ENGLISH LANGUAGE

GRAMMAR NOTES

Adjectival Clauses
FORM TWO

Mr. Justice Agbodjan

 Table of contents

01 Definitions
Meaning of adjectival clause
04 Types
Types of adjectival clauses

02 Relative Pronouns
How to use relative pronouns
05 Which vs That
When to use “which” and
to form adjectival clauses “that” in an adjectival clause

03 More Examples
More examples of
06 Forming your own
Steps to forming your own
adjectival clauses with adjectival clauses
“where” and “when”.
07 No relative pronouns.
Doing without relative
REF: GRAMMAR TO 14, page 60-61 pronouns
Adjectival Clause: Definitions
An adjectival clause is a dependent clause that describes a noun, a noun
phrase, or a pronoun. They function just as individual adjectives do in a
sentence.

They are formed using common relative pronouns like who, whom, whose,
that, and which (and sometimes where, when and why). These relative
pronouns are used as connectors to join the clause to the noun they describe.
They have a subject and a verb, just like all clauses do.

For example, “I like the group who sang in the charity concert.”
In the above sentence, the words in italics are an adjectival clause because
they describe the kind of group that “I” likes. It has a subject “who” and a
verb “sang”.
Relative pronouns for Adjectival clauses
1. WHO: Used for persons as subjects. For example:
• Always add an extra
• “The judge who ruled the case was very fair in his judgement” pronoun or noun
• “Everyone wants colleagues who are dedicated.” when you use
“whom”.

2. WHOM: Used for persons as objects. For example: • Always follow

“whose” with a noun
• “She texted the man whom she met yesterday” or noun phrase.
• “I received a thank-you note from the students whom I gifted yesterday”

3. WHOSE: Used to show possession. For example:

• “Anyone whose account has been hacked was asked to report
• immediately”
• “Abena called the old man whose missing wallet she had found.”

4. THAT: Used for collections of people, places, and things. For example:
• “The cat that stood on the wall jumped onto the roof”
• “I love the book that you recommended.”
Relative pronouns for Adjectival clauses
5. WHICH: Used for places and things. Adds extra detail
about the noun to describe it. For example:
• “Scientists say, ‘Pizza, which most people enjoy, is not
healthy.’”
• “Eco-friendly cars, which primarily run on electricity, help
the environment.”
• I chose to study Medicine, which came as a surprise to
many.

More examples with “Where” and “When”

• The plane landed at the exact spot where the previous one had landed
• They arranged to meet at a time when it was mutually convenient.
• The store where the new phone was being sold had a huge line of people outside it.
• Grandpa said relished the old days when there was no television.
• Let’s go to a cafe where they have Wi-Fi.
Types of Adjectival Clauses
There are two types of Adjectival clauses.
• Defining adjectival clauses: Also called restrictive or essential clauses, contain
information that affects the meaning of the sentence. If it is removed, the meaning
of the sentence will change. Examples:
- Our horse that was running for the first time won the race.
- I served the cake that I baked for dessert.
- All the teachers whose lesson you missed will have a special time for you
-The letter that you wrote to my sister was read yesterday.
• Defining adjectival clauses: Also called non-restrictive or non-essential clauses,
do not contain information that affects the meaning of the sentence. If it is
removed, the meaning of the sentence will not change. It only adds extra
information that could be done without. Examples: The key
difference
- Our horse, which was running for the first time, won the race. between the
- The chocolate cake, which was my father’s favourite, was very sweet. two types is
the use of
- My letter, which was three pages long, made her happy. commas in
non-restrictive
- She loves her mum’s house, which is by the beach. clauses.
Which vs That
• Using “which” or “that” depends on whether the information the adjectival clause is
providing is restrictive or non-restrictive.
• A Restrictive clause (essential or defining clause) contains information that is
essential to the sentence’s meaning, but a non-restrictive clause (non-essential or
non-defining) does not.
• In a restrictive clause, use that. In a non-restrictive clause, use which.
For example:
1. My bike that has a broken seat is in the garage.
In the above example, I have many bikes, but I am trying to say that it is the one with
the broken seat that is in the garage and none else. But in “My bike, which has a broken
seat, is in the garage.”, I have one bike, its seat is broken, and it is in the garage.
2. Earth is the only planet in the universe that supports life. In this sentence, if we
remove the adjectival clause, “that supports life”, the meaning of the sentence will
change. However, in “The Earth, which is the only planet that supports life, is located
151 billion kilometers from the Sun.”, if we remove the relative clause “which is the
only planet that supports life”, the intended meaning of the sentence does not change.
Forming your own adjectival clauses
The following key points will help you form adjectival clauses yourselves

1. Adjective clauses always start with a relative pronoun. “I took my partner, who has never seen
snow, on a ski trip.” “The restaurant that opened just last month has already closed down.”

2. Adjective clauses need a subject and a verb. “Everyone wants colleagues who are dedicated.”
“ Do you know the person whose name was mentioned?

3. Adjective clauses are connected to independent clauses. “Let’s go to a cafe where they have
Wi-Fi.” “Fruit that is grown organically is expensive.”

4. Adjective clauses relate to or describe nouns from the independent clause. “I know someone
whose father served in World War II.” “Students who work hard get good grades.”

5. Adjective clauses come after the noun: “The rich lady whose house we were at wasn’t even
home.” “Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died.”
Doing without the relative pronouns
Sometimes—but not always—you can remove the relative pronoun in an adjective
clause and the sentence is still correct.

For example: “This is the lady whom I was talking about!” could be “This is the lady I
was talking about!” Both of the above examples are correct. This is because “that”
serves as the object of the adjective clause. The second sentence is correct without it.
Another example is: “Pistachio is the flavour that most people like” could be “Pistachio
is the flavour most people like.”

However, If the relative pronoun acts as the subject in the adjective clause, you cannot
remove it. For example: “I met someone who dated you in high school.” The who
cannot be removed because it is the subject of the sentence. If it is removed, the
sentence will be incorrect. Another example is: “The cat that stood on the wall jumped
onto the roof of our house” would be incorrect if the “that” is removed.
Exercises
Grammar to 14, page 60-61:

Starting Point

Going further

Further still