Adjective Clauses
Adjective Clauses
Adjective Clauses
Table of Contents
2 Grammar Notes
Adjectives Clauses
8 Exercise 1
Adjective Clauses in Context
9 Exercise 2
Formality
10 Exercise 3
Punctuation
11 Exercise 4
Sentence Completion
12 Exercise 5
About Me
13 Exercise 6
Listening
14 Exercise 7
Error Correction
15 Exercise 8
Find Someone Who/Whose
16 Exercise 9
Writing
17 Exercise 10
Review
19 Exercise 11
Quiz
21 Grammar Assessment
22 Self-Assessment
23 Answer Key
Copyright 2019, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( H I G H I N T / V E R S I O N 1. 2) 1
Adjective Clauses
Grammar Practice Worksheets
Grammar Notes
ADJECTIVE CLAUSES
B. Relative Pronouns
Look at the following chart and note the adjective clauses in bold.
Which nouns are these clauses modifying? Are they modifying subject
or object nouns or the entire sentence?
3 place where, which, that, 0/ This is the city where I grew up.
quantity word + of She has read three magazines, one of which she
6 amount
+ whom/which bought at the airport.
Copyright 2019, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( H I G H I N T / V E R S I O N 1. 2) 2
Adjective Clauses
Grammar Practice Worksheets
1. People
Note #1
Adjective clauses that begin with whom are very formal and not used very
often. They are occasionally used for formal writing or speaking (academic,
legal, etc.).
Copyright 2019, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( H I G H I N T / V E R S I O N 1. 2) 3
Adjective Clauses
Grammar Practice Worksheets
2. Things
The scary movie that was playing at this theater last week was
informal that
great, but I can’t remember the title.
Copyright 2019, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( H I G H I N T / V E R S I O N 1. 2) 4
Adjective Clauses
Grammar Practice Worksheets
3. Places
Copyright 2019, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( H I G H I N T / V E R S I O N 1. 2) 5
Adjective Clauses
Grammar Practice Worksheets
4. Time
Note #2
Adjective clauses for places and time that begin with preposition + which are
very formal and not used very often. They are occasionally used for formal
writing or speaking (academic, legal, etc.).
Copyright 2019, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( H I G H I N T / V E R S I O N 1. 2) 6
Adjective Clauses
Grammar Practice Worksheets
Restrictive adjective clauses, also called defining Non-restrictive adjective clauses, also called non-
adjective clauses, provide information that is necessary defining adjective clauses, add extra information to
to define a noun. In other words, we wouldn’t know a noun. The information in this type of clause is not
which noun someone was talking about without this necessary to define the noun. The subject or object
clause to explain it. The subject or object nouns nouns being modified are usually proper nouns that
being modified are usually common nouns that are are capitalized. These types of clauses
preceded by the article “the.” These types of clauses require a comma.
don’t require a comma.
• Julia recommended Avengers: Endgame, which she
• The movie that I watched last night was watched last night.
really good.
• My brother, who works at a vet’s office, likes cats
• I recommend talking to the person who is in more than dogs.
charge of admissions.
• Rome, where I lived last summer, has a lot of
• The town where I grew up is full of famous sightseeing spots.
interesting people.
Note #3
When modifying a subject or object noun that is a thing in American
and Canadian English, “which” is used in restrictive clauses and “that” is
used in non‑restrictive clauses, regardless of formality. Look back to the
“things” charts on page 4. Which clauses are restrictive and which are
non‑restrictive? How can you tell?
Note #4
he verb in the adjective clause must agree in number with the noun it
T
modifies in both restrictive and non-restrictive clauses.
• My classmates, who are intelligent people, all passed the final exam
with flying colors.
Copyright 2019, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( H I G H I N T / V E R S I O N 1. 2) 7
Adjective Clauses
Grammar Practice Worksheets
Exercise 1
ADJECTIVE CLAUSES IN CONTEXT
Read the story and underline or highlight all the adjective clauses.
nine players on each team. The people who play this sport must be fast,
brave, and intelligent. Players who are fast and brave will be able to react
hour or more. Players who are intelligent will be able to decide what to do
before the ball comes to them, and will react quickly and correctly even
have a chance to discuss the strategy of the teams and the quality of the
players. Spectators who understand the game well know that they have to
watch two places on the field at the same time: the place where the ball is
Copyright 2019, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( H I G H I N T / V E R S I O N 1. 2) 8
Adjective Clauses
Grammar Practice Worksheets
Exercise 2
FORMALITY
Set 1
1 a) The man about whom I was informing you is sitting in the corner.
b) The woman I was talking about is wearing the red dress.
c) The guy that I was telling you about is dating my friend.
d) The girl who I told you about works with me.
e) The person whom I spoke about is my boss.
Set 2
Set 3
a) The home in which I was brought up was on the same street as my school.
b) The house where I spent my childhood had two floors.
c) The house I grew up in had a large kitchen.
d) The house that I was raised in had a large kitchen.
e) That big house, which was my childhood home, is made of bricks.
B. Discuss
Copyright 2019, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( H I G H I N T / V E R S I O N 1. 2) 9
Adjective Clauses
Grammar Practice Worksheets
Exercise 3
PUNCTUATION
Punctuate the following sentences according to the rules in the Grammar Notes on page 7.
Note that some sentences will not require any punctuation.
Ex. Enzo is a vegetarian[,] which means that he does not eat meat.
2. Bill O’Grady comes from a small town which means that everyone knows everyone else.
4. The photograph in the magazine showed a woman whose hair was very short.
6. Dr. Seismore who is a retired obstetrician still loves to talk to pregnant women.
7. The meal that Connie served last night was spicy which meant that I drank water all night.
9. Bobby met his girlfriend in Asti’s restaurant where the servers sing during the meal.
10. This is the photographer who I was telling you about five minutes ago.
Copyright 2019, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( H I G H I N T / V E R S I O N 1. 2) 10
Adjective Clauses
Grammar Practice Worksheets
Exercise 4
SENTENCE COMPLETION
7. Sushi is a meal .
(I love sushi.)
Copyright 2019, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( H I G H I N T / V E R S I O N 1. 2) 11
Adjective Clauses
Grammar Practice Worksheets
Exercise 5
ABOUT ME
Ex. When I travel, I love to visit sites where I can learn about the history of that city .
2. I admire people .
7. One of the best days I’ve ever had was the day .
Copyright 2019, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( H I G H I N T / V E R S I O N 1. 2) 12
Adjective Clauses
Grammar Practice Worksheets
Exercise 6
LISTENING
Listen to the following story and fill in the missing words. How many
adjective clauses does this story contain? How many are restrictive and
how many are non-restrictive?
Copyright 2019, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( H I G H I N T / V E R S I O N 1. 2) 13
Adjective Clauses
Grammar Practice Worksheets
Exercise 7
ERROR CORRECTION
Ex. The student who book was left in the classroom is studying with Dr. Lopez.
The student whose book was left in the classroom is studying with Dr. Lopez.
3. Mitt Romney, who a politician from Massachusetts might run for president.
6. Messi won two championships who was born in a small town in Argentina.
8. She will never forget the day when celebrated her twenty-first birthday.
10. Bollywood makes more films than Hollywood which is the movie capital of India.
Copyright 2019, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( H I G H I N T / V E R S I O N 1. 2) 14
Adjective Clauses
Grammar Practice Worksheets
Exercise 8
FIND SOMEONE WHO/ WHOSE...
Make your own “Find Someone Who” survey! Complete the chart with
eight more adjective clauses. Include clauses with “who” and “whose.”
Then walk around the classroom and ask your classmates your questions.
10
Copyright 2019, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( H I G H I N T / V E R S I O N 1. 2) 15
Adjective Clauses
Grammar Practice Worksheets
Exercise 9
WRITING
Copyright 2019, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( H I G H I N T / V E R S I O N 1. 2) 16
Adjective Clauses
Grammar Practice Worksheets
Exercise 10
REVIEW
A. Reading
After reading the article, follow the instructions below to form new
sentences using adjective clauses.
1. Combine sentences 1 and 3 into one sentence by using the relative pronoun who.
hange sentence 2 to an adjective clause that begins with the relative pronoun whose and combine it
2. C
with sentence 1.
Copyright 2019, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( H I G H I N T / V E R S I O N 1. 2) 17
Adjective Clauses
Grammar Practice Worksheets
Exercise 10 cont.
hange sentence 6 to an adjective clause that begins with the relative pronoun where and combine it
3. C
with sentence 5.
hange sentence 10 to an adjective clause that begins with the relative pronoun when and combine it
4. C
with sentence 9.
hange sentence 11 to an adjective clause that begins with the relative pronoun that and combine it
5. C
with sentence 10.
hange sentence 14 to an adjective clause that begins with an expression of quantity (one of which) and
6. C
combine it with sentence 13.
7. hange sentence 18 to an adjective clause that begins with the relative pronoun whom and combine it
C
with sentence 19.
Copyright 2019, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( H I G H I N T / V E R S I O N 1. 2) 18
Adjective Clauses
Grammar Practice Worksheets
Exercise 11
QUIZ
1. I will never forget the time I lost the keys 5. I have three brothers living in Texas, one
to my house. of is a meditation teacher in Houston.
a) where a) whom
b) when b) who
c) during which c) that
d) who d) which
2. Harry got fired from his job, meant that 6. Giovanni has a cousin nose is
he could collect unemployment insurance for incredibly long.
26 weeks.
a) who
a) that b) who’s
b) which c) whose
c) who d) that’s
d) on which
7. The people the singer danced along
3. The doctor treated the wounded man at the to the music.
hotel he had been shot.
a) that were watching
a) who b) whose where watching
b) where c) which were watching
c) which d) which watched
d) on which
8. Vincent Van Gogh was the type of
4. The house Mary grew up is now owned painter use of colors was extraordinary.
by a minister and his wife.
a) who his
a) where b) that
b) that c) who
c) which d) whose
d) when
Copyright 2019, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( H I G H I N T / V E R S I O N 1. 2) 19
Adjective Clauses
Grammar Practice Worksheets
Exercise 11 cont.
9. I discussed the ethical question with 13. Jose played soccer for a team lost every
Professor Mayer teaches philosophy game it played.
and religion.
a) which
a) , who b) that
b) who c) which it
c) that d) that it
d) , that
14. The movie last Saturday was incredibly dull.
10. Hyenas are rather small animals, are able to
a) I went to it
get food through cunning.
b) I went to
a) that c) that I went
b) , which d) which I went
c) which
d) , that 15. The performer at the concert yesterday
danced better than Jennifer Lopez.
11. France people eat a great deal of cheese
a) which I saw
and drink lots of red wine, has a low incidence of
b) that I saw her
heart attacks.
c) who I saw her
a) where d) I saw
b) , where
c) which
d) that
a) who he smelled
b) whose smell
c) who smelled
d) that he smelled
Copyright 2019, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( H I G H I N T / V E R S I O N 1. 2) 20
Adjective Clauses
Grammar Practice Worksheets
Grammar Assessment
Student / Group:
punctuates adjective
clauses correctly
Notes
Copyright 2019, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( H I G H I N T / V E R S I O N 1. 2) 21
Adjective Clauses
Grammar Practice Worksheets
Self-Assessment
ADJECTIVE CLAUSES
Add check marks () to show what you've learned in this lesson.
Name: Date:
My Notes
Copyright 2019, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( H I G H I N T / V E R S I O N 1. 2) 22
Adjective Clauses
Grammar Practice Worksheets
Answer Key
LESSON DESCRIPTION: LEVEL: High Int
In this lesson, students learn how to use adjective clauses to define TIME: 2–3 hours
nouns. They also study the formality of various clauses and learn to
TAGS: adjective clauses, relative clauses, dependent clauses,
punctuate clauses correctly.
relative pronouns, who, whom, that, which, when,
where, restrictive, non-restrictive, commas, comma
placement, formality, formal, informal, sentence position,
assessment, grammar, grammar practice exercises
1. Restrictive Clauses:
Go over the grammar notes as a class. For more information and
examples, see our editor’s blog posts: https://blog.esllibrary. • The Titanic, which is my favorite movie, stars
and https://blog.esllibrary.com/2014/05/15/relative-pronouns- • The Da Vinci Code, which I read last month, was
2. Non-Restrictive Clauses:
B. RELATIVE PRONOUNS
• The scary movie that was playing at this theater last
1. “Who I met yesterday” modifies “attendees,” a subject noun. week was great, but I can’t remember the title.
2. “Which took place in August 2005” modifies “Hurricane Katrina,” • The book that I read last month was good.
a subject noun. • The book I read last month was good.
3. “Where I grew up” modifies “city,” an object noun.
4. “When my team won the basketball championship game” You can tell by the choice of pronouns (which for restrictive and that
modifies “day,” an object noun. for non-restrictive) and punctuation (commas for restrictive and no
5. “Whose dog is always barking” modifies “man,” a subject noun. commas for non-restrictive).
7. “Which made him feel groggy the next day” modifies the
entire sentence.
Copyright 2019, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( H I G H I N T / V E R S I O N 1. 2) 23
Adjective Clauses
Grammar Practice Worksheets
sport must be fast, brave, and intelligent. Players who are fast and in very formal writing or speaking (e.g., in academic essays,
brave will be able to react quickly to a ball that often travels 90 presentations, legal documents, etc.).
miles (about 145 kilometers) an hour or more. Players who are • Dropping the relative pronoun is the most common clause
intelligent will be able to decide what to do before the ball comes form in casual speech (Set 1 b, Set 2 d, Set 3 c).
to them, and will react quickly and correctly even when they cannot • Answers will vary. Popular choices for writing would be Set 1
watch the other players. c/d, Set 2 b/c, Set 3 b/d/e, and for speaking Set 1 b/c, Set 2 b/d,
Set 3 b/c/d).
My favorite sport is interesting to watch. People who watch the • No, “whom” is not common. It is usually only used in formal
game have a chance to discuss the strategy of the teams and the writing and speaking.
quality of the players. Spectators who understand the game
well know that they have to watch two places on the field at the
same time: the place where the ball is and the place where the Exercise 3
runner is. Wise spectators know that the players often make
beautiful patterns on the field as they line up to relay the ball in 1. no punctuation
order to catch a runner. 2. Bill O’Grady comes from a small town[,] which means that
everyone knows everyone else.
What’s my favorite sport? Answer: Baseball
3. She saw a picture of Paul[,] who has a scar on his nose.
4. no punctuation
Exercise 2 5. I know Henri’s sister[,] whose name is Nicolette.
6. Dr. Seismore[,] who is a retired obstetrician[,] still loves to talk
A. READ & LABEL to pregnant women.
7. The meal that Connie served last night was spicy[,] which
Set 1
meant that I drank water all night.
a) 1 b) 5 c) 4 d) 3 e) 2 8. Hal has fond memories of his hometown[,] which is located
on a lake.
Set 2
9. Bobby met his girlfriend in Asti’s restaurant[,] where the
a) 1 b) 3 c) 2 d) 4 servers sing during the meal.
10. no punctuation
Set 3
(continued on the next page...)
Answers may vary for the formality position of the clause
with where.
a) 1 b) 3 c) 5 d) 4 e) 2
Copyright 2019, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( H I G H I N T / V E R S I O N 1. 2) 24
Adjective Clauses
Grammar Practice Worksheets
Answers may vary. This story contains 12 adjective clauses (in bold in the transcript
below). There are five restrictive clauses (with no commas) and
1. John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963, was the
seven non-restrictive clauses (with commas).
youngest president in history.
2. The pizzeria where we ate yesterday served expensive food. 1. that 10. who 19. who
3. My dog died yesterday, which made me very sad. 2. have 11. my 20. pick
4. Sunday is the day when/that I sleep late. 3. brothers 12. whose 21. who
5. Fatima went to the mall without me, which was not a nice 4. that 13. my 22. than
thing to do. 5. got 14. that 23. family
6. Marta is the type of boss who/that is easy to work with. 6. ago 15. My 24. which
7. Sushi is a meal that I love. 7. live 16. who 25. interesting
8. Alexander Ovechkin, who is an excellent hockey player, 8. he 17. who
comes from Russia. 9. who 18. where
9. Pizza, which is inexpensive, is my favorite food.
I think that I have a typical modern family. I am 24 years old, and
10. Sachiko’s sister lives in Tokyo, which is the capital of Japan.
I have two sisters and two brothers. I live in a very big house that
is located in Washington, DC. My father and mother got divorced
Exercise 5 five years ago, and I went to live with my father. Last year, he got
married to a woman who has three children of her own. Now
Answers will vary. Monitor your students for correct verb tenses
we all live together in one home. Maria, who is my stepsister, is a
and punctuation. Encourage them to use different types of clauses,
12-year-old girl whose hair is long and curly. Tony, my stepbrother,
and watch for accidental adjective phrase usage. Follow up by
is very different. He is a serious boy who plays video games that
having students share their answers in pairs, groups, or with the
are made by Sony. My stepmother, who is the manager of a
whole class.
fast-food restaurant, is 18 years younger than my father. One
month ago, my father and his wife had a baby boy, who is my half
brother. Last week, when my stepmother came to pick me up at
my school, where I major in psychology, I told my friend David,
who has a good sense of humor, “I have to run. My stepmother
has come to pick me up.” Harry looked at the woman, who looked
more like my sister than my mother, and said, “Your stepmother
looks like she is the same age as you! What an interesting family you
have!” And I think I do, which makes life much more interesting.
Copyright 2019, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( H I G H I N T / V E R S I O N 1. 2) 25
Adjective Clauses
Grammar Practice Worksheets
Answers may vary. 4. He was elected in 1860, when the Civil War began.
5. In the same year, the Civil War began, and he claimed broad
1. He used to live in Colombia, which is a executive powers that some people said were dictatorial.
Spanish-speaking country. 6. He suffered several serious defeats, one of which was the
2. The woman whose name is Dina comes from Tunisia. first Battle of Bull Run.
3. Mitt Romney, who is a politician from Massachusetts, might 7. Lincoln, whom John Wilkes Booth shot on April 14, 1865, died
run for president. the next morning.
4. Julia never talks to people who/that don’t speak her language.
5. Ali works in a large company that is located in
northern Quebec.
Exercise 11
6. Messi, who was born in a small town in Argentina,
1. b 4. a 7. a 10. b 13. b
won two championships.
2. b 5. a 8. d 11. b 14. b
7. Barbara has a house that overlooks the river.
3. b 6. c 9. a 12. c 15. d
8. She will never forget the day when she celebrated her
twenty-first birthday.
9. Ji Na comes from a place where it is very cold almost all year. Grammar Assessment
10. Bollywood, which is the movie capital of India, makes more
films than Hollywood. Use this tool for assessment purposes. Find Assessment Tools that
you can personalize in our Resources section:
Exercise 8 https://esllibrary.com/resources
Answers will vary. Monitor your students for correct adjective Self-Assessment
clause formation. Follow up by having them talk to different
classmates and writing down their names when appropriate. Have your students fill out this form.
Copyright 2019, Red River Press Inc. For use by ESL Library members only. ( H I G H I N T / V E R S I O N 1. 2) 26