Adjective Class

Adjective Clauses

Here is a brief review of adjective clauses and relative pronouns.

An adjective clause is used to describe a noun:

The car, which was red, belonged to Young-Hee.

A relative pronoun is usually used to introduce an adjective clause:

Young-Hee, who is a Korean student, lives in Victoria.

The main relative pronouns are:

Pronoun	Use	Example
Who	used for humans in subject position	Hans, who is an architect, lives in Berlin.
Whom	used for humans in object position	Marike, whom Hans knows well, is an interior decorator.
Which	used for things and animals in subject or object position	Marike has a dog which follows her everywhere.
That	used for humans, animals and things, in subject or objectposition (but see below)	Marike is decorating a house that Hans designed.

There are two main kinds of adjective clause:

1. Non-defining clauses

Non-defining clauses give extra information about the noun, but they are not essential:

The desk in the corner, which is covered in books, is mine.

Explanation: We don't need this information in order to understand the sentence. “The desk in the corner is mine” is a good sentence on its own — we still know which desk is referred to. Note that non-defining clauses are usually separated by commas, and “that” is not usually used in this kind of context.

2. Defining clauses

Defining clauses give essential information about the noun:

The package that arrived this morning is on the desk.

Explanation: We need this information in order to understand the sentence. Without the relative clause, we don't know which package is being referred to. Note that “that” is often used in defining relative clauses, and they are not separated by commas.

When you are sure that you understand the lesson, you can continue with the exercises.

LATIHAN SOAL

1. The man was sick. He looked very pale.

The man, who looked very pale, was sick.

2. He was sitting in the emergency room. It was very crowded.

He was sitting in the emergency room, which was very crowded.

3. A nurse was nearby. He called to her.

He called to a nurse, who was nearby.

4. The nurse called a doctor. He came quickly.

THE NURSE CALLED A DOCTOR, WHO CAME QUICKLY.

5. The doctor asked him to lie down. She looked very worried.

The doctor, who looked very worried, asked him to lie down.

6. She gave the man an injection. It made him go to sleep.

SHE GAVE THE MAN AN INJECTION, WHICH MADE HIM GO TO SLEEP.

1. The Olympic snowboarding event was exciting. Many people watched it on TV.

The Olympic snowboarding event, which many people watched on TV, was exciting.

2. It was the first time snowboarding had been included in the Olympics. Snowboarding is a new sport.

It was the first time snowboarding, which is a new sport, had been included in the Olympics.

3. The competition was very exciting. A Canadian won it.

The competition, which a Canadian won, was very exciting.

4. The winner, Ross Rebagliati, lives in Whistler, BC. Many young snowboarders admire him.

The winner, Ross Rebagliati, whom many young snowboarders admire, lives in Whistler, BC.