A complex sentence has a dependent clause, and a clause has its own subject and verb, so it gets its own baseline below the main one. A dotted line joins it to the word it modifies. This builds on Diagrams: Compound Parts and Sentences.
- Adverb clause: the dotted line runs from the verb (or other word) it modifies down to the clause’s verb. The subordinating conjunction sits on the dotted line.
- Adjective clause: the dotted line runs from the noun it modifies down to the relative pronoun, which sits in its own job inside the clause (subject, object …).
Key idea
Each clause gets its own baseline. Adverb clause: conjunction on the dotted line. Adjective clause: the relative pronoun stays inside its clause, and the dotted line reaches it.
Why it works
The two baselines show the two clauses; the dotted line shows which word the dependent clause depends on. That answers the question that causes most misplaced clauses: what does this clause tell about?
Worked example: The relative pronoun’s job
In “The girl who won the race is my cousin,” where does who go?
- The clause is who won the race.
- Inside it, who is the subject of won.
- So who goes in the subject place of the clause’s baseline, and the dotted line runs from girl to who.
Answer: subject of the clause
Common mistake
Attaching the clause to the wrong word, or leaving the relative pronoun off the clause’s baseline when it is the clause’s subject or object. Ask what the relative pronoun does inside its own clause.