Below are explanations for the two Relative Samples:

Relatives from The Brothers Karamazov

It came to pass that, settling permanently in Paris he, too, forgot the child, especially when the Revolution of February broke out, making an impression on his mind that he remembered all the rest of his life.

As the interactive exercise instructs, the first step is to highlight any words that could be relatives:

It came to pass that, settling permanently in Paris he, too, forgot the child, especially when the Revolution of February broke out, making an impression on his mind that he remembered all the rest of his life.

There appears to be only one relative in this sentence:

1. THAT: precedes a clause; clause modifies a noun (IMPRESSION)

Challenge Sample from The Brothers Karamazov

He lived for many years afterwards abroad, but was at that time quite a young man that had bold ideas, and distinguished himself among the Miüsovs as a man of enlightened ideas and of European culture, who had been in the capitals and abroad.

Again, the first step is to highlight any words that might be relatives:

He lived for many years afterwards abroad, but was at that time quite a young man that had bold ideas, and distinguished himself among the Miüsovs as a man of enlightened ideas and of European culture, who had been in the capitals and abroad.

For this sample, there appears to be two relatives in this sentence:

1. THAT: precedes a main verb (HAD) and serves as subject of a clause; clause modifies a noun (YOUNG MAN)
2. WHO: precedes a main verb (HAD BEEN) and serves as subject of a clause; clause modifies a noun (MAN)

Tips to Keep in Mind

The KEY MARKER for relatives is its association with a clause. In most cases, the relative will be the subject of the clause that modifies the nominal (its antecedent), but as we saw in the first sentence above, the relative can also be a headword for the clause. While this construction normally signals the clause as nominal, especially with THAT, in this case the clause is functioning adjectivally, so it is a relative. Always analyze in context!

If you have questions about these sample analyses, please contact your instructor or start a conversation in your work group.