Adjective Clause

Definition of Adjective Clause 

An adjective clause is simply a group of words with a subject and a verb that provide a description. The clause starts with a pronoun such as who, whom, that, or which or an adverb such as when, where and why.

An adjective clause is a dependent clause that modifies a noun.  It is possible to combine the following two sentences to form one sentence containing an adjective clause: 

       

The children are going to visit the museum.
They are on the bus.

The children who are on the bus are going to visit the museum.
                  | adjective clause |

In the sentence above, there are two other ways to write the sentence correctly using the second sentence as the adjective clause. 

• The children that are on the bus are going to visit the museum.

• The children       on the bus       are going to visit the museum.

An adjective clause is formed with the use of the following words: who, which, when, where, whom, and that.

EXAMPLES for  ‘Who’ :

Ø This morning he fought with a little guy who was his best friend.

Ø The man who walks with a slight limp was an international footballer.

Ø I must say he is the most boring person who ever lives. 

EXAMPLES for  ‘Whom’ :

Ø She is the only cousin whom I enjoy talking to.

Ø The man whom you met yesterday is our new next-door neighbour.

Ø The girl whom I gave a special reward is a bright student.

Using which in adjective clause.

EXAMPLES :

ØThe fire which broke out in the warehouse swept through the factories.

Ø Pizza, which most people love, is not very healthy.

Ø The bike which I borrowed last week was sold.

It, which refer to the fire, pizza, and the bike.

 

Using when in adjective clause.

EXAMPLES :

Ø Give me one good reason when you did that.

Ø The day on when they were to leave finally arrived.

Ø Grandpa remembers the old days when there was no television.  

Using where in adjective clause.

EXAMPLES :

Ø The place where he flies his kites is very quiet.

Ø Here is the house where I live.

Ø The small town in where I was born has grown to a large metropolis.

Using that in adjective clause.

EXAMPLES :

Ø The package that arrived this morning is on the desk.

Ø Eco-friendly cars that run on electricity save gas.

Ø Fruit that is grown organically is expensive.

The main relative pronouns are:

 

 

Pronoun	Use
Who	Used for humans in subject position  Example : Hans, who is an architect, lives in Berlin.
Whom	Used for humans in object position  Example : Marike, whom Hans knows well, is an interior decorator.
Which	Used for things and animals in subject or object position
That	Example : Marike has a dog which follows her everywhere.     Used for humans, animals and things, in subject or object position (but see below) Example : Marike is decorating a house that Hans designed.