Sentence Diagramming 10: The Relative Clause

Yossarian the Grammarian answers your questions about how to diagram relative clauses (clauses that function as adjectives).

[HigherPlanes]

So if you see a guy with a top hat, he has not forgotten. You sir, are brilliant!

[HigherPlanes]

I haven't forgotten the era when dry erase markers make my ears bleed

[MansoorY]

Welcome back sir. Your loyal students missed you and your lessons so much. Glad you came with great lesson as usual.

[MansoorY]

@Hogibaer

You're right Teaching English is an art.

[mrthoth]

@atomichot67 The clause "when trains were special" modifies "era, " but "when" does not modify era on its own. There can't be a when era. A pronoun is a word that stands in for a noun or nominal phrase. So "who" in "who lose their hats" stands in for "men": men lose their hats. You can replace "who" with "men" and get something sensible. If you replace "when" with "era" you get something like "era trains were special, " which doesn't work. "When" is modifying a verb, namely "were."

[mrthoth]

It's "Men forget the era when trains were special." Train travel used to be considered something that could be elegant--the era of the Pullman Car, or the Twentieth Century Limited, or the Orient Express. Nowadays train travel in the United States is generally considered a second-class way of getting around.

[mrthoth]

@MansoorY Thank you for your patience, and best wishes!

[TheWheelchairGuy]

Finally, I learnt how to write Chinese sentences

[lighttakesthetree]

Great lesson; right on time! Diagramming them makes adjective/relative clauses easier to understand. Now, where'd I put my hat?

[cornopeanus]

I respectfully submit that the dependent clause in this sentence is adverbial, not adjectival. Adverbs answer the questions when, where, why, how. The dependent clause in this sentence is clearly answering the when? question and is hence adverbial. no?

[HigherPlanes]

@Hogibaer I agree. I wish he could have been my teacher when I was in school.

[cctutorequippingvideos]

I enjoyed your video and appreciate the Art aspect of the Language arts. I was understanding how 'Which Era?' could be answered by 'the era when trains were special' and therefore make the clause an adjectival. However, I'm considering that 'when' is an adverb, as you state. Since adverbs do not modify nouns/pronouns, it therefore is modifying the verb and is really an adverbial clause. In this case, modifying 'forget' and answering 'Men forget what?' answer; when trains were special. Thoughts?

[lindaalv]

Change the marker, please! The squeaking sound is horrendous!

[alastair]

I don't understand the sentence " men forget the era when the train are special"?? what does that suppose to mean? I am totally lost, help me out here!!

[atomichot]

Question. Isn't "when " in the sentence "Men forget when trains were special" functioning as a relative pronoun, rather than a relative adverb, because it modifies the noun "era" ? If it is an adverb, shouldn't it be modifying a verb?

[atomichot]

@mrthoth 　Thank you for your prompt and clear explanation. I think it's clear now. So "when" in this sentence is a relative adverb because it is an adverb that modifies the verb "were" while at the same time it connects the two clauses, but is the clause "when trains were special" an adjective clause that modifies the noun "era" ? Am I correct?