Adjective Clause

1. What is an Adjective Clause?

An adjective clause is a clause that works to describe (modify) a noun or pronoun. It will
always be a subordinate clause. It appears immediately after the word it describes (modifies).
Adjective clauses always begin with either a pronoun or an adverb.

 Pronouns: who, which, that, whom, whose

 Adverbs: why, where, when
Adjective clauses answer questions that begin with which, who, when,

2. Examples of Adjective Clause

Example 1:
“I do feel so sorry,” said Draco Malfoy, one Potions class, “for all those people who have
to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they’re not wanted at home.”
-J.K Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

In this example, the adjective clause is describing the noun ‘people’. It is giving the
reader more information about the kind of people that Draco feels sorry for. It begins
with the pronoun ‘who’, and answers the question, “Which people?”

Example 2:
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
-George Santayana

Here, the adjective clause is describing the pronoun ‘those’ – it is giving us more
information on who those people are. It begins with the pronoun ‘who’, and ‘who is
the subject of the clause.

Example 3:
The four gas giant planets, which are Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus, are further
away from the Sun than the rocky planets.
The adjective clause in this sentence is describing the gas giant planets in more
detail. It is giving the reader more description about the outer planets. The clause
begins with the pronoun ‘which’ and answers the question, “Which planets?”
Example 4:
The time when fish are easiest to catch is at dawn.
This adjective clause is our first example of one starting with an adverb. It begins
with the adverb ‘when’. Note that ‘when’ is not the subject of the adjective clause –
‘fish’ is.

3. Parts of an Adjective Clause

a. Adjective Clause beginning with a Pronoun
When an adjective clause begins with a pronoun, the pronoun is the subject of the
clause.
Example 1:

The man who owns Curious George wears a yellow hat.

In this example, ‘who’ is a pronoun and the subject of the adjective clause. The clause
describes ‘man’, which is the subject of the main clause ‘The man wears a yellow
hat.’ ‘Owns’ is the verb, because it is the action that ‘who’ is doing.

Example 2:
The dog that performs the most tricks will win the prize.
The subject of this adjective clause is ‘that’, and the clause modifies the word ‘dog’.
The verb here is ‘performs’ because that is what the subject, ‘that’, is doing.

b. Adjective Clause beginning with an Adverb

When an adjective clause begins with an adverb, the noun or pronoun following the
adverb is the subject.

Example 1:
The restaurant where they serve fried zucchini is my favorite.
This adjective clause begins with an adverb (‘where’). The subject of the clause is the
pronoun ‘they’. The verb is ‘serve’, and the adjective clause describes the restaurant.

Example 2:
Do you remember that time when we saw an eagle flying?
The adverb ‘when’ begins this adjective clause. The subject of the clause is ‘we’, the
verb is ‘saw’, and the adjective clause describes ‘time’. The clause answers the
question, “Which time?”