Adjective Clauses
with
Subject Relative Pronouns
Unit 13
What are adjectives?
Words that describe:
people:
animals:
places:
things:
Jane likes kind men.
I have a cute cat.
Los Angeles is crowded.
Our grammar book is useful.
What are adjective clauses?
They are groups of words
that describe nouns.
I have a niece who is a nurse.
noun
adjective clause
Who, which, that, whose
are the subject of adjective clauses,
but they are not complete sentences.
who passed away recently
which has 100 pages
that lives in Africa
whose ideas are crazy

who / that  people
The person who sits next to me talks a lot.
The person that sits next to me talks a lot.

which / that  places and things
Rome is a city which has many ruins.
Rome is a city that has many ruins.

whose + noun  people’s possessions
I met the man whose car was stolen.
Note:
1.That is less formal than who and which.
2. singular, plural, masculine or feminine
Who
Which
That
Whose
The boy whose parents just left is crying.
These are the men who fixed my house.
This is the lady who left you a message.
A sentence with an adjective clause is a
combination of two sentences.
I have a friend. + He likes snakes.
I have a friend who likes snakes.
main clause
adjective clause
The man is sad. + His dog died.
The man whose dog died is sad.
main
adjective clause
clause
What do adjective clauses do?
They describe or give additional information
about nouns or indefinite pronouns (one,
someone, somebody, something, another, other,
others).
Mary has a dog which follows her everywhere.

noun
adjective clause
David, who is an ESL teacher, works at Mt. SAC.
noun
adjective clause
I need to talk to someone who can fix my car.
noun
adjective clause
Noun + Adjective Clauses
 Adjective
clauses come after the
nouns they describe.
Tony has a dog who is an animal lover. (incorrect)
Tony, who is an animal lover, has a dog.
Adjective clauses have a
subject and a verb.
People who are lazy drive me crazy.
subject
verb
Peter shop in stores that have good sales.
subject
verb
Adjective clauses are
connected to main clause
a. after
I have a friend who is a boxer.
main clause
adjective clause
b. middle
The students who passed the quiz had studied.
main
adjective clause
clause
Verb Agreement

The verb in the adjective clause agrees with
the noun it describes.
I have a student who
singular
is from Cuba.
singular
I have ten students who are from China.
plural
plural
There are two kinds of
adjective clauses.
1. Nonrestrictive
2. Restrictive
Use commas.
Do not use commas.
Tom, who is a single
father, has a son.
People who are
married live longer.
1. Nonrestrictive (commas)
add extra information about
proper nouns, unique nouns or a
definite noun that has already
been identified.
Proper noun:
Boston, which is in Massachusetts, has
many colleges.
Unique noun:
My husband, who is in shape, plays soccer.
Definite noun:
Ann’s furniture was damaged by the flood.
The furniture, which is worth a lot of money,
can’t be repaired.
Use one comma or two commas
to separate it from the main clause.
I sat next to Bob, who is in my math class.
main clause
nonrestrictive adjective clause
Hawaii, which is an island, has great beaches.
main
nonrestrictive
clause
Note: Do not used that in nonrestrictive
adjective clauses (with commas).
Peter, that was a couch potato, retired last year.
incorrect
Peter, who was a couch potato, retired last year.
correct
Mt. SAC, that is near Pomona, is a college.
incorrect
Mt. SAC, which is near Pomona, is a college.
2. Restrictive Adjective Clause:

Do not use commas to separate it from the
main clause because the information is
needed to identify the noun it describes.
I know a cashier who works at Ralph's.
main clause
restrictive adjective clause
He bought a desk which was on sale.
main clause
restrictive clause
Restrictive adjective clauses are
used in definitions.
A locksmith is a person who makes keys
and repairs locks.
A penguin is a bird which lives in the
Antarctic.
One difference of nonrestrictive and
restrictive adjective clauses:
My sister, who just got married, moved to
Texas. (I have only one sister.)
My sister who just got married moved to
Texas. (I have more than one sister.)
Why do I need to use adjective clauses?

You can use adjective clauses to
combine sentences that refer to the
same noun.

Adjective clauses help avoid
repetition and help the information
flow more smoothly.
Adjective Clauses at the End of a Sentence
1. The hula hoop is a toy that became popular in the
1960’s
2. New Hampshire is a small state which is in the
northeastern part of the United States.
3. Swahili is a language which comes from East Africa.
4. Bolivia is a South American country that doesn’t
have a coastline.
5. Leonardo Da Vinci was an artist who painted La
Mona Lisa.
6. Jane and Tony have a daughter whose name is
Kathy.
7. I read Gone with the Wind, which was an interesting
book.
Adjective Clauses in the Middle of a Sentence
1. San Francisco, which is in the northwest of California, is
a beautiful city.
2. The food that was cooked by Jason was spicy.
3. Mr. Wilson, whose job is a lot of fun, is a dance teacher.
4. The movie that made us cry was extremely sad.
5. Swahili, which is a language, is spoken in East Africa.
6. The Andersons, whose house is in Walnut, live alone.
7. Picasso, who painted La Mona Lisa, is a famous artist.
Adjective Clauses
With
Object Relative Pronouns
Unit 14
Relative pronouns as
objects of the verb
whom
who
whose
which
that
whom, who, that  for people
That lady is friendly. Tom likes her.
object
whom Tom likes
That lady who Tom likes is friendly.
that Tom likes
Ǿ Tom likes
Whom
who
that
Ǿ
most formal --------------------------------------- informal
which, that  for things, places
and animals
The books are expensive. I have to buy them.
object
which I have to buy
The books that I have to buy are expensive.
Ǿ I have to buy
which
that
Ǿ
most formal -------------------------------------- less informal
Whose  people’s possessions
The man is unhappy. Bob dates his daughter.
The man whose daughter Bob dates is unhappy.
Mark plays in our soccer team. His nose is broken.
Mark, whose nose is broken, plays in our soccer team.
Relative pronouns as
objects of prepositions
whom
who
which
that
whom, who, that  for people
Jane likes the manager. She works for him.
preposition
for whom she works.
whom she works for.
Jane likes the manager who she works for.
that she works for.
Ǿ she works for.
object
which, that  for things, places
and animals
The picture is beautiful. Tony is looking at it.
preposition object
at which Tony is looking is beautiful.
The picture which Tony is looking at is beautiful.
that Tony is looking at is beautiful.
Ǿ Tony is looking at is beautiful.
at which which
that
Ǿ
most formal --------------------------------------- informal
Note:
Object relative pronouns are often omitted in every
day spoken English if commas are not needed.
I remember the boy (whom) I helped last year.
The park (which) Joe likes is on Grand Ave.
But they cannot be omitted if commas are needed.
I remember Mr. Wilson, whom I helped last years.
Sherman Park, which Joe likes, is on Grand Ave.
Where  locations
I like the church. + I pray there every Sunday.
I like the church where I pray every Sunday.
Now, you do it.
The bookstore is having a sale this week. +
I always buy my books there.
Bank of America is open late on Fridays. +
Alan cashes his checks at that bank.
Where  locations
Where replaces which, that, Ǿ and
the preposition in or at.
in which my father lives
which my father lives in
The building that my father lives in is old.
Ǿ my father lives in
The building where my father lives is old.
When  time
The meeting is on Monday. +
All the employees work that day.
The meeting is on Monday, when all the employees work.
They remembered the summer. + They met then.
They remembered the summer when they met.
When  time
When replaces that or Ǿ.
The day that Jane got married was very special.
The day Ǿ Jane got married was very special.
The day when Jane got married was very special.
Was there a time in your life when you felt blue?
The Monday, when I was absent, I didn’t get paid.
Find and correct 9 mistakes
(1) I read an article the other day which interested me a great deal. (2)
It reported on a survey that some sociologists conducted recently in the
Midwest, where the attitudes of most women are consider conservative.
(3) They examined the attitudes that American women have about men,
and they identified some of the things women consider to be important
characteristics in a good husband or boyfriend. (4) The study
determined that women seem to prefer men who can express their
feelings. (5) Most women prefer husbands to whom they can talk
easily, and with whom they can share their problems. (6) There were
also several other things which women consider important in a partner.
(7) A man’s character or personality is more important to many women
than the type of job he has, or the amount of money he makes. (8) Not
surprisingly, most women want a husband who will take on an equal
share of housekeeping and child-raising duties. (9) But the reality is
this: women want husbands who they can trust and depend on. (10)
Unfortunately, more than 70 percent of the women who answered the
questionnaire said they had husbands who do not meet these basic
requirements in some way.
How many adjective clauses are there?
(1) I read an article the other day which interested me a great deal. (2) It
reported on a survey that some sociologists conducted recently in the
Midwest, where the attitudes of most women are consider conservative.
(3) They examined the attitudes that American women have about men,
and they identified some of the things women consider to be important
characteristics in a good husband or boyfriend. (4) The study
determined that women seem to prefer men who can express their
feelings. (5) Most women prefer husbands to whom they can talk easily,
and with whom they can share their problems. (6) There were also
several other things which women consider important in a partner. (7) A
man’s character or personality is more important to many women than
the type of job he has, or the amount of money he makes. (8) Not
surprisingly, most women want a husband who will take on an equal
share of housekeeping and child-raising duties. (9) But the reality is
this: women want husbands who they can trust and depend on. (10)
Unfortunately, more than 70 percent of the women who answered the
questionnaire said they had husbands who do not meet these basic
requirements in some way.