Adjective Clauses

Examples of Adjective Clauses

Adjectives modify nouns and pronouns, giving a description or more information. An adjective clause is simply a group of words with a subject and a verb that provide a description. The clause starts with a pronoun such as who, whom, that, or which or an adverb such as when, where and why.


Adjective Clauses In Action

Adjective clauses do not change the basic meaning of the sentence. In some cases, when they provide more information into a sentence, they need to be set off with commas.

Here are several examples of sentences with the adjective clauses underlined:
Pizza, which most people love, is not very healthy.
The people whose names are on the list will go to camp.
Grandpa remembers the old days when there was no television.
Fruit that is grown organically is expensive.
Students who are intelligent get good grades.
Eco-friendly cars that run on electricity save gas.
I know someone whose father served in World War II.
Making noise when he eats is the main reason why Sue does not like to eat with her brother.
The kids who were called first will have the best chance of getting a seat.
Running a marathon, a race of twenty-six miles, takes a lot of training.
I enjoy telling people about Janet Evanovich whose latest book was fantastic.
The people waiting all night outside the Apple store are trying to purchase a new iPhone.
"He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe is as good as dead." - Albert Einstein
“Those who do not complain are never pitied.” - Jane Austen
“People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid.” - Søren Kierkegaard
“Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died.” - Erma Bombeck



Turning Adjective Clauses into Phrases

An adjective clause with a subject pronoun - such as which, that or who - can also be shortened into a phrase.

You can shorten an adjective clause in two ways:
Omit the subject pronoun and verb.
Omit the subject pronoun and change the verb to the form ending in "ing."

Here are some examples of how to create an adjective phrase:
Adjective Clause: The books, which are lost, are not really necessary.
Adjective Phrase: The books lost are not really necessary.


Adjective Clause: The girl who is running is my best friend.
Adjective Phrase: The girl running is my best friend.


Adjective Clause: His share of the money, which consists of $100,000, was given to him on Monday.
Adjective Phrase: His share of the money, consisting of $100,000, was given to him on Monday.


Adjective Clause: Something that smells bad may be rotten.
Adjective Phrase: Something smelling bad may be rotten.



Remember, the goal of an adjective clause is to add more information to a noun or a pronoun. You can add the information by including a few more words or by changing the adjective clause to a phrase.