An adjective clause is a dependent clause. It means that these clauses do not stand alone. These clauses act just like simple adjectives i.e. they also tell us some information about the nouns.
As, you know that a clause does not have a single word. It means that an adjective clause consists of a few words that together tell us something about a noun.
You have to remember some points to identify adjective clauses.
• These clauses always start with a relative pronoun or a relative adverb. Relative pronouns are who, whom, whose, that, or which. Relative adverbs are when, where, or why.
• These clauses have a subject and a verb.
• Last but not the least, these clauses (like adjectives) tell us something about nouns.
1. The handmade bangles, which you like the most, are about to come in the upcoming event.
In the above example, the adjective clause is ‘…which you like the most…’
• This adjective clause is describing ‘the handmade bangles’, which is a noun.
• This clause starts with a relative pronoun ‘which’.
• It consists of a subject and a verb, ‘you like’.
Advantages of Adjective Clauses
The main advantage of such clauses is that they make your writing more descriptive. If you want to be briefer but comprehensive or you want to add further information related to noun, you can easily take advantage of such clauses.
1. Are you presenting the operation that my friend planned?
2. This is the studio where I had spent my most time.
Note the above examples. ‘…that my friend planned’ and ‘…where I had spent the most time’ are the clauses that are used to give more information about the nouns i.e. ‘the operation’ and ‘the studio’. The writers use such clauses to give a lot of information about nouns but in a few words. These few words can sum up the whole idea.
An important point
As you know that an adjective clause is a dependent clause so, it is very important to connect such a clause with an independent clause.
There are two types of adjective clauses.
1. Restrictive Adjective Clauses: These are such clauses that are used as to provide essential information. In this case, you do not need to set off commas around it.
2. Non-restrictive Adjective Clauses: These are such clauses that are used to provide additional information. If you remove such a clause from a sentence, you can easily get the idea. In this case, you have to set off commas around such clauses.
1. The last dress in the cupboard, which is of blue colour, is not yours. (Non-restrictive clause)
2. The person who knows the situation will go with me. (Restrictive clause)
It is concluded that adjective clauses are dependent clauses that provide more information about nouns. It always starts with a relative pronoun or a relative adverb and it always consists of a subject and a verb.