Adjective Clauses (#1), by Dennis
Oliver refer you to.
Using 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
phrases 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 person who / that can help
you.
I know a person who(m) / that you
can help.
I know a person whose advice I can
trust.
I know a person to whom I can refer
you. /
I know a person who(m) / that I can
I want a car that / which gets good
gas mileage.
I can't afford the car 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 man who / that talked to us
was very friendly.
Do you know the man 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 people who(m) / that we met
seemed very friendly.
The people to whom / that we
were
 speaking seemed very friendly. /
The people who(m) / that we
were
speaking to seemed very friendly.
Using Adjective Clauses (#2):
Types of Adjective Clauses
I recently saw the people to
whom / that Subject Pattern Clauses
we were talking. / I recently saw
the people
who(m) / that we were talking to. There are several types of adjective
(relative) clauses, each
with its own rules for form. One type is
often referred to
3.
Clauses Showing Possession as subject pattern clauses because in
them, the relative
Here, the relative pronoun is pronoun (the words introducing the
possessive clauses) are the
and is attached to another word in grammatical subjects of the clauses.
the
adjective clause: Examples:

The people whose names are 1.

A man spoke to us. The man was
called
wearing
will work the first shift.
a green suit. --->
Do you know the student whose
A man who (that*) was wearing a
brother
green suit
won a gold medal in the
spoke to us.
Olympics?
The sentence with who has an
Adjective Clauses (#2), by Dennis adjective clause:
Oliver who was wearing a green suit. In
the clause,
who is the subject. The clause
modifies
(describes, explains, specifies) the
subject of
the sentence: a man.

2.
We hadn't met the man. The man
was
wearing a green suit. --->

We hadn't met the man who (that*)

was
wearing a green suit.
 Again, the sentence with who has
an adjective
clause: who was wearing a green _______________________________
suit. In _______________
the clause, who is again the
subject, but the
clause modifies the object of the
Special Notes:
main sentence:
the man. 1.
Adjective clauses come after the
nouns that
3.
The new car is parked outside. The they modify:
new car
wrong: A man was wearing a
belongs to Bob. --->
green suit
The new car that (which*) is parked who spoke to us.
outside
right: A man who was wearing a
belongs to Bob.
green suit
The sentence with that has an spoke to us.
adjective clause:
wrong: The new car belongs to
that is parked outside. In the
Bob that is
clause, that
parked outside.
is the subject., and the clause
modifies the
subject of the main sentence: the right: The new car that is parked
new car. outside
belongs to Bob.
4.
I don't like the new car. The new 2.
car is Do not use both a subject
parked outside. ---> pronoun and
a relative pronoun:
I don't like the new car that
(which*) is wrong: A man who he was
parked outside. wearing a green
suit spoke to us.
The sentence with that has an
adjective clause: right: A man who was wearing a
that is parked outside. In the green suit
clause, that spoke to us.
is the subject, but the clause
modifies the object wrong: The new car that it is
of the main sentence: the new car. parked outside
belongs to Bob.
 right: The new car that is parked
outside
belongs to Bob.
Using Adjective Clauses (#3):
Types of Adjective Clauses
More on Subject Pattern Clauses

In addition to the general information

that we've already
3. The relative pronouns who and
that are used seen, subject pattern adjective (relative)
clauses have some
to refer to people, but who is more
common. special characteristics:

4. The relative pronouns that and 1.

Reductions: Clauses with BE
which are
used to refer to things, but that is When a subject-pattern adjective
more common. clause
contains BE, the relative pronoun
5. The relative pronoun that cannot
and
be used
BE can often* be omitted:
in nonrestrictive clauses (which
will be The woman who is talking to
explained later). Janet
is her sister. ---> The woman
6. Adjective clauses are sometimes
talking
described
to Janet is her sister.
as dependent clauses because
they make no That man who is from Sweden
sense by themselves: they need speaks six languages. ---> That
the words of man
the main sentences to which they from Sweden speaks six
are attached languages.
in order to show complete
thoughts. The people who were injured in
the accident were friends of mine.
Adjective Clauses (#3), by Dennis --->
Oliver The people injured in the
accident
were friends of mine.

The people who have been

elected
have very high qualifications. --->
The people elected have very
high qualifications.
 The skates that are beside the with lots of hot spices.
door
belong to my brother. --->
The skates beside the door
belong to
my brother.

The meeting that's on Saturday

is very important. --->
The meeting on Saturday is
very important.

3.
Rephrasing: Clauses with HAVE

When adjective clauses contain

BE wearing, BE wearing can be
changed to in:

The woman who is wearing

2. the green silk suit isa doctor. -->
Rephrasing: Clauses with HAVE The woman in the green silk suit
is a doctor.
When an adjective clause contains
HAVE (meaning "own," "possess," The man who is wearing the red
or "is characterized by"), another plaid shirt is my brother. --->
kind of change is possible: The man in the red plaid shirt
is my brother.
Do you know anyone who has
change for a dollar? ---> Do you
know anyone with change for a
dollar?
_______________________________
There's only one person who has ___________
blond hair in my class. ---> There's
only one person with blond hair
in my class.
Special Notes:
I live in the house that has the
palm tree in front. ---> I live in the
house with the palm tree in front.

She likes food that has lots of

hot spices. ---> She likes food
1.
"Dropping" the relative pronoun + a businessman who is from Macau
BE --->
is most common in these a businessman from Macau
situations:
my appointments that are
a. when the verb in the adjective in the afternoon --->
clause my appointments in the afternoon
is progressive:
Important: The relative pronoun
a man who was wearing a green and BE
suit ---> are not "dropped" when BE is
a man wearing a green suit followed
by an adjective:
the woman who is sitting beside
you ---> people who are lonely /
the woman sitting beside you wrong: *people lonely

the dog that is barking so loudly a movie that is really exciting /

---> wrong: a movie really exciting
the dog barking so loudly

b. when the verb in the adjective

clause
is passive:

a watch that was given to me

by my grandfather ---> a watch
given to me by my grandfather

jewelry that was made in

Indonesia --->
jewelry made in Indonesia

music that was composed by

Chopin --->
music composed by Chopin

parts that were manufactured in

China --->
parts manufactured in China
c. when the verb in the adjective
clause
is followed by a prepositional
phrase:
the chair that is next to yours --->
the chair next to yours
2.
Do not change a relative pronoun
+
HAVE when HAVE does not mean
"own," "possess," or "is
characterized by":
a thing that has to be done --->
wrong: *a thing with done
women who have (="give birth to")
premature babies --->
wrong: *women with premature
babies

people who have a good time --->

wrong: *people with a good time
(wrong)