This document discusses adjective clauses, which provide additional information about nouns. It notes that adjective clauses use relative pronouns like who, that, which to begin the clause. Adjective clauses can identify specific nouns or indefinite pronouns. The verb in the adjective clause agrees with the subject, whether singular or plural. Adjective clauses can be either identifying or non-identifying, with non-identifying clauses set off by commas.

1. COMMUNICATIVE GRAMMAR IV
Adjective Clauses with
Subject Relative Pronouns
César Ochoa Cueva, M.S.Ed.

2. Adjective Clauses
Adjective Clauses
Use adjective clauses to identify or give additional
information about nouns (people, places, or things).
I used to live in Catamayo,
which is in the south of
Ecuador.
Tom Hanks is an actor
who starred in Forrest
Gump.

3. Adjective Clauses
Adjective Clauses
Adjective clauses can also identify or describe indefinite
pronouns such as one, someone, somebody, something,
another, and other (s).
An actress is someone who plays a role in a movie.
The adjective clause directly
follows the noun (or pronoun)
it is identifying.

4. Adjective Clauses
Adjective Clauses
Sentences with adjective clauses can be
seen as a combination of two sentences.
Ricardo calls often.
+
He lives in Rome.
=
Ricardo, who lives in Rome, calls often.

5. Relative Pronouns
Relative Pronouns
Adjective clauses begin with relative pronouns. Subject
relative pronouns can be who, that, which, and whose.
I have a friend who/that has a castle.
castle
Paris is a city which/that attracts a
lot of tourists.
He is the student whose book
is on the shelf.
shelf

6. Relative Pronouns
Relative Pronouns
Relative pronouns have the same form whether they
refer to singular or plural nouns, or to males or females.
That is the man who works for McDonalds.
That is the woman who likes hamburgers.
Those are the people who play soccer.

7. Verb form in Adjective Clauses
Verb form in Adjective Clauses
The verb in the adjective clause is singular if the subject
relative pronoun refers to a singular noun. It is plural if it refers
to a plural noun.
Bob is my friend who lives in Mexico.
Sue and Tom are my friends who live in
Mexico.

8. Kinds of Adjective Clauses
Kinds of Adjective Clauses
There are two kinds of adjective clauses,
identifying and nonidentifying.
I have a lot of good friends. My friend who lives in New York
visits me often.
The adjective clause is
necessary to identify
which friend.

9. Kinds of Adjective Clauses
Kinds of Adjective Clauses
A nonidentifying adjective clause is separated from the
rest of the sentence by commas. Do not use commas
with an identifying adjective clause.
I have a lot of good friends.
My best friend, who lives in New York, visits me
often.
The friend has already been
identified as the speaker’s
best friend. The adjective
clause gives additional
information.

11. Bibliography
• Fuchs, M. & Bonner, M., Focus on Grammar 4
Pearson Education , White Plains, NY 10606,
2006
• http://www.myenglishteacher.net
• Photo credit: Microsoft Office