What is an Adjective Clause?
An adjective clause is a dependent clause (meaning it cannot stand alone as a sentence) that modifies a noun or pronoun. It acts like an adjective, describing or giving more information about the word it's attached to.
Indicators to Look For:
* Relative Pronouns: These pronouns introduce adjective clauses and connect them to the noun they modify.
* Who: Refers to people. (The woman who lives next door is a doctor.)
* Whom: Used as the object of a verb or preposition (The man whom we saw was wearing a blue shirt.)
* Whose: Shows possession. (The car whose engine was broken was towed away.)
* Which: Refers to things. (The book which I borrowed is very interesting.)
* That: Can refer to people, things, or groups. (The dog that barks all night keeps me awake.)
* Relative Adverbs: These adverbs introduce adjective clauses and also provide information about time, place, or reason.
* Where: Indicates a location. (The house where I grew up is now a museum.)
* When: Indicates a time. (The day when we went to the beach was perfect.)
* Why: Indicates a reason. (The reason why I'm late is because of traffic.)
Important Notes:
* Not all relative pronouns or adverbs indicate an adjective clause: Sometimes they are used in other sentence structures.
* Adjective clauses are often separated by commas: This is especially true if the clause is not essential to the meaning of the sentence.
* Adjective clauses can be restrictive or non-restrictive: A restrictive clause is essential to the meaning of the sentence and isn't set off by commas. A non-restrictive clause provides additional information and is set off by commas.
Example:
The woman who lives next door is a doctor. (The adjective clause "who lives next door" modifies the noun "woman.")
In Summary:
While there aren't specific "clue words," the presence of relative pronouns, relative adverbs, and the general structure of the sentence can help you recognize an adjective clause.