In the sentence This is the man I SAW, the clause I SAW is an example of which type?

In the sentence This is the man I SAW, the clause I SAW is an example of which type?

• A. Reduced relative clause
• B. Relative clause
• C. Noun clause
• D. Adverbial clause

Answer: (A)

The sentence contains a noun followed by a clause that describes which noun we’re talking about. The full form would be the man that I saw (or the man whom I saw), but the relative pronoun is omitted and the clause keeps its own finite verb I saw. That shortening is what makes it a reduced relative clause: you still have a relative clause describing the noun, but without the relative pronoun, so the clause is reduced in length. This isn’t a noun clause (which would function as a noun on its own) or an adverbial clause (which would modify the verb of the main clause).

The sentence contains a noun followed by a clause that describes which noun we’re talking about. The full form would be the man that I saw (or the man whom I saw), but the relative pronoun is omitted and the clause keeps its own finite verb I saw. That shortening is what makes it a reduced relative clause: you still have a relative clause describing the noun, but without the relative pronoun, so the clause is reduced in length. This isn’t a noun clause (which would function as a noun on its own) or an adverbial clause (which would modify the verb of the main clause).