Here is a question my students and I found difficult.
Huricanes move with the large scale wind currents _______ are imbedded.
a. that they
b. which they
c. in that they
d. in which they
The correct answer is D.
I will give 1,000,000 dollars in imaginary money to anyone who can explain why. Please blog it out.
Keywords: TOEFL MAKES ME CRAZY
Comments
WOW--this is quite a complex grammar structure for L2 learners! I had to diagram the sentence out to get a better look at it. Anyway, this is my (perhaps complicated) anaysis of this structure:
"Hurricanes move with the large-scale wind currents in which they are embedded."
First of all, in everyday spoken English, we would probably dangle the preposition “in” at the end of the sentence and probably omit “which”: “Hurricanes move with the large-scale currents (which) they are embedded in.” However, in formal or written English, the preposition is placed before the relative pronoun (which).
MAIN INDEPENDENT CLAUSE:
"Hurricanes move with the large-scale wind currents"
Analysis of the main clause:
“Hurricanes” is the subject of the main clause.
“move” is the main verb
“with the large-scale wind currents” is an adverbial prepositional phrase modifying “move” (answers: how)
“with” is the preposition
“currents” is the noun object of the preposition “with”
“large-scale” and “wind” are adjectives describing “currents"
DEPENDENT “RELATIVE ADJECTIVAL CLAUSE”—describing the noun “currents”:
"in which they are embedded"
"they" is the subject of the dependent clause
"are embedded" (verb in passive voice, or "are" as the verb and "embedded" as the predicate adjective describing "they")
“which” is the relative pronoun connector from the dependent clause to the main clause—it relates back to the noun “currents”
In diagramming this sentence, we would draw a broken line connecting the relative pronoun “which” to its antecedent noun “current.”
Analysis of the relative dependent clause:
[The relative pronoun “which” actually functions as the object of the preposition “in.”]
“they” is the subject of the dependent relative clause
“are embedded” -- the verb “in which” -- a prepositional phrase
“in” is the preposition
The relative pronoun “which” is the object of the preposition “in.”
Further to my previous comment: Why do we use "which" rather than "that"?
According to Understanding English Grammar by Martha Kolln: "In the case of the relative clause, the relative pronoun provides some clues for punctuation."
"The adjectival that clause is always restrictive; it is never set off by commas. The which clause is generally nonrestrictive; it is set off by commas. You can test a which clause by substituting that; if it works, the clause is restrictive, and if not, it is nonrestrictive."
HOWEVER, "there is an exception to this general rule about that in restrictive and which in nonrestrictive clauses: Only which functions as the object of a preposition; that does not. So the relative in that position will be which whether the clause is restrictive or nonrestrictive."