English grammar

Adjective clauses: rules and examples

An adjective clause is a dependent clause that describes a noun or pronoun. It is also called a relative clause and usually begins with a word such as who, whom, whose, which or that. In "The student who sits near me is from Pune", who sits near me tells you which student.

Example

Two sentences into one

  • I met a doctor. She works in Kenya.
  • I met a doctor who works in Kenya.
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Words that begin adjective clauses

Choose the word by what you are describing and the job it does in the clause.

WordUseExample
whoPeople, as subjectThe man who called is my uncle.
whomPeople, as object (formal)The woman whom I met is a judge.
whosePossessionThe boy whose bag was lost is here.
whichThings and animalsThe book, which I lent you, is old.
thatPeople or things, in defining clausesThe car that I bought is red.
wherePlacesThis is the town where I grew up.
whenTimesI remember the day when we met.

Defining and non-defining clauses

A defining clause gives information you need to identify the noun, so it takes no commas: "Students who practise daily improve faster." Only those students improve faster.

A non-defining clause adds extra information, so it takes commas: "My brother, who lives in Toronto, is a nurse." You could remove it and still know who is meant. Don't use that in a non-defining clause.

Leaving out the relative word

In a defining clause, you can drop who, which or that when it is the object of the clause: "The film (that) we saw was long." You can't drop it when it is the subject: "The man who called" needs who.

Common mistakes

  • Wrong: The man which called me is my uncle.

    Right: The man who called me is my uncle.

    Use who for people.

  • Wrong: My car, that I bought in May, is red.

    Right: My car, which I bought in May, is red.

    That isn't used in non-defining clauses.

  • Wrong: The book that I read it was long.

    Right: The book that I read was long.

    That already stands for the object, so don't repeat it with it.

Using this in IELTS and PTE

Adjective clauses help combine short ideas and show range in IELTS Writing and Speaking and in PTE Write Essay: "Countries that invest in public transport often have cleaner air." Keep them short and check your commas, because a comma can change which people or things you mean.

5 questions

Exercise

Try each one, then open it to check your answer.

  1. 1. Combine: "I know a girl. She speaks French."

    I know a girl who speaks French.

    Who replaces she.

  2. 2. Choose: "The laptop (who / which) I bought is fast."

    which

    A laptop is a thing.

  3. 3. Choose: "That's the man (who / whose) car was stolen."

    whose

    It shows possession.

  4. 4. Add commas: "My father who is 60 still runs daily."

    My father, who is 60, still runs daily.

    You have one father, so the clause is extra information.

  5. 5. Can you drop that? "The song that we heard was old."

    Yes: The song we heard was old.

    That is the object of heard.

Frequently asked questions

Is an adjective clause the same as a relative clause?+

Yes. Both names describe the same structure.

Who or whom?+

Who is the subject of the clause. Whom is the object. In everyday English, many people use who or drop the word: "the woman I met".

Can which refer to a whole idea?+

Yes, with a comma: "He passed, which surprised everyone."

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