a word is missing, indicating the writer forgot something, which is why they are called a parenthesis.

Try three questions

In the sentence “The chef who cooked the soup praised the fresh herbs,” which part is the relative clause and which word is the relative pronoun that introduces it?

Read this sentence: "The cyclist who rode the steep hill won the race." Which option correctly names the relative clause and the relative pronoun that starts it?

In the sentence "The explorer discovered an ancient map—its edges worn and torn—while crossing the desert," why do the two dashes create a parenthesis and what is their function?

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