Lesson 6: Relative Pronouns & More
“That” x3
Let’s head off confusion by reviewing the word “that.” You have learned three different ways this word can connect things grammatically, besides yet other uses (like functioning as an adjective, as in “that ball”). It would be helpful to compare these uses side-by-side.
“That” as a Relative Pronoun
As mentioned in the previous step, a common relative pronoun is the word “that.” For example, in our Super Sentence, Carl says to himself, “Be happy with simple food that can help to focus the mind.”
Introducing a “That-Clause”
You will also remember that in lesson 5 we learned about substantivals with one category being the substantival “that-clause.” So when we see the word “that” introducing a clause, how do we know if it is a relative clause or a substantival “that-clause?”
We know by how the clause is functioning in the sentence. A relative clause is adjectival. It describes a noun in the main sentence and is dependent. On the other hand, a “that-clause” is substantival. It replaces a noun in the sentence. If you take a substantival “that-clause” out of the sentence, you have either changed the sentence structure or created a grammatical gap.
Let’s change our Super Sentence so that the relative clause is now a substantival “that-clause.”
Carl knew that simple food helps to focus the mind.
Now the clause introduced by the word “that” is the direct object of the verb “knew.” The clause is not describing a noun, but rather replacing a noun (the direct object). And if you take the “that-clause” out of the sentence, you have changed its structure from S-Vt-DO to S-Vi.
“That” as a Subordinate Conjunction
While not as common, “that” can also serve as a subordinate conjunction. You know that you have come across one of these if the word “that” is expressing a reason or result.
Carl kept to simple foods that his mind might stay focused.
