Essential and Nonessential Adjective Clauses Examples

Essential and Nonessential Adjective Clauses Examples Essential and Nonessential Adjective Clauses Remember that a subordinate, or dependent, clause has a subject and a verb, but it cannot stand alone. It is "dependent" on the other information in the sentence for meaning. One type of clause about which you have learned is the adjective clause. Remember that the adjective clause acts as an adjective, giving more information about a noun or pronoun in the sentence. The adjective clause is going to tell you which one, what kind, or how many. Some adjective clauses are essential to the meaning of the sentence. They cannot be taken out of the sentence or the meaning of the sentence will change. Other adjective clauses are nonessential. This means that they could be removed and the sentence will still mean the same thing. They are just extra information that might be nice to know, but is not necessary. Examples of Essential and Nonessential Adjective Clauses: Examples of Essential Adjective Clauses 1. The girl who sits behind me has red hair. (essential to know which girl) 2. I am looking for the place where I left my book. (essential to know which place) Examples of Nonessential Adjective Clauses 1. My friend Kara, who made an A on our math test today, is coming over to help me study. (not essential to the meaning of the sentence) 2. I am going to the movies with Kevin, who has already seen three movies this summer! Practice: 1. The leaves are falling off of the trees, which are all oaks. ______ 2. The car that pulled out in front of us was green. ______ 3. I want to ride the horse that has the black mane. ______ Answer: 1. The leaves are falling off of the trees, which are all oaks. __NE____ 2. The car that pulled out in front of us was green. __E____ 3. I want to ride the horse that has the black mane. __E____ Essential and Nonessential Adjective Clauses Examples Essential and Nonessential Adjective Clauses Examples Essential and Nonessential Adjective Clauses Remember that an adjective clause is a dependent clause that acts like an adjective in the sentence. This means that it gives more information about a noun or pronoun in the sentence. Sometimes the information given by the adjective clause is essential. An essential adjective clause is one that is needed for the sentence to make sense. If you took it out, you would not know all the information that you need to know. At other times, the information given by the adjective clause is nonessential. A nonessential adjective clause is one that is not necessary. The sentence still makes sense and you know everything you need to know even without the clause. So, you could take it out. When a sentence has a nonessential adjective clause, the clause is set apart with commas. This shows that it is not essential. Examples of Essential and Nonessential Adjective Clauses: Examples of essential adjective clauses: 1) The man who left his wallet is coming back for it. It is essential for us to know which man. 2) I do not remember the day that my cousin was born. It is essential for us to know which man. 3) The time when I go to bed changes in the summer. It is essential for us to know what time. 4) I want the dog that is black and white. It is essential for us to know which dog. 5) Could you bring me the cup that is on the table? It is essential for us to know which cup. Examples of nonessential adjective clauses: 1) Lisa, who takes ballet with Jan, is my best friend. It is not essential for us to know about the ballet. 2) I won first prize, which was a blue ribbon. It is not essential for us to know the type of prize. 3) My grandfather, who lives on a farm, said he would teach me to ride a horse. It is not essential for us to know where he lives. 4) The school library, which is next to the cafeteria, is my favorite place in the school! It is not essential to know that it is next to the cafeteria. 5) Mary, whose mom is a nurse, sits behind me in class. It is not essential for us to know what Mary's mom does.