Adjective Clauses

GRAMMAR FOCUS
Adjective clauses, also called relative clauses, are like adjectives because they
identify or give information about nouns or pronouns. You can use adjective
clauses to com bine sentences and to make your writing more descriptive and
interesting. Compare these two examples:
(A) We love the old house. It has a huge p ear tree.
(B) We love the old house t h a t h a s a h u g e p e a r tre e .
Both examples have the same meaning, but example B uses an adjective clause
and expresses the same information with fewer words and in a more complex and
interesting way than example A.

Pretest
Check y o u r understand ing o f adjective clauses. Put a check ( / ) next to the
sentences that a re correct.
____ 1. The com pany that I want to work for provides good benefits.
____ 2. The book is overdue that I borrowed from the library.
____ 3 . Countries whose gun laws are strict have few gun deaths.
____ 4 . Alan's father, which has a Ph.D. in chemical engineering, has high
expectations for his son.
____ 5. The movie's hero, who is in the first half of the film, unexpectedly
disappears in the second half.
____ 6 . My friends recommended the restaurant that is on the corner of Irvine
Avenue and Seventeenth Street.
____ 7. Countries, that have earthquakes, need strict building codes.
____8 . Dr. Kaufman who teaches physiology will retire soon.
____ 9 . The concert tickets that Carol and I bought them are in my purse.
____ 10. The winter Jan worked at the ski resort was the best of her life.
The follow ing p a ra g ra p h contains adjective clauses. Two adjective clauses a re
underlined. Find a t least tw o m o re exam ples o f adjective clauses in the p a ra g ra p h
a n d underline them.

M o s t c o u n trie s have o n e o r tw o o ffic ia l la n g u a g e s, b u t th e re m a y Afghanistan

^ . .. --

be m a n y citiz e n s w h o s e fir s t la n g u a g e is n o t o n e o f th e s e o ffic ia l

la n g u a g e s . This is c e rta in ly tru e in India, w h e re tw o o ffic ia l la n g u a g e s
China
and h u n d re d s o f re g io n a l la n g u a g e s e x is t. H indi, w h ic h m a n y In d ia n s
s p e a k , is th e p rin cip a l la n g u a g e o f th e c o u n try , w h ile E n g lish , w h ic h Bhutan

w a s th e o ffic ia l languag e o f B ritis h India, is th e s e c o n d a ry la n g u a g e . In

a d d itio n , each s ta te w ith in th e c o u n try has its o w n o ffic ia l la n g u a g e .
L a n g u a g e c o m m is s io n s th a t m o n ito r d is p u te s and c re a te la n g u a g e
p o lic ie s have be e n e s ta b lis h e d to re d u c e p ro b le m s th a t d e v e lo p
b e c a u s e o f so m a n y d iffe re n t la n g u a g e s . T h e d iffe re n t s c rip ts th a t
a c c o m p a n y d iffe re n t la n g u a g e s are a n o th e r c h a lle n g e th a t India fa c e s .
A lth o u g h d ive rs e la n g u a g e s can c a u s e p ro b le m s w ith in a c o u n try su ch
as India, th e y are also o n e re a s o n th a t India is such an in te re s tin g
c o u n try to s tu d y and visit.

FORMING ADJECTIVE CLAUSES

1. An adjective clause is a dependent clause, which means it cannot stand alone.
It must be connected to an independent, or main, clause. A sentence that
contains a dependent clause and an independent clause is called a complex
sentence. An adjective clause is introduced by a relative pronoun such as that,
who, whom, which, or w hose. The noun or pronoun that the relative pronoun
refers to is called the antecedent.
independent clau se adjective clau se

Monica and Hector went to a m ovie that was four hours long.
----1--- n P
antecedent relative pronoun

2 . In most cases, the adjective clause directly follows the noun it is identifying
or describing (the antecedent).
The surprise birthday party t h a t G r a n t a n d B o b g a v e f o r S te lla was a lot
o f fun.
not
The surprise birthday party w as a lot o f fun that Grant an d B ob gave for Stella.

The man w h o (m ) w e s p o k e t o gave us good advice.

not
The man gave us g ood advice w ho(m ) we spoke to.
Do not repeat the noun or pronoun (the antecedent) within the adjective
clause.
Joanna's fath er is the kin d o f person w h o n e v e r g e ts m a d .
not
Joanna's fath er is the kin d o f person who he never gets m ad.

This is the program t h a t S a m u e l a n d I w r o te f o r o u r c o m p u t e r

s c ie n c e class.
not
This is the program that Samuel an d I wrote it for our com puter science class.

When a relative pronoun is the subject of the adjective clause, use a subject
pronoun.

• who or that for people

Susanna baby-sits for her neighbor. Her neighbor has five children. — ►
Susanna baby-sits for her neighbor w h o h a s fiv e c h ild r e n .

The girls live next door. The girls are really nice. — ► The girls t h a t liv e
n e x t d o o r are really nice.

• which or that for things

John wrote a research paper. The research paper analyzes the causes o f
depression. — ► John wrote a research paper t h a t a n a ly z e s t h e c a u s e s o f
d e p re s s io n .

In political science, we read The Prince. The Prince was written in the early
1500s. — ► In political science, we read The Prince, w h ic h w a s w r i t t e n
in t h e e a r ly 1 5 0 0 s .

When a relative pronoun is the object of the adjective clause, use an object
pronoun.

• w hom , who, or that for people

Harry Truman governed during the late 1940s. My grandm other knew Harry
Truman. — ► Harry Truman, w h o (m ) m y g r a n d m o t h e r k n e w ,
governed during the late 1940s.

• w hich or that for things

Abby bought a com puter yesterday. The com puter will be delivered to the store
tomorrow. — ► The com puter t h a t A b b y b o u g h t y e s te rd a y will be
delivered to the store tomorrow.

• A relative pronoun can also be the object of a preposition.

The car t h a t R ose l e f t h e r p u rs e in was stolen.
The car in w h ic h R ose le f t h e r p u rs e was stolen, (formal, academic
English)
N O TE: W hen the relative pronoun is the object of the verb or object of a preposition, it
can be om itted.

The computer t h a t Abby bought yesterday will be delivered tomorrow. (T hat is

the object of the verb bought.) — ► The com puter Abby bought yesterday will
be delivered tomorrow.

The car t h a t Rose left her purse in was stolen. (That is the object of the
preposition in.) — ► The car Rose left her purse in was stolen.

6. When a relative pronoun replaces a possessive word, use w hose + noun.

My sister's son just went aw ay to college. My sister feels lonely. — ► My sister;
w h ose son just went aw ay to college, feels lonely.

The company's headquarters are in Boston. The com pany has offices in North
America, Europe, and Asia. — ► The com pany; w h o s e h e a d q u a r te r s are in
Boston, has offices in North Am erica, Europe, an d Asia.

WRITING TIP
In spoken English, whose and who's sound sim ilar. In w ritin g , be sure to use the contraction who's for
who is and who has and the relative pronoun whose to show possession.
Who's going to the graduation ceremony?
Russell found the child w ho's been missing for a week.
I want to work for a company w h o s e profits are increasing.

7. Sentences with adjective clauses must follow all subject-verb agreement rules.

• The subject and verb of the independent clause must agree even if they are
separated by an adjective clause.
The chemistry classes that I took last sem ester w e re very interesting.
not
The chemistry classes th at I took last sem ester was very interesting.

• The verb following the relative pronoun always has the same number
(singular or plural) as the antecedent.
Our neighbors have a dog t h a t b a r k s all day long, (singular)
The boys in my dorm w h o p la y water p olo travel a lot with the team, (plural)

• The subject and verb within the relative clause must agree.
The textbooks that she is buying cost $250.

S V
not
The textbooks that she are buying cost $250.

WRITING TIP
W hen you w rite , mark the subjects and verbs in sentences th a t use adjective clauses. Put the le tte r S
below subjects and the letter 1/b elow verbs, and check th a t each pair agrees.

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 8. Restrictive adjective clauses (also called identifying or defining clauses) do not
require commas. A restrictive adjective clause supplies necessary information
to identify the noun that it modifies. Restrictive adjective clauses are used
more frequently than nonrestrictive adjective clauses.
A person w h o sells s to c k s a n d b o n d s is called a stockbroker.
(The information in the adjective clause is necessary in order to know which
person is being described.)
Do you know the m an w h o is a t th e ta b le in the corner?
(The information in the adjective clause is necessary in order to know which
man is being referred to.)

9 . Nonrestrictive adjective clauses (also called nonidentifying or nondefining

clauses) require commas. A nonrestrictive clause supplies additional
information that is not necessary to identify the noun it modifies.
We just read One Hundred Years of Solitude, w h ic h is by G a b rie l
G a rc ia M arq u ez.
(The additional information in the adjective clause is not necessary to iden­
tify the book.)
My oldest sister, w h o lives in C h ic a g o , loves the cold w eather there.
(The additional information in the adjective clause is not necessary to iden­
tify which sister.)

N O TE: Do not use the relative pronoun that in a nonrestrictive adjective clause.
Old Faithful, w h ic h is located in Yellowstone N ational Park, regularly shoots
water an d steam into the air.
not
Old Faithful, that is located in Yellowstone N ational Park, regularly shoots water
and steam into the air.

1 0 . With proper nouns, always use nonrestrictive adjective clauses.

Ten Downing Street, w h e r e th e p r im e m in is te r o f E n g la n d lives, is a
plain-looking house.

1 1 . Commas around an adjective clause can change the meaning of a sentence.

Compare the meanings of the following sentences:
The students, w h o w a n te d t o s tu d y F re n c h , h ad to w ait in line to register.
(The use of commas means that all of the students wanted to study French,
and all of them had to wait in line.)
The students w h o w a n te d t o s tu d y F re n c h h ad to w ait in line to register.
The students w h o w a n te d t o s tu d y G e rm a n didn't have to w ait in line.
(The lack of commas means that only some of the students wanted to study
French. The adjective clause identifies which students had to wait in line.)

N O TE: Adjective clauses can be used to describe indefinite pronouns such as som eone,
anyone, everything, and other. However, adjective clauses ca n n o t be used to describe
subject and object pronouns such as he, she, him , or her.

Someone w h o w a n te d t o s p e a k w ith y o u called but didn't leave a

message.
I don't know anyone w h o h a s a t r u c k .

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USING ADJECTIVE CLAUSES
1 . Use adjective clauses to com bine ideas. This creates sentences that are less
repetitive.
My best friend is a m edical student. She hopes to specialize in pediatrics.
My best friend, w h o is a m e d ic a l s tu d e n t, hopes to specialize in pediatrics.

2 . Use adjective clauses to make general sentences more specific or descriptive.

G en eral They just finished a research project.
D escrip tiv e They just finished a research project t h a t d iscu sses th e
e ffe c tiv e n e s s o f g r a m m a r i n s t r u c t i o n in r e a d in g
classes.

3 . The relative adverbs where and when can be used to introduce adjective clauses
of place and time.
We went to Yellowstone, w h e r e we saw Old Faithful.
The week w h en she was in the hospital was hard on her parents.

WRITING TIP
In academic and business w ritin g , the language tends to be more form al than in other kinds of w ritin g .
If you are w riting for a college or university class, try to use the more form al form s of English. N otice
the d ifferent levels of form ality in these adjective clauses.

Least formal The person 1feel closest to is my sister. This is the book 1told you about.
t
The person th a t 1feel closest to is my This is the book th a t 1told you about.
sister.

The person w ho(m ) 1feel closest to is This is the book w hich 1told you
y r my sister. about

Most formal The person to w hom 1feel closest is This is the book about w hich 1told
my sister. you.

Self Check
Circle the sentence that uses adjective clauses correctly.

1. (a ) Ethan's uncle which teaches economics is a fair grader.

(b ) Ethan's uncle who teaches economics is a fair grader.

2 . (a ) Samuel Clemens who wrote Tom Sawyer used the pen name Mark Twain,

(b ) Samuel Clemens, who wrote Tom Sawyer, used the pen name Mark Twain.

3 . (a ) The classes Sam is taking begin next week.

(b ) The classes Sam is taking begins next week.

4 . (a ) The interview that I had yesterday with the director went well.

(b ) The interview with the director went well that I had yesterday.

5 . (a ) They went to a wedding ceremony that it was on the beach at sunset.

(b ) They went to a wedding ceremony that was on the beach at sunset.

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EDITING PRACTICE
1 . Put a check ( y ) next to the sentences that use adjective clauses correctly. Correct
the sentences that have errors.

____ 1. Thoa's father, which used to play college football, is coaching a high

school team.

____ 2. The blending of cultures that we see in the United States today has both

advantages and disadvantages.

____ 3. The bulbs should bloom in the spring that we planted last winter.

____ 4 . The ABC Software Company whose president just resigned is in financial

trouble.

____ 5. St. John , which is a Caribbean island, is a tropical paradise.

____ 6 . The 1992 demonstration that we are going to study it in sociology was

very destructive.

____ 7. Extremely competitive people who always have to win has difficulty in

their relationships.

____ 8 . The woman whom the story is about lives in a small New England town.

____ 9. Galileo Galilei, whom never left Italy, is nonetheless known around the

world.

____ 1 0 . The Tasman Sea, where the poisonous box jellyfish lives, is the home of

several deadly sea creatures.

____ 11. The Puerto Rican culture which Esmeralda Santiago writes about in

W hen I Was Puerto Rican has not changed significantly in the past few

decades.

____ 12. Professor Williams, whose class is on Wednesday nights, is an excellent

writing teacher.
2 . R ead the following p a ra g ra p h . C om plete the p a ra g ra p h w ith the correct
relative pronoun, relative a a v e rb , o r neither ( 0 ) .

D.H. Lawrence celebrates old age in his

poem Beautiful Old Age. Although old age is

a stage of lif e _________________________ is not

1. when / that

always valued, Lawrence writes about some

of its positive points. He says th at a person

_____________________ has led a truthful life

2. who / which

will live happily into old age. Old age should

be a t i m e _________________________ people feel

3. when / where

peace from having lived a full life. Wrinkled

skin, is unavoidable, is a sign of wisdom and n o t of

4. that / which

deterioration. If people believe Lawrence's words, th e n m aturity ought to be

a stage we look forward to, and th e elderly person

5. who / that

we fear b e co m in g ought to be looked at as som eon e

6. 0 / which

__ _ we hope to be. Two people

7 . 0 / where 8. w hom / who

fit this description of beautiful old age are my great-grandm other and my

great-aunt. Both w om en have lived honest lives

9. w hen / that

have been filled with hard work and family. They are being rewarded for

their work as their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren h o n or

them daily. This is the old age that I hope to have on e day— th e old age that

D.H. Lawrence describes and th e old age my great-

10. when / that

grandmother and great-aunt are living.

3 . In the follow ing p a ra g ra p h , five o f the und erlined adjective clauses a re not
correct. Find the errors a n d w rite the corrections a b o ve each clause.

There are m any exam ples of the cultural influences that powerful

countries have on less powerful cou n tries. T h e British influence in Antigua,

I
the French influence in Vietnam , and th e American influence in Puerto Rico

are all examples of less d o m in a n t cultures follow ing the styles and traditions

of more d o m in an t cultures. According to Ja m acia Kincaid, w ho is an Antiguan

writer, the native gardens th at grow in Antigua are wild and natural. However,
2

the British influence, th at m any wealthy Antiguans adm ire, is obvious in the
3

island's gardens. Christm as trees w hich originated in G erm any have also
4

found their way to Antigua due to the British influence. In Vietnam , the

French influence, w hich was more apparent years a g o , is still obvious today.
5

Vietnamese food and architecture, w hich are considered traditional, have a

French touch. The French language, w hich was th e language of the educated
6

and influential, still holds a position of im portance in Vietnam . In Puerto

Rico, Americans have influenced th e language. Spanish, th at is th e primary

7

language in Puerto R ico, has been replaced by English in som e schools and

institutions. In addition to the English language, American food and music

are now part of th e Puerto Rican way of life. M any can still rem em ber several

decades ago w hen Americans cam e to their small towns to "ed u cate" th em
8

about diet and h y g ie n e . M any Puerto Ricans w hom accepted this influence at
9

the tim e were unhappy about it later. In this day and age, it is hard to stop or

even to ignore worldwide influences. However, outside cultural influence is a

p h e n o m e n o n who's im portance should be q u estio n e d .

10

97
4 . The following p a ra g ra p h has ten errors in the use o f adjective clauses. Find a n d
correct the errors.

The object that I am looking at is a three-dim ensional rectangle,

although sometimes this o b je c t can be in th e shape o f a cube or a sphere. Five

sides are made of glass, th at is clear, and there is either a rem ovable top or

no top at all. One usually finds this o b ject in a room w hen people are likely

to meet, such as the living room , family room , or kitchen. This o b ject is not

mobile. It often has a small m otor th at keep the e n v iro n m en t clean. However,

the object still has to be cleaned every few weeks. Plants m ay also be found

inside of it that help keep this o b ject clean. Next to th e plants, there are

sometimes figurines that th ey are set in brightly colored rocks. Both adults

and children like this object. Som e people w ho th ey have stressful lives find

this object peaceful to look at. People w h om have these objects usually love

animals. Animals use this o b je c t for a h o m e th at live in fresh and salt water.

The animals, that live in this object, make good pets for a person w ho he is

allergic to cats and dogs. Do you know w hat this o b ject is?

98
WRITING TOPICS
Study the student p a ra g ra p h that uses adjective clauses. Circle the five adjective
clauses in this p a ra g ra p h .
M ost acad em ic p a ra g ra p h s , w hether they a re p a r t o f an essay o r stand alone,
include a clea r topic sentence, a body, a n d a concluding sentence. N o tice that this
p a ra g ra p h has these three im portan t parts o f an a c ad em ic p a ra g ra p h . Use this
p a ra g ra p h as a m od el w hen you w rite ab o u t one o f the topics below .

A jock is a p e r s o n w h o lo v e s t o play s p o r ts . A jo c k c a n als o b e c a lle d a

s p o r ts p e r s o n or an a t h l e t e . T h e r e a re m a n y p o s it iv e a ttr ib u te s o f a jock. A n a t h l e t e
w h o w o r k s h a rd at his s p o r t m a y b e c o n s id e r e d a jock. It t a k e s a lot o f fo c u s a n d
d e t e r m in a t io n , w h ic h a re p o s it iv e traits, to b e a g o o d s p o r t s p e r s o n . J o c k s als o h a v e to
ta k e t h e a d v ic e o f t h e ir c o a c h e s a n d b e g o o d lis te n e rs . T h e s e a r e c h a r a c te r is tic s th a t
m a k e g o o d e m p l o y e e s , fr ie n d s , a n d s p o u s e s in t h e f u tu r e . H o w e v e r , s o m e n e g a t iv e
s t e r e o t y p e s a r e a ls o a s s o c i a t e d w i t h jo cks. S o m e t i m e s jo c k s a r e n o t c o n s id e r e d
in te llig e n t. B e c a u s e t h e y fo c u s on t h e i r s p o r t r a t h e r t h a n th e ir e d u c a t io n , s o m e p e o p le
thin k t h e y a re d u m b . T h e y m a y als o u s e t h e ir m u s c l e s r a t h e r t h a n t h e ir h e a d s t o s o lv e
p r o b le m s . T h is kind o f b e h a v io r m a k e s jo c k s lo o k e m o t i o n a l a n d irrationa l a t t i m e s .
E v e n th o u g h t h e t e r m " jo c k " is ju s t a n o t h e r w o r d fo r " a th le te ," it c a r rie s m a n y p o s itiv e
an d n e g a t i v e i m p r e s s io n s t h a t a s im p l e w o r d m a y n o t h ave.

Choose one o f the topics b e lo w a n d w rite a t least one p a ra g ra p h . Be sure to use

adjective clauses. A fte r y o u com plete y o u r first draft, concentrate on editing y o u r
work. Keep in m ind the editing practice from this chapter.
1. Write a description or definition of a slang term such as nerd, wimp, chicken,
or know-it-all. These terms show unique characteristics of the people that
they describe. Choose one of these terms or one of your own and explain the
meaning of this word by using clear examples.

2. How is the education that you are receiving now different from the education
you received as a child or in another country? Discuss differences such as those
you find in social life, academic pressure, testing, grading, and extracurricular
activities.

Go to p a g e 154 fo r m o re p ra c tic e w ith a d je c tiv e cla u s e s .