What is charterers contribution clause?

How do you determine if a clause is used as an appositive clause (noun clause) or an adjective clause?

• My teacher in English gave these as examples. (I forgot the exact sentences, but they go like this): ADJECTIVE CLAUSE (NON-RESTRICTIVE): "which was the first to arrive" The fully air-conditioned bus, which was the first to arrive, was full of passengers. NOUN CLAUSE: "who often rejected society's traditional sources of authority" Some young Americans, who often rejected society's traditional sources of authority, prized individual expression in thought and behavior above everything. My teacher said that the clause "who often rejected society's traditional sources of authority" in the second sentence is an appositive, which means it is considered as a noun clause and not an adjective clause. This confuses me, as I believe that the clause in the second sentence is actually an adjective clause, not a noun clause. It modifies the subject "Americans" (which is a noun). By definition, an adjective clause modifies a noun or a pronoun. On the other hand, an appositive clause "renames" the subject or defines it - meaning, the subject and its appositive mean the same thing. In my opinion, the function of the clause "who often rejected society's traditional sources of authority" is more of modifying/describing the subject rather than renaming it. So how exactly is the second sentence different from the first one? What made it an appositive, and the first one an adjective clause? My teacher's explanation was that, "the fully air-conditioned bus" is actually "more specific" than "some young Americans". She said that if the subject is specific, and it is followed by a non-restrictive clause, then the non-restrictive clause that follows the subject is an adjective clause. Whereas in the case of "some young Americans", it's less specific, so the clause following it is considered an appositive. She said that if we use the subject "Hippies" instead of "Some young Americans", then the clause succeeding it would be considered an adjective clause, because "hippies" is already a specific term. (Hippies, who often rejected society's traditional sources of authority, prized individual expression in thought and behavior above everything.) However, I do not think that the specificity of the subject actually affects how the type of clause following it will be classified. I honestly am confused as to how narrow or how broad the specificity of the subject needs to be to determine whether the clause after it is a noun clause (appositive) or an adjective clause. Am I right at saying that the clause in the second sentence is actually an adjective clause (because it modifies the subject)? Or is my teacher right for saying that it is an appositive clause (therefore it is a noun clause and not an adjective clause)? Can anyone please clarify this matter to me, please? Your answers will be greatly appreciated. Thanks! =)

• Answer:

  Ok, here it goes :) ADJECTIVE CLAUSE (NON-RESTRICTIVE): "which was the first to arrive" The fully air-conditioned bus, which was the first to arrive, was full of passengers. This part of the sentence: "which was the first to arrive" modifies the noun "bus." Without this adjective clause, the bus would have shown up full of passengers. The purpose of this clause is to tell you that the bus arrived first, therefore modifying the noun "bus." NOUN CLAUSE: "Some young Americans, who often rejected society's traditional sources of authority, prized individual expression in thought and behavior above everything." An appositive clause renames the subject and defines it, and that's exactly what this does. The subject of the above sentence is "Americans" which is modified by "young". "Who often rejected society's traditional sources of authority" is the appositive clause since it takes the subject "young American" and renames/defines it as someone who often rejects... I know it doesn't seem to matter, but all of these clauses and modifiers are the trademark of American English. These little intricate parts seem bad but they're really a lot of fun to study. I hope this helps. If not, feel free to email me. Senior English Major, UNC-Charlotte