ADJECTIVE CLAUSES/ RELATIVE CLAUSES

Adjective clauses (relative clauses) are like

“sentences inside sentences”. The “job” of
adjective clauses is to modify (describe,
identify, make specific) the noun or noun
phrases that follow.

In their full forms, adjective clauses have

several parts: a relative pronoun (or, in some
cases, another kind of connecting word), a
subject, and a predicate (a verb and, often,
other types of words which follow it).

In adjective clauses, the relative pronoun is a

kind of connecting word: it joins the
information in the clause to the noun phrase
that it follows. Without the adjective clause,
the meaning of the modified phrase (and of the
sentence) is unclear or incomplete.
 Relative clauses give us more information
about someone or something . We can use
relative clauses to combine clauses without
repeating information.

The couple posted a

The couple posted a
Christmas present to
Christmas present to their
their daughter.
daughter  who lives in South
Their daughter lives in
Africa.
South Africa.

Using a relative clause means that there is no need to

repeat ‘their daughter’.
Compare

We can use relative clauses to give focus to

something or someone.
Compare

This is the book  which we’re We’re reading this

reading at the moment. book at the moment.
 She’s the woman  who I was I was talking about
talking about. the woman.

Recognize an adjective clause when you see

one.
An adjective clause —also called an adjectival
or relative clause— will have three
requirements:
1.First, it will contain a subject and verb.
2.Next, it will begin with a relative pronoun
[who, whom, whose, that, or which] or a
relative adverb [when, where, or why].
3.Finally, it will function as an adjective,
answering the questions: What kind? How
many? Or which one?
The adjective clause will follow one of these
two patterns:

Relative Pronoun as Subject + Verb

 Relative Pronoun or Adverb + Subject +
Verb

The relative pronoun can define the subject or

the object of the verb:
They’re  the people  who/that bought our
house. (The people bought our house. “The
people” is the subject.)

They’re  the people  who/that she met at Jon’s

party. (She met the people. “The people” is
the object.)

Here are some cells which/that show

abnormality. (Some cells show abnormality.
“Some cells” is the subject.)

Here are  some cells  which/that the

researcher has identified. (The researcher has
identified some cells. “Some cells” is the
object.)
Nouns and pronouns in relative clauses
When the relative pronoun is the subject of
the relative clause, we don’t use another
personal pronoun or noun in the relative
clause because the subject (underlined) is the
same:
She’s the lady who lent me her phone. (Who is
the subject of the relative clause, so we don’t
need the personal pronoun she)
Not: She’s the lady who she lent me her
phone.

There are only two schools in the area that

actually teach Latin. (That is the subject of the
relative clause, so we don’t need the personal
pronoun they.)
Not: There are now only two schools in
the area that they actually teach Latin .
Relative clauses: typical errors

When we use a relative pronoun as a subject

in the relative clause, we don’t use a personal
pronoun or noun:
That’s the school  that  teaches lots of music
and drama.
Not: That’s the school that it teaches
lots of music and drama.

When a relative pronoun is the object of the

relative clause, we need a subject (pronoun or
noun) in the relative clause:
They met at the gallery  that  Jane  had talked
about.
Not: They met at the gallery that had
talked about.

When a relative pronoun is the object of the

relative clause, we don’t need another object
(pronoun or noun) in the relative clause:
They went to the same restaurant that Mark
had been to.
Not: They went to the same restaurant
that Mark had been to it.
Not: They went to the same restaurant
that it Mark had been to.

In writing, we don’t use commas in defining

relative clauses:
Sally is a committee member who finds it
difficult to make decisions.
Not: Sally is a committee member, who
finds it difficult to make decisions .

To practice the creation of a sentence

with an adjective clause, combine these
pairs of sentences:
 1.The teacher was not happy.
2.He found gum under the desk.
The teacher who found gum under the
desk was not happy.

1.The students are very helpful to each

other.
2.They go to this class.
Answer:
______________________________.

1. The people are great neighbors.

2. They live next door.
Answer:
______________________________________.
THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE NEXT DOOR ARE GREAT NEIGHBORS.

1. This student is a very nice person.

 2. He comes from Japan.
Answer:
______________________________________.
THIS STUDENT WHO COMES FROM JAPAN IS A VERY NICE PERSON.

1.She is the person.

2.She gave me the idea.
Answer:
______________________________________.

1.The vegetables are often the most

nutritious.
2.People leave vegetables uneaten.
Answer:
______________________________________.
THE VEGETABLES THAT PEOPLE LEAVE UNEATEN ARE OFTEN THE MOST NUTRITIOUS.

1.I miss seeing the old woman.

2.She used to sell flowers on that street.
Answer:
______________________________________.
1.The architect is brilliant.
2.Mario works with him.
Answer:

1.Mary tutors students.

2.They need extra help in geometry.
Answer:
______________________________________.
1.I took a picture of the rainbow.
2.It appeared in the sky after the rain.
Answer:
_____________________________________________________________________________.

Isn’t that the woman who lives across the road

from you?
The police said the accident that
happened last night was unavoidable.

The newspaper reported that the tiger which

killed its keeper has been put down

Use which for things and who for people. Use that for things and, informally, for people.
Sometimes, you need a comma before which and who. The rule is this: If the information
added by the who or which clause is just additional information (i.e., it's not essential to
identify another word in the sentence), then you should offset the clause with commas.

Using Which, Who and That

This page is about the relative pronouns which, who, and that. They are used to link
information (in the form of a phrase or a clause) to another word in the sentence.

Who is used for people. Which is used for things, and that can be used for either. It is quite
unfashionable to use that for people. (The consensus seems to be that using that for people is
still acceptable in speech and informal writing, but you should avoid doing it in formal writing.)

Examples:

The man who swam the channel.

(The clause who swam the channel is linked to The man. As The man is a person, the clause
starts with the relative pronoun who. That could also have been used, but it runs the risk of
annoying readers.)

The PC which keeps breaking down is under guarantee until March.

(which keeps breaking down is a clause. It adds information about (i.e., links to) The PC.)

The vicar which was on BBC1 last night used to be our local vicar.

(A vicar is a person. Therefore, who should be used and not which.)

In Kent, a man who shot a swan was jailed for 6 months.

Please accept my resignation. I don't want to belong to any club that will accept me as a
member. (Groucho Marx quote)

(A club is a thing. Therefore, which will accept me as a member would have been okay.
Remember, that can sometimes replace which.)

Commas with Which and Who

The biggest issue for native English speakers is understanding when to use a comma before
which and who. Unfortunately, the ruling is not simple. It is covered in the following lessons:

When to use commas with which and who.

WHAT ARE RELATIVE PRONOUNS?

Which and who are relative pronouns. There are others, but these two are the most common.
(See lesson Pronouns for more information.)

The other one covered in this section is that. All three (which, who, and that are used to link to
another word in the sentence (very often the one directly to the left) to add information about
that word.

WHEN DO YOU PUT A COMMA BEFORE WHICH AND WHO?

This is a nasty subject. When who or which introduces a restrictive phrase or clause (i.e.,
additional information that is required to identify the word it is linked to), then the who or the
which can be replaced by that. If the who or which introduces information that is not essential
to identify the word it is linked to (called the antecedent), then the who or the which will be
offset with commas and it cannot be replaced with that.

This infographic might make it easier to understand:

There is more on whether commas are required with who or the which and whether they can
be replaced with that in this lesson:

When to use commas with which and who.