An attributive clause is a type of subordinate clause that modifies nouns or pronouns in the main sentence. It functions like an adjective, providing additional information about the word it modifies, which we call the antecedent. For example, in the sentence 'The book that I bought yesterday is interesting', the clause 'that I bought yesterday' is an attributive clause that modifies the noun 'book'.
Attributive clauses are introduced by relative pronouns and relative adverbs. Relative pronouns include who, whom, whose, which, and that. These are used to refer to people or things. Relative adverbs include where, when, and why, which refer to place, time, and reason respectively. For example, in 'The man who is talking is my teacher', 'who' is a relative pronoun. In 'The house where I live is very old', 'where' is a relative adverb.
Let's look at specific examples of attributive clauses. We use 'who' for people, as in 'The student who studies hard will succeed'. For things, we use 'which' or 'that', like 'The book which I read was interesting'. For places, we use 'where', as in 'The city where I was born is beautiful'. For time, we use 'when', like 'The day when we met was sunny'. And for reasons, we use 'why', as in 'The reason why he left is unclear'.
There are two types of attributive clauses: restrictive and non-restrictive. Restrictive clauses are essential to the meaning of the sentence and are not separated by commas. For example, 'The students who study hard pass exams' - this specifies which students. Non-restrictive clauses provide additional information and are separated by commas. For example, 'My brother, who lives in London, is a doctor' - this gives extra information about my brother but doesn't define which brother.
To summarize, attributive clauses are essential components of English grammar that modify nouns and pronouns. They follow a basic structure: antecedent plus relative word plus clause. Remember to use the correct relative pronouns for people and things, and relative adverbs for place, time, and reason. Understanding the difference between restrictive and non-restrictive clauses is crucial. Mastering attributive clauses will significantly improve your English writing and speaking skills.