Adjective Clauses - 1

Adjective Clauses - 1

Adjective clauses (relative clauses) are like "sentences inside sentences." The "job" of adjective clauses is to modify (describe, identify, make specific) the noun s that they 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 noun phrase (and of the sentence) is unclear and incomplete.

Examples (full forms):

• I know a man who / that can help you.
• I know a man who(m) / that you can help.
• I know a man whose advice I can trust.
• I know a man to whom I can refer you. /
• I know a man who(m) / that I can refer you to.
• I want a van that / which gives good mileage.
• I can't afford the dress that / which I really want.

Types of Adjective Clauses

1. "Subject Pattern" Clauses

In this type of adjective clause, the relative pronoun is the subject of the clause. Subject pattern clauses can, however, modify both
subjects and objects of sentences:

• The boy who / that talked to us was very friendly.
• Do you know the girl who / that talked to us?

 2. "Object Pattern" Clauses

In this type of adjective clause, the relative pronoun is the object of the clause (but an object pattern clause can modify both
subjects and objects of sentences):

• The girls who(m) / that we met seemed very courteous.
• The boys to whom / that we were speaking seemed very courteous. /
• The people who(m) / that we were speaking to seemed very courteous.
• I recently saw the girls to whom / that we were talking. 
• I recently saw the men who(m) / that we were talking to.

3. Clauses Showing Possession

Here, the relative pronoun is possessive and is attached to another word in the adjective clause:

• The employees whose names are called will work the second shift.
• Do you know the student whose sister won a gold medal in the Olympic Games?