A clause is, of course, a group of words containing a subject and predicate and that can stand by itself as a sentence. In practice, however, clauses always function either as a noun or an adjective in complex or compound sentences, and it would greatly help us construct such sentences flawlessly if we’re sure what a particular clause is doing in them.
I’m making these observations to put in context my reply to Forum member Sky who asked me this question sometime ago: “What are substantive and attributive clauses?” This is the first time I’ve been asked this question, so I’ll make my answer as instructive and as comprehensive as I can.
Substantive clause. It is an entire clause that serves as the subject or object of a verb. Such clauses are introduced by the relative pronouns “that” and “who” or by the interrogative words “why,” “where,” and “when.”
SUBSTANTIVE CLAUSES
Examples of substantive clauses:
(1) Substantive clause in a statement: “Despite his acquittal, many believe
that the accused is guilty.” Here, “that the accused is guilty” is the substantive clause, functioning as direct object of the verb “believe.”
(2) Substantive clause in a command: “King Herod decreed
that all first-born males be killed.” Here, “that all first-born males be killed” is the substantive clause, functioning as direct object of the verb “decreed.”
(3) Substantive clause in indirect questions: “She inquired
where the residence of the village chief might be.” Here, the question “where the residence of the village chief might be” is the substantive clause, functioning as direct object of the verb “inquired.”
(4) Substantive clause as subject of the verb: “
That the accused is guilty is a foregone conclusion.” Here, “that the accused is guilty” is the substantive clause, functioning as subject of the verb “is.”
Attributive clause. It is an entire clause that serves as a modifier to give more information about a noun. Attributive clauses, more commonly called adjective clauses, can either be
restrictive or nonrestrictive.
ATTRIBUTIVE OR ADJECTIVE CLAUSES
Restrictive attributive clauses. They specify precisely which noun is being referred to. For such clauses, the relative pronoun “that” is used, never “which” (at least in American English); when the antecedent noun is a person, the relative pronoun “who” is used.
Examples of attributive clauses:
(1) Restrictive attributive clause: “She liked the laptop
that she saw in the computer shop last night.” Here, “that she saw in the computer shop last night” is the restrictive attributive clause and it modifies the noun “laptop.”
(2) Restrictive attributive clause (for a person as antecedent noun): “The writing contest winner was the young girl
who wrote about an obese, beardless hermit.” Here, “who wrote about an obese, beardless hermit” is the restrictive attributive clause modifying the noun “girl.”
Nonrestrictive attributive clauses. They provide more information about the antecedent noun, but it’s presumed that the noun referred to is already known by the reader either by context or logic. For such clauses, the relative pronoun “which” (never “that”) preceded by a comma is used; when the antecedent noun is a person, the relative pronoun “who” is used. A nonrestrictive attributive clause is optional to the sentence, which remains grammatically and structurally sound without it.
Examples of nonrestrictive attributive clauses:
(1) Nonrestrictive attributive clause: “Many people from the provinces flock to Manila
, which is the Philippine capital.” Here, “which is the Philippine capital” is the nonrestrictive attributive clause, modifying the antecedent noun “Manila.”
(2) Nonrestrictive attributive clause (for a person as antecedent noun): “Let us all congratulate Bert Cruz
, who as we all know has topped the medical licensure exam.” Here, “who as we all know has topped the medical licensure exam” is the nonrestrictive attributive clause, modifying the antecedent noun “Bert Cruz.”
Happy Easter! 
This essay appeared in the column “English Plain and Simple” by Jose A. Carillo in the Campus Press section of the March 29, 2018 issue (print edition only) of The Manila Times
, © 2018 by the Manila Times Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.(Next week:
Using a pair of commas in vain can cause great trouble) April 5, 2018
