Final answer:
Relative clauses describe nouns, providing more information about them. In a complex sentence, they function to specify or elaborate on a noun, and begin with relative pronouns such as who, which, that, whom, or whose.
Step-by-step explanation:
Relative clauses describe nouns and provide more information about the noun they are connected to. They often begin with relative pronouns like who, which, that, whom, or whose and can be found in complex sentences where they function to specify or give additional details about a noun mentioned in the sentence.
For example, in "The cake, which was delicious, disappeared quickly," the relative clause "which was delicious" describes the noun "cake." Relative clauses can contain verbs, adverbs, or adjectives within them, but the primary function of a relative clause is describing or giving more detail about a noun.
It's essential when identifying parts of speech to identify the nouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs in each sentence, just as it is necessary to understand clauses, which are groups of words containing a subject and verb, to effectively parse sentence structure. An understanding of independent and dependent clauses, as well as other elements like linking verbs and subject complements, is crucial in grammar.