This is a grammar question. ?

Question

Is the following sentence "the students i teach have made better grades in the past few weeks.' a simple sentence or a complex sentence? is the attributive clause 'i teach" in the above sentence a complex clause or a single clause? according to a famous grammar textbook of english used in China, the above sentence is classified into the category of "simple sentence:, i feel very puzzled. can you help me?

Answer 1

The sentence is a complex sentence. A possible problem in analyzing this particular sentence is that it does not have a relative word (who, that, which, where, etc.) marking the dependent adjective clause ''I teach'.

In English, the relative word may be omitted in some cases - the clause must be a restrictive clause and it must not be the subject of the main verb. Omitting it is optional.

Rewriting your sentence with a relative shows the clause more clearly:

The students THAT I teach have made better grades in the past few weeks.

The link below gives a good discussion of relative clauses.

ADDED: In English, the proper relative pronouns to use in restrictive clauses (such as this one) for human antecedents are WHO, WHOM. and THAT, or the pronoun may be  omitted as was done. However, if you have a nonrestrictive clause (one set off by commas), the only pronouns that may be used are WHO or WHOM, and a pronoun must be used.

The link below also includes that information.

Answer 2

I agree with the above post, but if you place a relative word, it should be "who" and not "that."  Use "who" when you are addressing people, like your students, and use "that" for objects, such as the keyboard you are using.  People are not things, so use "who" or "whom" when necessary.