English Grammar: Adjective Clauses – Subject & Object Relative Pronouns

Language Focus: An introduction to relative clauses/adjective clauses that use subject and object relative pronouns.

Worksheet Download: adjective-clause-worksheet-esl.docx (scroll down to study the exercises online)

Note: An adjective clause and relative clause are the same. We will use the word adjective clause.

This is the first lesson on adjective clauses. There are three lessons.

1. Lesson 1: Making adjective clauses with subject and object relative pronouns
2. Lesson 2: Using the relative pronouns where, when, and which.
3. Lesson 3: Punctuating adjective clauses

Introduction: Adjective Clauses (Relative Clauses)

Why is it called an adjective clause? Because adjective clauses modify (describe) nouns, just like adjectives. For example:

• The tall man smiled. = tall is an adjective, modifying the noun man.
• The man who had long hair smiled. = ' who had long hair ' is an adjective clause that modifies the noun man.

Why Use Adjective Clauses?

When you use adjective clauses, you are able to combine two sentences into one. A sentence with an adjective clause is called a complex sentence. Good writers use a mix of simple sentences, compound sentences, and complex sentences.

Here are two simple sentences.

• I study at a college. The college is downtown.

To make an adjective clause, we need to find two ideas in these sentences that refer to the same thing. What is the same in these two sentences? The word ' college ' is in both! So, instead of saying the word twice, we can replace one word with a relative pronoun and make an adjective clause.

Here are the steps:

Step 1: Find the two words that are refer to the same thing.

• I study at a college . The college is downtown.

Step 2: Replace the second word with a correct relative pronoun (that/which/who/when/where. )

• I study at a college . The college WHICH is downtown.

Step 3: Move the whole behind the noun it modifies.

That's it! Now you have a complex sentence. The adjective clause is 'which is downtown.'

Before we go further, let's look at a table of the relative pronouns.

Relative Pronouns for Adjective Clauses

The first part of this lesson will focus on subject relative pronouns. These are that/which/who.

What's a Subject Relative Pronoun?

Look at these two simple sentences.

The woman is in my class. She likes tennis.

Step1: What do we have twice? ' The woman' and ' she' are talking about the same person, so we can combine the sentences using an adjective clause. In the second sentence, 'She' is the subject of the sentence, so we will use one of the subject relative pronouns (that/which/who) to replace it. (We cannot use whose/where/when/whom to replace subjects.)

So, let's follow our steps.

Step 1: Find the two words that refer to the same thing/person.

• The woman is in my class. She likes tennis.

Step 2: Replace the second word with a relative pronoun (we'll use a subject relative pronoun - that/which/who)

• The woman is in my class. She WHO/THAT likes tennis.

Step 3: Move the whole behind the noun it modifies. These two sentences are both correct:

Let's practice. I will give you some sentences and you can follow the three steps to create an adjective clause. Remember to move the adjective clause behind the noun it modifies!

Exercise #1 - Creating Adjective Clauses with Subject Relative Pronouns

Change the second sentence into an adjective clause.

1. Do you see the cat? It is on the roof.

• Do you see the cat that is on the roof ?
• Do you see the cat which is on the roof ?

*We don't use 'who' for animals.

2. The man is a dentist. He lives next to me.

• The man who lives next to me is a dentist.
• That man that lives next to me is a dentist.

3. I see an open table over there. It's by the window.
Show Answer

• I see an open table that is by the window over there.
• I see an open table which is by the window over there.

4. She invited a guy to the party. The guy dances really well.
Show Answers

• She invited a guy who dances really well to the party.
• She invited a guy that dances really well to the party.

5. The desk is made of oak. It was built by my friend.
Show Answers

• The desk that was built by my friend is made of oak.
• The desk which was built by my friend is made of oak.

6. People shouldn't throw stones. They live in glass houses.
Show Answers

• People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
• People that live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

Adjective Clauses with Object Relative Pronouns

Now it's time for the second part of the lesson. Let's look at two more sentences.

The woman is in my class. I like her.

Step 1: What is the same in both sentences? 'The woman' and 'her'. They both refer to the same thing (the woman).

The woman is in my class. I like her .

If we look at the second word, 'her', we can see that it is not the subject of the sentence. It is the object! (I like her object of the verb like). For objects, we have to use an object relative pronoun, which are the following:

• who/whom: for people (whom is a little old-fashioned, but it's correct)
• that: for people and things
• (nothing): for people and things
• which: for things

Nothing? Yes. We do not need a relative pronoun if we are replacing the object of a verb.

Let me show you by continuing with our example.

Step 2: Replace the second word with a relative pronoun (who/whom/that/(nothing)/which)

The woman is in my class. I like her who(m)/that/(nothing).

Because we are making an adjective clause with the object of a sentence, we have to add one more step.

*Step 3*: Move the object relative pronoun to the beginning of the second sentence/clause.

The woman is in my class. who(m)/that/(nothing) I like her .

Step 4: Move the whole behind the noun it modifies.

They are all correct!

Let's combine another sentence but let's do it with a thing.

Yesterday, I saw some nice shoes at the mall. I want to buy them soon.

Step 1: Look for two words that refer to the same thing.

Yesterday, I saw some nice shoes at the mall. I want to buy them soon.

Step 2: Replace the second word with a relative pronoun

Yesterday, I saw some nice shoes at the mall. I want to buy them which/that/(nothing) soon.

Step 3: Move the relative pronoun to the beginning of the second sentence/clause.

Yesterday, I saw some nice shoes at the mall. which/that/(nothing) I want to buy them soon.

Step 4: Move the whole behind the noun it modifies. Now the final sentence looks like this:

• Yesterday, I saw some nice shoes < which I want to buy soon>at the mall.
• Yesterday, I saw some nice shoes < that I want to buy soon>at the mall.
• Yesterday, I saw some nice shoes at the mall.

These shoes are old. Someone has thrown them on the line. = These shoes < that someone has thrown on the line>are old.

Now it's time for you to practice.

Exercise #2 - Making Adjective Clauses with Objects

1. I invited the professor. You met him last year.

• I invited the professor whom you met last year .
• I invited the professor who you met last year .
• I invited the professor that you met last year .
• I invited the professor you met last year .

2. The printer is broken. We were using it yesterday.

• The printer that we were using yesterday is broken.
• The printer which we were using yesterday is broken.
• The printer we were using yesterday is broken.

3. I don't want to hear the song. We just heard it.

• I don't want to hear the song that we just heard .
• I don't want to hear the song which we just heard .
• I don't want to hear the song we just heard .

4. That's the man! I had a big argument with him yesterday.

• That's the man whom I had a big argument with yesterday .
• That's the man who I had a big argument with yesterday .
• That's the man that I had a big argument with yesterday .
• That's the man I had a big argument with yesterday .

5. He has a list of customers in his address book. He calls them once a month.

• He has a list of customers who he calls once a month in his address book.
• He has a list of customers whom he calls once a month in his address book.
• He has a list of customers that he calls once a month in his address book.
• He has a list of customers he calls once a month in his address book.

6. He's always talking about his car. He bought it last year in London.

• He's always talking about the his car that he bought last year in London .
• He's always talking about the his car which he bought last year in London .
• He's always talking about the his car he bought last year in London .

Exercise #3 - Add the Correct Relative Pronoun

In the next exercise, some of the adjective clauses use a subject relative pronoun and some use an object relative pronoun. Decide which to use.

I gave a dollar to the man ___ was on the corner.

If we look at " ___ was on the corner", we can see that it is missing a subject, so we need a subject relative pronoun (who/that).

I gave a dollar to the man ___ I see every day.

If we look at "___ I see every day", we can see that there is already a subject ("I"). Also, the man is whom you see (he is the object of the verb). So we use an object relative pronoun (whom/that/(nothing)).

Give it a try. Click here to see a list of the relative pronouns again.

• Subject relative pronouns = who, that
• Object relative pronouns = that, whom, which, (nothing)

1. He's the only student knew the answer.
2. Did you see the painting I bought in Paris?
3. This is the only bridge goes to the island.
4. There are many children are not able to go to school.
5. The Italian restaurant I went to last night has great dessert.

Combine the Simple Sentences to make a Subject or Object Relative Clause

1. You are doing exercises. They are for practicing grammar.

• You are doing exercises that are for practicing grammar .
• You are doing exercises which are for practicing grammar .

2. Do you have my textbook? I lent it to you last week.

• Do you have my textbook that I lent to you last week ?
• Do you have my textbook which I lent to you last week ?
• Do you have my textbook I lent to you last week ?

3. You can buy tickets at the subway station. They cost about three dollars.

• You can buy tickets that cost about three dollars at the subway station.
• You can buy tickets which cost about three dollars at the subway station.

4. She is someone. I used to know her.

• She is someone whom I used to know .
• She is someone who I used to know .
• She is someone that I used to know .
• She is someone I used to know .

5. The keys were in my shoe. I was looking for them all day.

• The keys that I was looking for all day were in my shoe.
• The keys which I was looking for all day were in my shoe.
• The keys I was looking for all day were in my shoe.

6. The keys were in my shoe. They don't belong to me.

• They keys that don't belong to me were in my shoe.
• They keys which don't belong to me were in my shoe.

I hope this lesson on adjective clauses (relative clauses) has been useful. Please view the next lesson to learn about the relative pronouns where, when, and whose.

If you have any questions or if you find a mistake, please leave a comment below.

- Matthew Barton (copyright) / Creator of Englishcurrent.com

Related Pages:

• Adjective Clauses: Where, When, and Whose
• Adjective Clauses: Punctuation (Commas!)
• More Grammar Lessons

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