Adjective Clause
An adjective clause is also called a relative clause or an
adjectival clause. A clause is a group of words that have a subject and predicate.
There are two kinds of clauses: independent and dependent. Independent clauses
are sentences because they express a complete thought. Examples are: “The dog ran away.” and “Get the door.” In the
second one, the subject is implied. To explain the function of an adjective clause, we will look at dependent clauses.
What
Is an Adjective Clause
Adjectives clauses have a
subject and a verb (or predicate). They will start with a relative pronoun,
like: that, who, whom, whose, or which, or a relative adverb, like why, where,
or when. Adjective clauses function as an adjective and modify nouns and
pronouns. They are also called relative clauses.
Just as the other dependent
clauses, the
adjective clause does not express a complete thought. It does
not need commas separating it from the rest of the sentence if it has essential
information in it; that is if you need the information it provides. If it gives
additional information, then you use commas. A good way to test for this is to
leave out the clause, read the sentence, and see if the meaning of the two
sentences is different.
Here are some examples of
adjective clauses. The adjective clause is underlined.
- Chocolate, which many of us adore,
is fattening.
- People who are smart follow the
rules.
- I can remember the time when there were
no computers.
- Charlie has a friend whose daughter
lives in China.
- Wine that is produced in Tuscany
is not cheap.
Adjectives
Since adjective clauses act like
adjectives, you may want more information about adjectives. Some
adjectives express the writer’s opinion of a noun or pronoun,
like silly, lovely, awful, and outrageous. These are called opinion adjectives.
Some adjectives are descriptive,
telling about the physical characteristics of size, shape, color, or age.
Examples include: huge, wee, rectangular, oval, bluish, purple, new, and
ancient.
An origin adjective tells where
an object originated or where is came from. These are adjectives like: eastern,
lunar, Egyptian, or German.
The composition of a noun or pronoun
will be described by a material adjective. Examples are: woolen, plastic,
metal, or silk.
Some adjectives tell what
purpose an object is used for. These many times end with an “ing.” Some
examples include: baking, fishing, testing, or hunting.
Lastly, some adjectives compare
and have levels of comparison. These are words like: “good, better, best”,
“dry, drier, driest”, and “beautiful, more beautiful, and most beautiful."
Other adjectives compare but only on one level, like: unique, main, impossible,
final, and inevitable.
Recognize
a relative clause when you see one.
A relative clause—also called an
adjective or adjectival
clause—will meet three requirements.
- First, it will contain a subject and verb.
- Next, it will begin with a relative
pronoun [who, whom,
whose, that, or which] or a relative adverb
[when, where, or
why].
- Finally, it will function as an adjective,
answering the questions What
kind? How
many? or Which
one?
The relative clause will follow
one of these two patterns:
relative
pronoun or adverb + subject + verb
relative
pronoun as subject + verb
Here are some examples:
Which Francine did
not accept
Which
= relative pronoun; Francine = subject; did accept = verb [not, an
adverb, is not officially part of the verb].
Where George found
Amazing Spider-Man #96 in fair condition
Where
= relative adverb; George = subject; found = verb.
That dangled from
the one clean bathroom towel
That
= relative pronoun functioning as subject; dangled
= verb.
Who continued to
play video games until his eyes were blurry with fatigue
Who
= relative pronoun functioning as subject; played
= verb.
ELLIPTICAL
RELATIVE PRONOUNS
The relative pronoun introducing a subordinate adjective clause may be omitted
from the clause when the relative pronoun does not function as the subject of
the clause. In these constructions of omission, the pronoun is understood
to be in the clause though it is not physically present. However, when the
relative pronoun functions as the subject of the subordinate adjective clause,
it may not be omitted from the clause. Its presence is necessary to serve as
subject of the clause.
Whether to introduce a subordinate adjective clause using a relative pronoun
has other considerations, too. Examples of elliptical relative pronouns follow,
with pronouns in brackets to indicate their omission.
The things [that] we know
best are the things [that] we were not taught.
RELATIVE
ADVERBS
A relative adverb introduces a subordinate adjective clause. Occasionally a
subordinate adjective clause is introduced by a relative adverb: where, when,
or why. The word relative within the context of grammar describes a word that
refers or relates to another word or phrase within a sentence. This word or
phrase of reference is called the antecedent. A relative adverb introduces a
subordinate adjective clause which modifies an antecedent noun or pronoun
located in the main sentence clause. Although the entire clause introduced by a
relative adverb is adjectival, and functions to modify a noun or pronoun in the
main sentence clause, the relative adverb itself modifies a verb within its own
clause.
Choosing which relative adverb to introduce a subordinate adjective clause is
determined by the noun or pronoun antecedent.
To
modify a noun of place (space):
|
where
|
To
modify a noun of time (duration):
|
when
|
To
modify a noun of reason (cause and/or effect):
|
why
|
Example
of adjective clause :
1. He who can no longer pause to
wonder and stand rapt in awe is as good as dead.
2. - Andi
has a motorcycle
- It is look very old
Andi has a motorcycle which look
is very old.
3. - The
car hit Rama
- The car has a blue colour
The car that hit
Rama has a blue colour
4. - My friend messaged me
- They stand in front of the
door
The people who messaged me
in front of the door are my friend
5. - My mother called me
- She ask about the news
The person whom called me
to ask about the news is my mother
6. - The driver out of motorcycle
before accident
- The car has been destroyed
The car whose driver out
of motorcycle before accident has been destroyed
7. Among those whom I
like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I
love, I can: all of them make me laugh.
8. This morning he fought with a
little guy who was his best friend.
Questions and Answers of the excercises :
1. Q . I
talked to the woman she was sitting next to me
A . I talked to the
woman who was sitting next to me
2. Q . I have
a class it begins at 08.00 Am
A . I have a class which begins
at 08.00 Am
3. Q . The man
called the police his car was stolen
A . The man whose car
was stolen called the police
4. Q . The
building is very old he lives there
A . The
building where he lives is very old
5. Q
. The woman was ms Silvy I saw her
A . The woman whom I saw was ms Silvy
ARTICLE
The Miser
A miser sold everything he had
and bought a lump of gold. Then, he buried it in a hole in the ground by the
side of an old wall. He went to look at his buried gold daily.
One of his workmen observed his frequent visits to
the spot and decided to take a look. He discovered the hidden treasure and
stole it. On his next visit, the Miser found that his gold is gone and he began
to tear his hair and cry hysterically.
One of his neighbors saw him overcome with grief
and learning the cause. Then, the neighbor said "Don't be sad. Just take a
stone and burry it there as if it is your gold. It will be just the same
because when your gold was there, you did not make the slightest use of
it."
