An adjective uses pronouns to connect the dependent to the independent clause.

Adjective clause pronouns (relative pronoun)

Is a dependent clause that modifies nouns. It describes, identifies or give further information about a noun.

Adjective clause (relative clause)

Is not a complete sentence it must be connected to a independent clause.

Dependent clause

Is a complete sentence. It contains the main subject and verb of a sentence.

Independent clause (main clause)

Is a group of words containing a subject and a verb.

Clause

I thanked the woman.

She helped me.

a. I thanked the woman who helped me.

b. I thanked the woman that helped me.

I thanked the woman: is the independent clause.

Who/ That helped me: are the adjective clause, whish modifies the noun WOMAN.

Who and That are the subjects of an adjective clause.

(a) And (b) have the same meaning.

The book is mine.

It is on the table.

a. The book whish is on the table is mine.

b. The book that is on the table is mine.

Who> used for people.

Whish> used for things.

That > used for both.

Incorrect: THE BOOK IS MINE THAT IS ON THE TABLE.

The man was Mr. Jones.

I saw him.

a) The man who(m) I saw was Mr. Jones.

b) The man that I saw was Mr. Jones.

c) The man ѳ I saw was Mr. Jones.

In (a) who is usually used instead of whom, especially in speaking. Whom isgenerally used only in very formal English.

Incorrect: THE MAN WHO(M) I SAW HIM WAS MR. JONES.

THE MAN THAT I SAW HIM WAS MR. JONES.

THE MAN I SAW HIM WAS MR. JONES.

The pronoun himMust be removed. It is unnecessarybecause who(m),That, or ѳ fuctions asthe object of the verbSaw.

The movie wasn`t very good.

We saw it last night.

d) The movie which we saw last night wasn`t very good.

e) The movie that we saw last night wasn`t very good.

f) The movie ѳ we saw last night wasn`t very good.

In (c) and (f): an object pronoun is often omitted froman adjective clause. (a subject

pronoun, however, may not be omitted.)

In very formal English, the preposition comes at the beginning of theobjective clause.

She is the woman.

I told you about her.

a) She is the woman about whom I told you about.

b) She is the woman who(m) I told you about.

c) She is the woman that I told you about.

d) She is the woman ѳ I told you about.

Usually in everyday usage, the preposition comes after the subject and verb of theadjective clause.

The music was good.We listened to it last night.

a) The music to whish we listened last night was good.

b) The music whish we listened to last night was good.

c) The music that we listened to last night was good.

d) The music ѳ we listened to last night was good.

Incorrect: The music to that we listen last night wasgood.

a) Usual: I like the people who live next to me.

Less usual: I like the people that live next to me.

b) Usual: I like books that have good plots.

Less usual: I like books which have good plots.

c) Usual: I liked the people ѳ I meet last night.

d) Usual: I liked the book ѳ I read last week.

In (a): As a subject pronoun, who is more common thanthat.

In (b) : As a subject pronoun, that is more common thanwhich.

In (c) and (d): Object pronoun are commonly omittedspecially in speaking.

I know the man.

His bicycle was stolen.

a) I know the man whose bicycle was stolen.

The student writes well.

I read her composition.

b) The student whose composition I read writes well.

Mr. Cart has a painting.

Its value is inestimable.

c) Mr. Cart has a painting whose value is inestimable.

Whose is used to show possession. It carries the samemeaning as other possessive pronouns used as adjectives: his, her, its, and their.

Like his, her its, and their, whose is connected to a noun:

His bicycle - whose bicycle.

Her composition - whose composition.

Whose cannot be omitted

Whose usually modifies people, but it may also beused to modify things, as in (c).

The building is very old.

He lives there ( in that building).

a) The building where he lives is very old.

b) The building in which he lives is very old.

The building which he lives in is very old.

The building that he lives in is very old.

The building ø he lives in is very old.

Where is used in an adjective clause to modify a place (city, country, room, house, etc.).

If where is used, a preposition is NOT included in theadjective clause, as in (a). If where is not used, thepreposition must be included, as in (b).

I`ll never forget the day.

I met you then ( on that day).

a) I`ll never forget the day when I met you.

b) I`ll never forget the day on which I met you.

c) I`ll never forget the day that I met you.

d) I`ll never forget the day ø I met you.

When is used in an adjective clause to modify a noun of time ( year, day, time, century, etc.).

Adjectives can modify indefinite pronouns(someone, everybody.). object pronouns(who(m), that, which) are usually omitted in theadjective clause.

a) There is someone (whom) I want you to meet.

b) Everything he said was pure nonsense.

c) Anybody who wants to come is welcome.

d) Paula was the only one I knew at the party.

e) Scholarships are available for those who need financialassistance.

Adjective clauses can modify the one(s) and those.

f) INCORRECT: I who am a student at this schoolcome from a country in Asia.

g) It is I who am responsable.

h) He who laughs last laughs best.

General guidelines for the punctuation clauses:1. Do not use commas if the adjective clause is necessary

to identify the noun it modifies.

2. Use commas if the adjective clause simply givesadditional information and is not necessary ti identifythe noun it modifies.

a) The professor who teaches Chemistry 101 is anexcellent lecturer.

b) Professor Wilson, who teaches Chemistry 101, is anexcellent lecturer.

In (a) no commas are used. The adjective clause isnecessary to identify which professor is meant.

In (b) commas are used. The adjective clause is notnecessary to identify professor Wilson. We alreadyknow who he is : he has a name. The adjective clausesimply gives additional information.

c) Hawaii, which consists of eight principal islands, is a favorite vacation spot.

d) Mrs. Smith, who is a retired teacher, does volunteerwork at the hospital.

e) The man {whom, that, ø} I met teaches chemistry.

f) Mr. Lee, whom I met yesterday, teaches chemistry.

Using expressions of quantity in adjective clauses

In a clase are 20 srudents.

Mosr of them are from the Far East.

a) In my class they are 20 students, most of whom are from Asia.

Ha gave several reasons.

Only a few of them were valid.

b) He gave several reasons, only a few if which were valid.

The teachers discussed Jim.

One of his problems was poor study habits.

c) The teachers discussed Jim, one if whose problems was poorstudy habits.

An adjective clause may contain an expression of quantity with of: some of, many of, most of, noneof, rwo of, half of, both of, neither of, each of, all of, a few of, little of, a number of, etc.

The expression of quantity procedes the pronoun. Onlywhom, which, and whose are used in the pattern.

Using noun + of whichWe have an antique table.

The top of it has jade inlay.

a) We have an antique table, the top of wich has jade inlay.

An adjective clause may include a noun + of whish (thetop of which)

a) Tom was late.

b) That surprised me.

c) Tom was late, which surprised me.

d) The elevator is out of order.

e) This is too bad.

f) Te elevator is out of order, which is too bad.

The pronoun that and this can refer to the idea of a whole sentence which comes before.

Similary, an adjective clause with which may modify thewhole sentence.

Using which to modify a whole sentence is informal and occurs most frecuently in spoken English.