Adopted and adapted from Irene Tan

2009 by Ag Subiyanti

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 WHAT TO LERN

Definition
The conjunctions (the relative pronouns)
How to combine two sentences by using
adjective clause.

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 EXAMPLES

I remember the place where I put the door

key.
I remember the place on which I put the
door key.
I remember the place I put the door key
on.

I remember where I put the door key.

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 EXAMPLES

I remember the place where I put the door key.

(Adj Cl)
I remember the place on which I put the door
key. (Adj Cl)
I remember the place I put the door key on.
(Adj Cl without conjunction)

I remember where I put the door key. (Noun Cl)

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 ADJECTIVE CLAUSES :
DEFINITION
dependent clauses that must be joined to
independent clauses
describe nouns and pronouns
 often placed in a sentence right after the
noun they describe
add details to sentences by functioning as
adjectives

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ADJECTIVE (RELATIVE) CLAUSES -
CONJUNCTIONS
Adjective clauses begin with one of the
relative pronouns such as who, whom,
whose, which, of which, that, where,
when, and why
Also called relative clauses.

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ADJECTIVE (RELATIVE) CLAUSES -
CONJUNCTIONS
NOUN as SUBJECT As OBJECT As POSSESSIVE

PERSON WHO WHOM WHOSE

THAT THAT
(-)

THING WHICH WHICH OF WHICH

THAT THAT
(-)

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Relative Pronouns : WHO
Refers to PEOPLE, used as SUBJECT in the clause
Ex:
The lady who teaches in Political Science
department is my mentor.
(Relative pronoun as the subject of the
clause)

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Relative Pronouns : WHOM
Refers PEOPLE, used as OBJECT or OBJECT OF
PREPOSITION
(Formal grammar recommends whom, not who,
in the object position)
Examples:
Sally, who(m) he knew, arrived yesterday.
(Relative pronoun as the object of the clause)
The student of whom he spoke was a foreigner.
(Relative pronoun as the object of a preposition)

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Relative Pronouns: WHOSE
The father whose child
Refers to is missing is frantic!
possession/ownership

The company whose

manager has resigned is
in dire straits.

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Relative Pronouns: WHICH/THAT
Refers to things, animalsThe watch which Ken bought
Both as SUBJECT or was expensive.
OBJECT
The ring that Jamie wears is
from her husband.

The lion that escaped last

night was captured.
(Note: the sentence using
which is more formal than
the one with that)
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Relative Pronouns: WHEN
I will never forget the
Refers to a time (in + day when I graduated.
year, in + month, on + I will never forget the
day,...). day on which I
 It cannot be a subject. graduated.
It can be omitted I will never forget the
day that I graduated
on.
I will never forget the
day I graduated on.
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Relative Pronouns: WHERE
The house where he
Refers to a place (in stays is old .
+ country, in + city, at The house in which
+ school,...). he stays is old.
It cannot be a The house which he
subject. stays in is old.
 It can be omitted The house that he
but a preposition (at, stays in is old.
in, to) usually must be
The house he stays in
added.
is old. 13
Relative Pronouns: WHY
I don’t know the
Refers to REASON reason why he
winked.
It can be omitted
I don’t know the
reason for which he
winked.
I don’t know the
reason he winked
for.
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Adjective Clauses - TYPES
Restrictive & Non-restrictive Clauses
Restrictive Clauses Non-restrictive
Clauses
are necessary for are interesting with extra
identification—tell exactly information -but don’t
which thing or person identify or tell “which one”

DO NOT have commas ALWAYS have COMMAS

around clause around clause
Also known as identifying or Also known as non-
defining clauses identifying or non-defining
clauses
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Restrictive Adjective Clauses (Defining
Relative Clause)
Examples:
The soccer player who scored the goal
is from Liverpool.
The girl that borrows my book
is my cousin.
The district where I live is near the
post office.
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Non- Restrictive Adjective Clauses (Non-
defining Relative Clause)
Examples:

Ms. Tan, who is my English tutor, went to Korea last

winter.
My dog, which is barking, is in the backyard.
William decided to reject the offer, which upset his
manager.

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Compare Restrictive & Non-restrictive
Clauses
1. My brother who lives in Bukit Timah is an accountant.

This sentence suggests that I have more than

one brother. “Who lives in Bukit Timah” identifies
this brother, not the one who lives in Clementi.

2. My brother, who lives in Bukit Timah, is an accountant.

This sentence suggests that I only have one brother,

“who lives in Bukit Timah”.

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Which is logically correct?
1. My father, who is a taxi driver, doesn’t like to exercise.

2. My father who is a taxi driver doesn’t like to exercise.

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 Answer
1. My father, who is a taxi driver, doesn’t like to exercise.
(Correct!)

2. My father who is a taxi driver doesn’t like to exercise.

(This suggests you have more than one father!)

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Which is logically correct?
Situation: You have 3 sisters and you have already
made that clear in preceding sentences. One is a
doctor, one an air stewardess, and one a model.

1. My sister who is a doctor is not married.

2. My sister, who is a doctor, is not married.

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 Answer
1. My sister who is a doctor is not married.
(Correct! This tells which sister , so it’s identifying.)

2. My sister, who is a doctor, is not married.

(Identifying information should not have commas
around it.)

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Which is correct?
1. Paul Smith who is an excellent researcher is from
England.

2. Paul Smith, who is an excellent researcher , is from

England.

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Answer
1. Paul Smith who is an excellent researcher is from
England.
(Note that proper nouns are considered already
identified, so the adjective clause needs commas.)

2. Paul Smith, who is an excellent researcher , is from

England. (Correct!)

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 Which is correct?
1. The wind, that is howling, is making me nervous.

2. The wind, which is howling, is making me nervous.

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Answer
1. The wind, that is howling, is making me nervous.
(Never use commas with a “that” clause.)

2. The wind, which is howling, is making me nervous.

(Correct!)

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References
Cain, J. S. (2003).Eye on Editing 2: Developing Editing
Skills for Writing. New York: Pearson Education
Brizee. A. (Ed.). (2009). Relative Pronouns. OWL
Materials. Retrieved September 1, 2009, from
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/645/01/

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Web resources
On how to use a relative clause (also links on the
page on defining/restrictive) and non-defining/non-
restrictive relative clauses)
http://esl.about.com/od/grammaradvanced/a/
relative_clause.htm
A grammar website on relative clauses giving all the
details of relative clauses and provide exercises. If you
want to know relative clauses inside out, visit:
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/relative-
clauses
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Videos on Relative Clauses
On defining relative clauses (with movie clips)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-
486183297429660222#docid=-1240715167746622451
Distinguish the use of “who” and “whom” in a relative
clause
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-
486183297429660222#docid=-3595000722742197356

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Powerpoint developed by Irene Tan. Used with
Permission

Proofread and revised by Yang Ying

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