Adjective ClausesGRAMMAR THAT MAKES YOU CRAZY!

Where does the clause begin? Adjective clauses begin with a relative pronoun (subordinator) that functions as the subject of the clause.

Subject Pronouns:

◦ For people: use “who” or “that”

◦ For things or places: use “which” or “that”

Examples: The people who were at the amusement park were having a great time!

The banana that I ate today was bad.

Last year, I visited the Taj Mahal, which was bigger than I thought it would be.

There is a difference between pronouns that function as subjects of a sentence and pronouns that are used as subjects of a dependent adjective clause.

Subject Pronouns Relative PronounsI WhoYou WhichHe/She/It ThatWe WhoseThey Whom

Only one pronoun can be used as the subject of an adjective clause.

Incorrect: I gave a banana that it was bad to my dog.

Types of Adjective Clauses Identifying/Restrictive:

◦ Provide essential information (“That’s the one I’m talking about”)◦ No commas necessary; clauses are joined

Nonidentifying/Nonrestrictive:◦ Provide additional addition (“By the way…”)◦ Commas necessary; adjective clause is free to be set apart

*Do not use “that” to introduce nonidentifying (non-essential) information!

Examples

Identifying Adjective Clause: ◦ The car that has a broken headlight belongs to my dad.◦ Chicago is the city which has the third largest population in the U.S.

Nonidentifying Adjective Clause:◦ The car, which has a broken headlight, belongs to my dad. ◦ Chicago, which has the third largest population in the U.S., is a favorite destination for tourists.

More Examples

Identifying or nonidentifying?

◦ She is the teacher whose class I enjoy the most. ◦ The teacher, whose class I enjoy, is the youngest teacher in the Engineering Department.

◦ President Obama, who loves his family, eats dinner with his wife and daughters every night. ◦ President Obama is a man who loves his family and makes time for them every night.

Where does the clause begin? Adjective clauses can begin with a relative pronoun that functions as the object of the clause.

◦ For people: use “whom” or “that”◦ Robert, whom I met last week, has agreed to be my research partner. ◦ The owner of the new coffee shop is the same woman that I used to see at Starbucks.

◦ For things or places: use “which” or “that”◦ I loved the book that you recommended to me. ◦ The book I just finished, which you recommended to me, was the best book I have read.

What’s missing?

“I read the book she wrote.”

You can leave out a relative pronoun in an adjective clause IF:◦ the pronoun functions as the object of the clause, AND◦ The adjective clause is an identifying clause.

I read the book which she wrote. → I read the book she wrote.He is the singer whom I met at the concert. → He is the singer I met at the concert.

More Adjective Phrases An adjective clause can be shortened to an adjective phrase if:

◦ -the relative pronoun is the subject of the dependent clause, AND◦ -the verb of the clause is a form of the “be” verb

◦ Ex: The student who is sitting in front of me needs to wake up!

↓ The student sitting in front of me needs to wake up!

When and Where

Adjective clauses may begin with “when” and “where”:

◦ That’s the restaurant where I got sick. ◦ I remember the day when I met my husband.

*You may leave out “when” and “that” in identifying adjective clauses referring to a time:

That was the day when I broke my arm. → That was the day I broke my arm.

Resources: Information and examples can be found in:

Fuchs, Marjorie, and Margaret Bonner. Focus on Grammar: An Integrated Skills Approach. 3rd ed. White Plains, NY: Pearson Longman, 2006. Print.

And at: http://faculty.deanza.edu/flemingjohn/stories/storyReader$20