Definition Of Adjective Clause And Types

February 27, 2023

Table of Contents

Explanation of Adjective clause

An adjective clause can be said as a dependent clause that consists of a subject and a verb—however, an adjective clause functions as an adjective.

An adjective clause can be a type of dependent clause that performs as an adjective in the sentence. An adjective clause will always consist of a subject and a verb. But one thing about it is that it cannot stand alone as a complete thought.

There are some words which adjective clause will always begin with:

Relative Pronouns:

that
who
which
where
whom

Subordinating Conjunctions:

when
why
where
how
whatever

As we have listed above, these clauses are also called a subordinate clauses. It can perform in three ways in a sentence: as a noun, as an adjective, or as an adverb.

Examples of Adjective Clause

Here are some of the sentences containing adjective clauses, with explanations.

The girl who lives opposite the street is my relative.

Explanation: With the sentence above, the subject of the clause is “who,” and the verb is “lives.” At the same time, the clause is providing us more information about the “girl.”

Those books that are on the table belong to Ednut.

Let’s see some additional examples of sentences with adjective clauses:

I hate people who are mean to animals.
Did you go to the lesson where my friend Mark goes?
The reason why I left is a secret.
I hope you can see the bird that is on the fence?
The cat whom we are watching just caught a mouse!
The girl whose slippers are on the floor is my junior sister.
I so much like pizza, which is also the favorite of my sister Esther.

Aadjective clauses are beneficial to writing in which they make writing both more concise and more descriptive.

However, two independent clauses can be joined together to make one complete sentence.

Like this new sentence that will contain an independent clause and a dependent clause (adjective clause).

Two independent clauses:

The building is for sale. I like the building.

To combine these sentences, we first have to choose which independent clause you want to remove. We will make use of the second sentence for this example.

After, then you can add a relative pronoun or relative adverb to the beginning of that phrase.

Work in progress:

The building is for sale. That I like the building.
- The second sentence is not grammatically right but is used for example purposes only.

Elements of an adjective clause

An adjective clause has fundamental components and can be handily related to its regular examples.

Adjective Clause Elements:

Relative pronoun or relative intensifier + subject + action word
The rug that I bought is yellow.
My extraordinary grandmother remembers when the securities exchange slammed.
That guy, who is in first grade, won the science competition.
Relative pronoun as subject + action word
This is the man who called.

Types of Adjective Clauses

We have two types of adjective clauses, which are restrictive and non-restriction.

a. A restrictive clause is one that cutoff points or limits the thing or pronoun it alters. It makes the thing or pronoun more explicit. Prohibitive clauses have data that is crucial for the importance of the sentence.

Example 1

Rude people are hard to be near.

This adjective clause is prohibitive. It restricts the sort of individual that the subject ‘individuals’ is about. The sentence isn’t pretty much all individuals, yet about a little gathering of individuals: ones who are inconsiderate. If this adjective clause were eliminated, the significance of this sentence would be different.

Example 2

The button that is on top turns on the machine.

This adjective clause is prohibitive. It restricts the thing ‘button’ – it tells the peruser which catch is being distinguished. This would be valuable in case there were a few catches, and the peruser needed to know which one to utilize. In the event that this clause was taken out, the peruser would not realize how to turn the machine on.

b. A non-restrictive clause doesn’t restrict the thing or pronoun it adjusts; all things considered, it gives a touch of extra data. Non-prohibitive clauses are not vital for a sentence’s importance but rather add a touch of additional detail.

Example 1

The green button is at the highest point of the line.

The adjective clause here is non-prohibitive – it doesn’t restrict the ‘button’ in any capacity. It is adding a smidgen of additional data. On the off chance that this clause were taken out, the peruser would in any case realize which button the sentence alludes to.

Example 2

My brother, who is now and then inconsiderate to visitors, lives near me.

This adjective clause is non-prohibitive. It is adding additional data about ‘my sibling’. On the off chance that this adjective clause was taken out, the principle message of the sentence would continue as before.