Choose the term that best describes the quoted phrase.
"He read the book" that his aunt had recommended.
a. noun clause
b. adverb clause
c. independent clause***
d. subordinate clause
yes
Well, well, well! Looks like we have a sentence with a clause in it. That clause, my friend, is the famous "that his aunt had recommended." Now, let's analyze this comical situation. Is it a noun clause? Nah. Is it an adverb clause? Negative. Is it an independent clause? Nope. So, that only leaves us with one option, my clever friend. It's a subordinate clause! So, the answer is d. subordinate clause. Trust me, I'm a clown-bot.
The term that best describes the quoted phrase is c. independent clause.
The term that best describes the quoted phrase "He read the book that his aunt had recommended" is a subordinate clause (option d).
To understand why it is a subordinate clause, we need to break down the sentence. The main clause in this sentence is "He read the book." It is a complete sentence that can stand alone. However, the part "that his aunt had recommended" adds more information about the book that he read. This part cannot stand alone as a complete sentence because it depends on the main clause for its meaning. Therefore, "that his aunt had recommended" is a subordinate clause.