Learn English Grammar: The Adjective Clause (Relative Clause)

The lesson that you are about to watch is about adjective clauses, of which there are two in this sentence. Can you see them? In some grammar books, you may see the adjective clause called the "relative clause". Don't get confused -- they are the same thing. In this lesson, you will learn the difference between the two types of adjective clauses -- the defining adjective clause, and the modifying adjective clause. I'll also answer a common question people have about clauses: "Should I use a comma or not?". After this lesson, you will be able to spot adjective clauses of all forms and use them to take your English writing and speaking to the next level.
Test your understanding with the quiz: www.engvid.com/learn-english-g...
Watch Adam's series on clauses!
Dependent Clauses • Advanced English Gramm...
Noun Clauses • Advanced English Gramm...
Adverb Clauses • Learn English Grammar:...
TRANSCRIPT
Hi. Welcome back to www.engvid.com. I'm Adam. In today's lesson we're going to look at the adjective clause. Now, this is a dependent clause, and if you're not sure what the difference between dependent or independent clause, you can check out my video about the independent clause and my introduction video to dependent clauses. In this lesson we're going to dive a little bit deeper into this particular dependent clause, the adjective clause. Now, some of you will have grammar... Different grammar books, and some of you will see this called the relative clause. Relative clause, adjective clause, same thing. Different books like to call them different things. Okay? So we're going to look at this.
Now, the first thing to remember about an adjective clause before we look at the actual structure of it, the full clause is essentially an adjective. Although it's a clause, means it has a subject, and a verb, and maybe some modifiers - the whole piece, the whole clause together works like an adjective. So, because it works like an adjective: What does that mean? It means that it's giving you some information about a noun somewhere in the sentence. You could have many nouns in a sentence, you could have many adjective clauses in a sentence. There's no limit to how many you can have, although try not to have too many in one sentence because the sentence becomes very bulky, not a very good sentence.
So let's get right into it. First of all, we have two types of adjective clause. We have a defining adjective clause, which means that it's basically pointing to the noun and telling you something necessary about the noun. Without the adjective clause, the noun is incomplete. I don't know what it is, I don't know what it's doing, etc. The second adjective clause is the modifying, means it is not necessary but we put it in to give a little bit of extra information about the noun. Okay? So it's like an adjective that just gives you a little bit more description about the noun.
Two things to remember: The defining noun. Now, one of the biggest questions about adjective clauses is: Do I use a comma or do I not use a comma? For defining adjective clauses, no comma. For modifying, like the extra information, the ones that you could actually take out and the sentence is still okay, use a comma. We're going to look at examples and understand this more.
Now, another thing to know about adjective clauses: They all begin with a relative pronoun. Okay? A relative pronoun. This is basically the conjunction of the clause. It is what begins the clause. Now, some of these can be also the subject of the clause, which means it will agree with the verb; some of them cannot. So these three... Whoa, sorry. "That", "which", and "who" can be both the conjunction and the subject. These ones: "whom", "whose", "when", "where", and "why" cannot be the subject of the clause; only the relative pronoun, only the conjunction of the clause. Now, in many cases, "that" can also be removed, but we're going to look at that separately.
So, let's look at some examples to get an idea. "The man lives next door." So here we have an independent clause. Independent clause means it's a complete idea, it stands by itself as a sentence, it doesn't really need anything else. But the problem is "the man". Which man? That man, that man, the man across the street? I don't know. So this sentence, although it's grammatically complete, is technically, in terms of meaning, incomplete because I don't know who this man is. I need to identify him. So you can think of defining or identifying. Okay? I want to point specifically to one man because I have "the man". I'm looking at somebody specific.
So here's one way we can do it: "The man who lives next door"-"who lives next door"-"is a doctor". Okay? So, again, I still have my independent clause: "The man is a doctor", but now I have my adjective, my identifying adjective clause telling me who the man is.

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friedchicken1981 same :)

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[@Shahrukh_Khan_Official786]

good Job

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[@user-lf5rc9su7d]

It's so wonderful to explain how to use relative pronouns. Teacher Adam is so professional. I just knew the difference of using it. Thank you very much for your assistance. I appreciate it.

[@napoleon0815176]

Thank you Adam for explaining those complicated grammar so clearly and systematically. These clauses thing has confused me my entire English learning lifetime. Now I could sort things out and get a clear idea of those clauses work.

[@user-vy6te5wp4r]

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[@dyrusstalker8028]

Can u write me a example. How to use 'why' in a adjective clause

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[@marialuizarodriguesacerbi3585]

I've written some grammar points you've said here..and taught them to my students from Brazil/RJ . Thanks a lot. "Generally speaking when you have an identifying or defining clause with no commas, you’re going to use “that”!!!!!!!!!!!!!When you have a modifying clause with commas, you’re going to use which, when talking about things..but…there are occasions when you can use that or which…in many grammar books you’re going to see which or that…you can use than both…I prefer that you use that with identifying and which with non-identifying, but there are occasions where you’re going to use which…instead. The only effort that matters is that/which that leads to a win."

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[@rosesakurai4333]

Hello! I have an exam this wednesday and I'm stuck with: Sentential Relative C VS Appositive C..(subject/object in apposition). all I came up with is that Sentential R.C = non restrictive(with comma)+noun phrase(antecedent) but after watching this I got way more confused.. Can you please enlighten my brain with your great wits? I came here thinking that you'd be talking about sentential Relative Clauses..still, thank you for your great teaching, your videos are quite motivating(to me, personally). ps: Althought I did not check whether you did a vid about appositive clauses(yet),I hope that you could answer my plea.

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Thank you so much Adamfor this lesson. Would you please tell me what is the difference between adverb clause and adverbial clause .

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You're a great teacher! I love your videos! Can I say: "The only effort that matters is the one that/which leads to a win."? Thank you very much!

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That

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xD

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a flu that kills ;-;

[@ayeshatalat1407]

I want to ask if "An old fashioned" is an adjective clause or a noun clause in the sentence : "" This is an old fashioned hat"" Please advise!...

[@younes6713]

it's a proper adjective and it's written this way "old-fashioned" and it's actually advice not advise. Advise is a verb not a noun

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Thank you so much abt your lessons, it helps me more understand and confidence in writting as well at comprehending in English.

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I agree, thanks so much Mr. Adam

[@siniorjames7649]

How can we tell “where” and “which” apart? In this example: He spent 2 days in London, where / which he loved it.

[@travisshephard6243]

In this instance the correct sentence would be, "He spent 2 days in London, which he loved." The reason you use which in this instance is because the adjective clause, "which he loved" modifies the entire independent clause, "He spent 2 days in London." not just "London". The reason you take out "it" is because "He spent 2 days in London" is the object of "he loved". An example of how to use where with the independent clause, "He spent 2 days in London." could be, "He spent 2 days in London where he learned to ride a bike." In this example you can see "where he learned to ride a bike" modifies London rather than the entire independent clause. I hope that helps! I'm not an English teacher, so I can't really explain more. This is the extent of my understanding xD

[@siniorjames7649]

@@travisshephard6243 superb explanation. Thx a galaxy 🌺👍🙏

[@adda4english20]

One more why realtive pronoun 'that ' is not used after a preposition?

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I enjoyed learning English here, dear teacher. Thank you.

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Thanks, Adam! Very helpful to my classes!

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I don't like the word (why) too

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japanese dont like but chinese dont like thankyou

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Why?

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[@omerfarukozkan2011]

Thank you English Lessons with Adam - Learn English [engVid]