What Is an Adjective Clause?

(with Examples)

When we think of an adjective, we usually think about a single word used before a noun to modify its meanings
(e.g., tall building, smelly cat, argumentative assistant). However, an adjective can also come in the form of an
adjective clause.

An adjective clause usually comes after the noun it modifies and is made up of several words which, like all clauses,
will include a subject and a verb.

Examples of Adjective Clauses

Here are some examples of adjective clauses:
 The carpets which you bought last year have gone moldy.

 The film which you recommended scared the kids half to death.

 The follies which a man regrets most in his life are those which he didn't commit when he had the
opportunity. (Helen Rowland, 1876-1950)

 Bore: a person who talks when you wish him to listen.

The Components of an Adjective Clause

An adjective clause (which can also be called an adjectival clause or a relative clause) will have the following three
traits:
 It will start with a relative pronoun (who, whom, whose, that, or which) or a relative adverb (when, where,
or why).
(This links it to the noun it is modifying.)(Note: Quite often, the relative pronoun can be omitted. However,
with an adjective clause, it is always possible to put one in. There is more on this below.)
 It will have a subject and a verb.
(These are what make it a clause.)
 It will tell us something about the noun.
(This is why it is a kind of adjective.)
Look at the three traits in this example:

Quite often, the relative pronoun is the subject of the clause. Look at the three traits in this example:

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The Relative Pronoun Can Be Omitted
It is common for the relative pronoun to be omitted. Look at these examples:
 The carpets which you bought last year have gone moldy.

 The film which you recommended scared the kids half to death.

 The follies which a man regrets most in his life are those which he didn't commit when he had the
opportunity. (Helen Rowland, 1876-1950)
This is not always possible though:
 Bore: a person who talks when you wish him to listen.

Commas or No Commas around an Adjective Clause?

The big question with an adjective clause is whether to offset it with commas or not. The rule is this:
 Don't use commas if your clause is essential; i.e., it is required to identify its noun. (This is called a
restrictive clause.)
 Do use commas if your clause is just additional information. (This is called a non-restrictive clause.)
This is a good test: If you would happily put brackets around it or delete it, then use commas.

Here is an example of a non-restrictive clause:

 My brother, who claimed to have a limp, sprinted after the bus.

(This clause is not required to identify My brother. It is just additional information.)
 My brother (who claimed to have a limp) sprinted after the bus.
(As it's just additional information, you can put it in brackets.)
 My brother sprinted after the bus.
(As it's just additional information, you can even delete it.)
Compare this to a restrictive clause:

 The tramp who claimed to have a limp sprinted after the bus.
(This clause is required to identify The tramp. Without it, we don't know which tramp we're talking about.)
 The tramp (who claimed to have a limp) sprinted after the bus.
(This sentence is only appropriate if we know which tramp we're talking about.)
 The tramp sprinted after the bus.
(This sentence is only appropriate if we know which tramp we're talking about.)

The Adjective Clause

Recognize an adjective clause when you see one.

An adjective clause—also called an adjectival or relative clause—will meet three requirements:

 First, it will contain a subject and verb.

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  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 adjective clause will follow one of these two patterns:

 Relative Pronoun or Adverb + Subject + Verb

 Relative Pronoun as Subject + Verb

Here are some examples:

 Whose big, brown eyes pleaded for another cookie

 Whose = relative pronoun; eyes = subject; pleaded = verb.
 Why Fred cannot stand sitting across from his sister Melanie
 Why = relative adverb; Fred = subject; can stand = verb [not, an adverb, is not officially part of the verb].
 That bounced across the kitchen floor
 That = relative pronoun functioning as subject; bounced = verb.
 Who hiccupped for seven hours afterward
 Who = relative pronoun functioning as subject; hiccupped = verb.

Avoid writing a sentence fragment.

An adjective clause does not express a complete thought, so it cannot stand alone as a sentence. To avoid writing a
fragment, you must connect each adjective clause to a main clause.

Read the examples below. Notice that the adjective clause follows the word that it describes.
 Diane felt manipulated by her beagle Santana, whose big, brown eyes pleaded for another cookie.
 Chewing with her mouth open is one reason why Fred cannot stand sitting across from his sister Melanie.
 Snarling and skidding on the smooth tile, Oreo and Skeeter, Madison's two dogs, competed for the
hardboiled egg that bounced across the kitchen floor.
 Laughter erupted from Annamarie, who hiccupped for seven hours afterward.

Punctuate an adjective clause correctly.

Punctuating adjective clauses can be tricky. For each sentence, you will have to decide if the adjective clause is
essential or nonessential and then use commas accordingly.
Essential clauses do not require commas. An adjective clause is essential when you need the information it provides.

Look at this example:

 The vegetables that people leave uneaten are often the most nutritious.
 Vegetables is nonspecific. To know which ones we are talking about, we must have the information in the
adjective clause. Thus, the adjective clause is essential and requires no commas.

If, however, we eliminate vegetables and choose a more specific noun instead, the adjective clause becomes
nonessential and does require commas to separate it from the rest of the sentence.
Read this revision:
 Broccoli, which people often leave uneaten, is very nutritious.

SOURCE:
 http://www.grammar-monster.com/glossary/adjective_clauses.htm
 http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/adjectiveclause.htm

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 Here are several examples of sentences with
the adjective clauses:

1. Pizza, which most people love, is not very healthy.

2. The people whose names are on the list will go to camp.
3. Grandpa remembers the old days when there was no television. 
4. Fruit that is grown organically is expensive.
5. Students who are intelligent get good grades.
6. Eco-friendly cars that run on electricity save gas.
7. I know someone whose father served in World War II.
8. Making noise when he eats is the main reason why Sue does not like to eat with her
brother.
9. The kids who were called first will have the best chance of getting a seat.
10. I enjoy telling people about Janet Evanovich whose latest book was fantastic.
11. The people waiting all night outside the Apple store are trying to purchase a new iPhone.
12. "He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe is as good as dead." -
Albert Einstein
13. “Those who do not complain are never pitied.” - Jane Austen
14. “People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they
avoid.” - Søren Kierkegaard
15. “Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died.” - Erma Bombeck

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 Examples of Adjective Clauses
Adjectives modify nouns and pronouns, giving a description or more information. An adjective clause is simply a
group of words with a subject and a verb that provide a description. The clause starts with a pronoun such as who,
whom, that, or which or an adverb such as when, where and why.

Adjective Clauses In Action

Adjective clauses do not change the basic meaning of the sentence. In some cases, when they provide more
information into a sentence, they need to be set off with commas.

Here are several examples of sentences with the adjective clauses underlined:
 Pizza, which most people love, is not very healthy.
 The people whose names are on the list will go to camp.
 Grandpa remembers the old days when there was no television. 
 Fruit that is grown organically is expensive.
 Students who are intelligent get good grades.
 Eco-friendly cars that run on electricity save gas.
 I know someone whose father served in World War II.
 Making noise when he eats is the main reason why Sue does not like to eat with her brother.
 The kids who were called first will have the best chance of getting a seat.
 I enjoy telling people about Janet Evanovich whose latest book was fantastic.
 The people waiting all night outside the Apple store are trying to purchase a new iPhone.
 "He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe is as good as dead." - Albert Einstein
 “Those who do not complain are never pitied.” - Jane Austen
 “People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid.” - Søren
Kierkegaard
 “Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died.” - Erma Bombeck

Turning Adjective Clauses into Phrases

An adjective clause with a subject pronoun - such as which, that or who - can also be shortened into a phrase.

You can shorten an adjective clause in two ways:

1. Omit the subject pronoun and verb.
2. Omit the subject pronoun and change the verb to the form ending in "ing."

Here are some examples of how to create an adjective phrase:

 Adjective Clause: The books, which are lost, are not really necessary.
 Adjective Phrase: The books lost are not really necessary.
 
 Adjective Clause: The girl who is running is my best friend.
 Adjective Phrase: The girl running is my best friend.
 
 Adjective Clause: His share of the money, which consists of $100,000, was given to him on Monday.
 Adjective Phrase: His share of the money, consisting of $100,000, was given to him on Monday.
 
 Adjective Clause: Something that smells bad may be rotten.
 Adjective Phrase: Something smelling bad may be rotten.
 
Remember, the goal of an adjective clause is to add more information to a noun or a pronoun. You can add the
information by including a few more words or by changing the adjective clause to a phrase.

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