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Overview of Adjective
Clauses
In the chart
below, R stands for restrictive.
A restrictive adjective clause defines, identifies, specifies, or
limits the noun it modifies. Information in restrictive
clauses is essential; in other words, the information the clause provides
about the modified noun is important and helps the reader make sense of
the whole sentence. No commas are used with
restrictive (limiting) adjective clauses.
NR stands for
non-restrictive. A non-restrictive
adjective clause gives extra information about the noun it
modifies. The sentence would make perfect sense by
itself without the non-essential information provided by the adjective
clause. As with all extra, non-essential information,
non-restrictive clauses are set off with
commas. The relative pronoun
that can never be used in non-restrictive clauses. Use
which.
Read the example
sentences in the chart below. Can you identify the subject and
verb in each adjective clause? (Remember that any clause, by its
definition, must have a subject and a verb.)
|
Relative Pronoun |
Type |
Example Sentences |
|
that |
R |
The Health Alert
Network is a nationwide program that provides information and
defense against health threats, including
bacterial infection resulting from bioterrorism.
|
|
which |
R |
The Center for Disease
Control is the organization which leads the development of HAN
in collaboration with other health organizations.
|
|
who |
R |
People who handle
animals infected with anthrax or products from such animals
may contract cutaneous (skin) anthrax. |
|
which |
NR |
Inhalation anthrax,
which is usually fatal, begins with symptoms
that resemble the common cold.
|
|
where |
R |
People who work
with animal hides and furs in areas where standards
are insufficient to prevent exposure to anthrax spores
should be vaccinated against anthrax. |
|
whose
|
NR |
Biological weapons, whose low cost and simplicity of
design make them weapons of choice for terrorist
organizations, pose a significant threat to human
security. |
|
preposition + which |
NR |
Trenton, New Jersey,
from which a contaminated letter was sent to NBC headquarters
in New York, is believed to have been the place of residence
for one or two of the hijackers in the 9/11 attack.
|
|
when |
R |
September 11, 2001 will
always be remembered as the infamous day when terrorists
attacked America. |
|
whom |
NR |
The Taliban, whom
governments around the world hold responsible for many terrorist
attacks, harbor extremists in Afghanistan.
|
|
which to modify idea or whole main clause
|
NR |
The Department of
Defense now requires that military personnel be vaccinated against
anthrax, which became a necessary precautionary measure after
9/11. |
|
that (as object pronoun)
|
NR |
Anthrax, a disease
that most people had never heard of or thought about,
has become a household word in the war against terrorism.
|
|
quantity + of |
NR |
New York fire fighters,
police, and emergency personnel, hundreds of whom died when
the buildings collapsed, acted heroically in their efforts
to rescue the victims.
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