Adjective clauses in English

Are you confused about adjective clauses and looking for some clarity? We've got you covered. In this reference, we will explain the concept of adjective clauses, provide examples, and discuss essential and non-essential adjective clauses. We will also provide a list of common adjective clause words to help you understand and use them in your own sentences.

What is an adjective clause

Adjective clause definition: “a dependent clause that modifies a noun or pronoun in a sentence by providing additional information about it.”

Also known as an adjectival or relative clause, its essential function is to modify a noun or a pronoun. It will include a subject and a verb and can be used to provide additional information about nouns or a pronouns in the sentence.

For example, in the sentence, "The woman who is wearing a red dress is my mother," the clause "who is wearing a red dress" is an adjective clause because it provides additional information about the noun “woman.”

In simple terms, you combine two sentences into one by using an adjective clause. "She is my mother. She is wearing a red dress" was combined into one sentence with the help of an adjective clause: “The woman who is wearing a red dress is my mother.”

Adjective clause examples sentences

Let's look at some more examples of adjective clauses in action.

The book which is on the table is mine.

In this sentence, the clause "which is on the table" is an adjective clause because it adds more information about the noun "book."

The people who live in the house are my neighbors.

The clause "who live in the house" is an adjective clause because it adds more information about the noun "people."

The car that I bought last year is very reliable.

The clause "that I bought last year" is an adjective clause because it adds more information about the noun “car.”

You can even create complex adjective clauses, such as:

The book which my friend recommended, that one on the table, is mine.

There are two adjective clauses here ("which my friend recommended" and "that one on the table") that both modify the noun “book.”

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Essential and Non-Essential Adjective Clauses

Adjective clauses can be essential or non-essential. An essential adjective clause is a clause that is necessary for the sentence to make sense. For example, in the sentence, "The woman who is wearing a red dress is my mother," the clause "who is wearing a red dress" is essential because it is necessary for the sentence to make sense.

On the other hand, a non-essential adjective clause is a clause that is not necessary for the sentence to make sense. For example, in the sentence, "My mother, who is wearing a red dress, is the best cook in the family," the clause "who is wearing a red dress" is non-essential because the sentence still makes sense without it.

Here are some more examples of non-essential adjective clauses:

• "The book, which my friend recommended, is mine."
• "The house, which is located on the corner of the street, is for sale."
• “The cat, who was sleeping in the sun, woke up when I called her.”

List of Common Adjective Clause Words

Now that we have discussed the concept of adjective clauses and their essential and non-essential forms, let's look at a list of common words that can be used to form adjective clauses. The following words are commonly used to introduce adjective clauses:

• who
• whom
• that
• which
• whose

These words can be used to introduce adjective clauses which modify a noun or a pronoun. For example, in the sentence, "The man who lives next door is my neighbor," the word "who" is used to introduce the adjective clause “who lives next door.”

In addition, the following words can be used to join two clauses together in an adjective clause:

• when
• where
• while
• why
• how

For example, in the sentence, "I know how she solved the problem," the word "how" is used to join two clauses together in an adjective clause.

The following words can be used to create an essential adjective clause:

• if
• whether

For example, in the sentence, "I don't know if she will come," the word "if" is used to create an essential adjective clause.

Difference between adjective clause and adjective phrase

The main difference between an adjective clause and an adjective phrase is that an adjective clause contains a subject and a verb, whereas an adjective phrase does not. An adjective clause always modifies a noun or pronoun, while an adjective phrase can modify either a noun or a verb.

For example, in the sentence "The woman who works here is my friend," the word "who" introduces an adjective clause that modifies the noun "woman." In contrast, in the sentence "She works here often," the phrase "often" is an adjective phrase that modifies the verb "works."

Summary

Adjective clauses are a kind of dependent clause that provides additional information about a noun or a pronoun in a sentence. They can be either essential or non-essential and are introduced by words such as "who," "whom," "that," "which," and "whose." We have discussed the concept of adjective clauses, provided examples, and listed common words used to introduce them.

Over time, you can learn to improve your sentences with amazing adjective phrases that enrich your language.