Which sentence contains an adjective clause? A. My new electric piano, which includes over 1,000 different settings, is fun to p
lay. B. When I first learn a difficult piece, I play it very slowly. C. I have taken piano lessons since I was six years old. D. If I put on headphones, I can play the electric piano without disturbing others.
An adjective clause is basically a phrase (to be exact, a dependent clause: a group of words that can't be a sentence) that provides more description. It begins with a pronoun or adverb, like: who, whom, that, which, when, where, or why. It is not necessary to the sentence, so you can take it out and it still makes sense.
Let's work backwards. D is "If I put on headphones, I can play the electric piano without disturbing others." "If I put on headphones" is a phrase, a dependent clause, providing more description. Does it start with one of the words above? No. Is it necessary to the sentence? Yes, because this is the whole point of the sentence: to tell you HOW the character can play the piano without disturbing others, using headphones. D is incorrect.
Here's C: "I have taken piano lessons since I was six years old." "Since I was six years old" provides more description and is dependent. Does it start with one of the words above? No. Is it necessary to the sentence? Yes, because again, it's the point of the sentence. "I have taken piano lessons" doesn't tell you much! C is incorrect.
What about B? "When I first learn a difficult piece, I play it very slowly." "When I first learn a difficult piece" provides more description, and is a dependent clause. Does it start with one of the words above? YES: it starts with "when"!! We're getting closer. But is it necessary to the sentence? Try it: "I play it very slowly." But WHY does the character play it slowly? This phrase IS necessary, to explain, because it's the point of the sentence! B is incorrect.
That just leaves A: "My new electric piano, which includes over 1,000 different settings, is fun to play." The dependent clause providing more description is "which includes over 1,000 different settings." Does it start with one of the words above? YES, it starts with "which"!! Is it necessary to the sentence? Try it without the clause. "My new electric piano is fun to play." That works!! The clause is NOT necessary, starts with "which," AND provides more description! We have our winner!
For the boys of Lord of the Flies, the island represents both their temporary home as well as their prison. There is no escape, unless they can signal to a passing boat or plane using a fire. From what they can tell, it 'was roughly boat-shaped: humped near this end with behind them the jumbled descent to the shore. On either side rocks, cliffs, treetops and a steep slope: forward there, the length of the boat, a tamer descent, tree-clad, with hints of pink: and then the jungly flat of the island, dense green, but drawn at the end to a pink tail.' The primary parts of the island are the the mountain on one end of the island; Castle Rock, a pink stone formation on the other end; the beach where the boys washed up after the plane crash; the jungle in the middle of the island; and the lagoon, 'a long, deep pool in the beach with a high ledge of pink granite at the further end.' In this apparent paradise, the boys initially think of themselves as kings unfettered by the demands of grownups. While the island appears to be a place of freedom, it actually traps the boys, physically and mentally.
