ADJECTIVE CLAUSES

MaryNell's Grammar Summaries

ADJECTIVE CLAUSES

Relative pronouns can be:		restrictive		non-restrictive (commas)
subject of adj. cl. (may not be omitted) ***(may be reduced)	people things & ideas	who/that which/that	The student who/that must take a test tomorrow is studying very hard. One professor is reading books that/which are about skiing.	who which
object of adj. cl. verb (may be omitted in restrictive clauses; may not be omitted in non-restrictive clauses)	people things & ideas	who(m)/ that which/that	One of the teachers (whom; who; that; Æ ) I know goes to Costa Rica every year. All the books (which; that; Æ ) he is reading are about history.	whom which
object of preposition in adj. clause	people things & ideas	prep + whom prep + which	The librarian (to whom; who...to; that...to; ...to) I gave the book was very polite. The branch on which you are standing is going to break.	prep + whom prep + which
relative adverb prepositional phrase	time	when OR (prep) + which which...(prep) that ...(prep)*	The day (when; on which; that; Æ ) he broke his leg was stormy. *with noun of time or "time"	when prep + which
relative adverb prepositional phrase	place	where OR (prep) + which which...(prep) that...(prep) Æ ...(prep)	The room (where; in which; which...in; that...in; ...in) we eat is very crowded. [The room that we eat in is very crowded.]	where prep + which
possessive adj.	people or things	whose + noun	The teacher whose book you borrowed is absent today.	whose + noun

*** only adjective clauses in which the relative pronoun is the subject may be reduced Grammar 5/Sorensen 1994

COMMAS: 1) Use commas around non-restrictive clause

King apples, which are my favorite fruit, can be grown in Western Washington.

2) Use a comma before:

I have eight siblings, only one of whom came to my house for Christmas.

noun + of which

Yesterday she bought a coat, the collar of which is mink.

which (modifying a sentence)

All of the Grammar 5 students passed, which made the teacher very happy.