gramme question 33

The thing I want is banana.


As already answered by "知足常樂 知識長", the sentence is of (defining) relative clause structure.

there are two clause:
~ I want the thing (clause to become independent)
~ the thing is banana (main clause)

"the thing" is a common element (object of independent clause / subject of main clause), so you use a relative pronoun "that" or "which" to represent "the thing" in the relative clause while leave it there in the main clause, such as:

The thing that I want is banana.

"that I want" is the relative clause functioning as adjective to modify (add more information to) the subject "the thing" in the main clause.

You could always drop (omit) the relative pronoun when it is the object of the relative clause as per above example.

So, you could shorten the sentence as:

The thing I want is banana.

2014-08-23 01:02:43 補充：
補充：
"banana" is not the direct object of the main clause. Instead, it is the subject complement, a predicate nominative.

2014-08-23 01:26:15 補充：
Toming88:

連 知識長 的建議也不考慮採取，請不要教錯別人。你所講的無錯 ("what" 可以代替 "the thing that")，但答非所問！

2014-08-23 09:47:38 補充：
改錯：
"independent" should be "dependent" in two locations as:
~ I want the thing (clause to become dependent)

"the thing" is a common element (object of dependent clause /

正是 relative clause。
^^

上一次你有一個問 relative clause 的帖子，我在意見欄有留言，講關於 adverb clause。

但你最後刪掉了帖子。
我尚未正式回答。

^__^