6

Adjective Clauses with

Subject Relative
Pronouns
Famous Faces
and Places

Focus on Grammar 4
Part VI, Unit 13
By Ruth Luman, Gabriele Steiner, and BJ Wells
Copyright 2006. Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

History
History 101
101
Okay, who
lets
start studying for our
a Shes
scientist
whose
Oh,
She
IShes
know.
discovered
the
a woman
element
of
Wow. exam.
Good answers.
Okay, next
history
Ill
ask
a
question,
discoveries
have
greatly
What
didMarie
she
discover?
radium,
won
the
which
Nobelis
Prize
used
in
inquestion.
1903.
X-rays.
Who
was
Gandhi?
Who
is
Curie?
you tell me the answer.
affected the medicaland
field.

Adjective
Adjective Clauses
Clauses 11
Use adjective clauses to identify or give additional
information about nouns (people, places, or things).

He lived in the state of Gujarat,

Gandhiwhich
was aisman
who worked
in Western
India.for
peace.
The clause
The clause
who worked for peace
which is in Western India
identifies the man we are
gives additional
talking about.
information about Gujarat.

Adjective
Adjective Clauses
Clauses 22
Adjective clauses can also identify or describe indefinite
pronouns such as one, someone, somebody,
something, another, and other(s).

someone
George Washington Carver is someone
who was a famous botanist.
The adjective clause directly
follows the noun (or pronoun)
it is identifying.

Adjective
Adjective Clauses
Clauses 33
Sentences with adjective clauses can be
seen as a combination of two sentences.
Nightingale was a nurse.
Beethoven was a Florence
composer.

She developed
His music is still enjoyed
by manymodern
people.healthcare methods.
Beethoven was aFlorence
composer
Nightingale
whose was a nurse who
music is still enjoyed
developed
by many
modern
people.
healthcare methods.

Relative
Relative Pronouns
Pronouns 11
Adjective clauses begin with relative pronouns.
Subject relative pronouns can be who, that, which,
and whose.
Use whose
refer
to
Abraham
Lincoln
an American
ThetoMona
Lisa iswas
a painting
which
peoples
possessions
president
fought against
slavery.
slavery
ispossessions.
knownwho
throughout
the world.

is known throughout the world

OR

inventions
Thomas Edison,
Edison whoseThe
Mona
Lisa iswas
a painting
that
Abraham
Lincoln
an American
changed the world,
in 1847.
world wasisborn
known
throughout
the world.
world
president that
fought against
slavery.
slavery
That
is
Use
Use
who
which
orless
that
or formal
that
to to than
refer to
whotoplaces
and
which
and used
refer
people.
or things.
people
more in conversation.

Be
Be Careful!
Careful!
Do not use a subject pronoun (I, you, he, she, it, we,
they) and a subject relative pronoun in the same
adjective clause.

William Shakespeare is an Englishman

who he wrote many well-known plays.
William Shakespeare is an Englishman
who wrote many well-known plays.

Practice 1

Combine the groups of sentences into

one sentence with an adjective
clause. Use the appropriate relative
pronouns.

Example: a) Albert
Example:
AlbertEinstein
Einsteinwas
wasaaphysicist.
physicist who/that
wonwon
thethe
Nobel
Prize
in Physics
in in
1921
.
b) He
Nobel
Prize
in Physics
1921.

1. a)Ang
AngSan
SanSu
SuKyi
KyiisisaaBurmese
Burmesepeace
peaceactivist
activist in
in Myanmar
Myanmar.
Albert Einstein was a physicist who won
is a country
located
in Southeast
Asia.
Asia
Nobel
Prize
in Southeast
Physics
inAsia.
1921.
b)which
Myanmar
is a the
country
located
in
1921

OR
2. a)Diego
DiegoRivera
Riverawas
wasa aMexican
Mexicanpainter
painter.
whose work is
Albert
Einstein
was a physicist that won
famous
museums.
museums
b)displayed
His workin
is many
displayed
in many
famous museums.
the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921.
1921
3. a)
MotherTeresa
Teresawas
wasa aCatholic
Catholicnun
nun.who/that devoted her
Mother
life
to the
poor.
poor her life to the poor.
b)
She
devoted

Relative
Relative Pronouns
Pronouns 22
Relative pronouns have the same form whether they
refer to singular or plural nouns, or to males or
females.
Ferdinand Magellan was the
man who led the first
expedition to sail around the
world.
Amelia Earhart was the woman
who was the first female pilot
to fly across the Atlantic.
Pioneers are people who do
things others think impossible.

Verbs
Verbs in
in Adjective
Adjective Clauses
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.
singular verb

Copernicus was an astronomer who is

known for his theory that the world is round.

Plato and Aristotle are ancient Greek

men who are known for philosophies.
plural verb

Be
Be Careful!
Careful!
When whose + noun is the subject of an adjective
clause, the verb agrees with the subject of the
adjective clause.

Jane Austen was an English novelist

whose novels is read by many students.
Jane Austen was an English novelist
whose novels are read by many students.
subject

Two
Two Kinds
Kinds of
of Adjective
Adjective Clauses
Clauses
There are two kinds of adjective clauses,
identifying and nonidentifying.

The adjective clause

The
books which are on
identifies which books the
the
table belong
to me.
sentence
talks about.

The adjective clause is not

The
books, which are on
necessary to identify the
the table,
to me.
which
booksbelong
are referred
to.

Commas
Commas
A nonidentifying adjective clause is separated from the
rest of the sentence by commas. Do not use commas
with an identifying adjective clause.

The map, which

is on
Nonidentifying
Adjective
the table,
is new.
Clause

Identifying
The map
which is on the
tableAdjective
is new. Clause

Be
Be Careful!
Careful!
Do not use that to introduce nonidentifying adjective
clauses.
clauses Use who for people and which for places
and things.

Athens, that is the birthplace

Marie Curie, that won the Nobel Prize,
of the Olympics, is in
discovered
Greece. radium.
Athens, which is theMarie
birthplace
Curie, who won the Nobel Prize,
of the Olympics, is in
discovered
Greece. radium.

Practice 2
Example:

Find and correct the errors in the

adjective clauses of the sentences.
Discuss your answers with a partner.

Italy, which
that is is
the
birthplace
ofof
opera,
a a
the
birthplace
opera,
opera
operais is
fascinating country.

1. Louis Armstrong was a famous American musician who

who he
made jazz popular.
popular
recentlybecome
becomewellwell2. Frida Kahlo, whose paintings have
has recently
known,
known was a Mexican painter.
livesininSouth
SouthAfrica,
Africa,
foughtagainst
against
Africafought
3. Nelson Mandela, who live
Africa
apartheid.
who writes
4. Chinua Achebe is a Nigerian author which
writesnovels
novels
about village life.
life
5. Valentina Tereshkova ,who was the first woman to travel
into space, is Russian.

References
References
Copyright 2006 Pearson Education and
its licensors. All rights reserved.
Photo credit:
Ghandi: Silvio Fiore / SuperStock