3. First, let’s remember that adjectives
modify (or describe) nouns and
pronouns.
Example:
Intelligent students understand
adjectives.
(The word "intelligent" is an adjective
because it describes the noun
"students.")
4. But adjectives are not always single words.
Sometimes they are clauses:
Example:
Students who are intelligent understand
adjectives.
(The adjective clause is underlined. It is an
"adjective" clause because it describes the noun
"students.")
5. Remember
A clause is a group of related words with a subject and
verb.
Adjective clauses are always dependent clauses.
Adjective clauses, like adverb clauses, are introduced by
dependent signals.
6. If you find yourself not caring a hoot in a far country
about that, just remember that there are only five
dependent signals which introduce adjective clauses.
They are:
Who
Whom
Whose
Which
That
7. Therefore, I call these little devils (sorry, I mean these
relative pronouns), double duty dependent signals.
Again, the double duty dependent signals which
introduce adjective clauses are:
Who
Whom
Whose
Which
That
8. 2. Relative clause
A relative clause is a kind of subordinate clause,
one of whose arguments shares a referent with a
main clause element on which the subordinate
clause is grammatically dependent.
9. relative pronoun
example
who
subject or object pronoun for people
I told you about the woman who lives next door.
which
subject or object pronoun for animals and things
Do you see the cat which is lying on the roof?
which
referring to a whole sentence
He couldn’t read which surprised me.
10. whose
possession for people animals and things
Do you know the boy whose mother is a nurse?
whom
object pronoun for people, especially in non-defining
relative clauses (in defining relative clauses we colloquially
prefer who)
I was invited by the professor whom I met at the
conference.
that
subject or object pronoun for people, animals and
things in defining relative clauses (who or which are also
possible)
I don’t like the table that stands in the kitchen.
11. Relative Adverbs
A relative adverb can be used instead of a relative pronoun plus
preposition. This often makes the sentence easier to understand.
This is the shop in which I bought my bike.
→ This is the shop where I bought my bike.
relative adverb
o when
Meaning : in/on which
use : refers to a time expression
Example : day when we met him
o where
Meaning : in/on which
use : refers to a place
Example : the place where we met him
o why
Meaning : for which
use : refers to a reason
Example : the reason why we met him
