Academic English for International Exams

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An entire sentence added to a main clause and describing a noun is called an 'Adjective Clause'.

For example: That is the man. I met him at a party yesterday. = That is the man (whom) I met at the party yesterday.

Things to remember about adjective clauses:

  1. They always immediately follow the noun that they are describing.
  2. They can describe any noun in a sentence - the subject, object, complement, etc
  3. They must follow the same pattern: connector + subject + verb
  4. The most common connector 'that' can be used for both people and things. 'Which' refers to things, 'who' and 'whom' refer to people.
  5. When a noun is followed by an adjective clause, it often needs the definite article.
    For example: She is a woman. I sold her the house.= She is the woman whom I sold the house.
  6. When the noun that you are describing is the object of a preposition in the adjective clause, you should keep the same relation in the new sentence.
    For example: She is the woman. I told you about her. = She is the woman about whom I told you.(formal)= She is the woman I told you about. (informal)
  7. The structures 'at/in/during + which' can be replaced by 'when'.
    The structures 'in/at/on + which' can be replaced by 'where'.
    The connectors 'where' and 'when' must be followed by a subject.
    For example: Saudi Arabia is the country where Mecca is.
  8. The connector 'whose' is used for both people and things.
    For example: That is the building whose windows have gold.

All adjective clauses can be classified as one of two types - those that give extra information (non-defining), and those that give key information (defining).

Compare: Windows that are round are Roman style.

vs. Paris, which has many fantastic buildings, is not as cold as Toronto.

Non-defining clauses need commas at the beginning and at the end.

(Note: If the adjective clause doesn't explain WHICH one, put commas. + If you are giving information about a proper noun (name), always use commas.)

Use the information in brackets as an adjective clause in the proper place of the sentence. Use 'that' as the connector.

: , , , !

1. That is the church . (Roman builders built it.)
2. This is the Cathedral . (I love it best.)
3. Churches have big windows. . (German architects built those churches.)
4. Concrete is a strong material . (Roman builders discovered concrete.)
5. Arches are pointed . (Gothic architects designed those arches.)
6. The woman designed the Bell Centre . (I introduced her to you.)
7. This is the building . (Pablo Picasso designed it.)
8. That is the temple . (The Athenians used it as a bank.)

Use the information in brackets to make an adjective clause in the blank. Use 'which' as the connector with the function of the subject in the clause.

1. There are buildings in Germany . (They have pointy spires.)
2. There are old Roman buildings . (They have very small windows.)
3. There are many huge stained glass windows . (They are symbols of gothic architecture.)
4. There are many buildings in Europe . (Those buildings are older than Canada.)
5. There are many old churches in Europe . (Those churches have subterranean passages.)
6. Buildings have no arch. (They are older than Roman buildings.)
7. It is easy to recognize Greek buildings by their roof . (The roof has no arch.)
8. Many churches are built in the shape of a cross. (Those churches are in Europe.)
9. Many old windows are small. (They are in Roman buildings.)
10. Many houses in Toronto are narrow and have high ceilings. (Those houses are in the Victorian style.)

Use the information in brackets to make an adjective clause in the blank. Write two possible versions with different connectors for each sentence. Use 'that' only when there is no other choice.

1. That is the city . or That is the city .
(Michelangelo was born in it.)
2. This is a street . or This is a street .
(Many famous churches are on it.)
3. That is a cathedral . or That is a cathedral .
(There is a famous labyrinth in it.)
4. Greece is a country . or Greece is a country .
(The Romans learned from it.)
5. Morocco is a country . or Morocco is a country .
(The Romans imported marble from it.)
6. Spain is a country . or Spain is a country .
(You can see many architectural styles in it.)
7. That is the book . or That is the book .
(I wrote my thesis about it.)
8. That is the tree . or That is the tree .
(Sparrows live in it.)
9. He is the man . or He is the man .
(The news is about him.)
10. That is the staircase . or That is the staircase .
(You must go up it.)
11. She is the director . or She is the director .
(You need to speak to her.)
12. That is the car . or That is the car .
(He will tell you about it.)
13. That is the church . or That is the church .
(I got married in it.)

Use the appropriate connector for each adjective clause below.

1. That is the man designs won the contest.
2. The Renaissance was the time people started building Greek-style buildings.
3. Greece is the country marble buildings first appeared.
4. That is the building penthouse is the most expensive in Canada.
5. Greece is the country many ancient temples still stand.
6. That is the office tower is the highest in Toronto.
7. Seven thousand years ago was the time the Egyptians built their pyramids.
8. The renaissance was the time a Roman revival took place.
9. That is the woman book is used as the textbook.
10. Egypt is the country all western architecture started from.
11. That is the woman has the biggest house in the area.
12. That is the man designs were used in the C.N. Tower.
13. This is the church is the oldest example of Gothic design.
14. The Victorian Era was the time many narrow buildings were built.

Read the following passage. Print it and punctuate the adjective clauses as necessary. Remember, if the adjective clause does not answer the question "which one", you need commas.

St. Peter's Basilica which is in the Vatican is an incredible architectural masterpiece. Many other buildings which are located in Rome can also be considered breathtaking, but St. Peter's Basilica takes the cake. Also, not many other buildings can boast design contributions by two of the most famous Italian artist in the history of Italian art - Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci.

The Basilica is said to be built on the grave of Saint Peter who was the first Pope. The current Basilica was built on the spot of an older Basilica which was built by the Roman Emperor Constantine. Constantine who lived from 274 to 337 introduced Christianity as the state religion of the Roman Empire.

The Basilica has one central hall which is called a nave which is divided into three parts to facilitate the movement of pilgrims who travel from all over the world to pray there. This nave which is 200 meters long can hold 40,000 people.

The Basilica took over 120 years which is a very long time to build. The original architect only designed the layout which is in the form of a cross. The dome which was designed by Michelangelo is the largest dome in the world. It is 120 meters high. The dome is one piece of ceramic which is held up by four huge square pillars which are 20 meters high.

Rewrite this passage, combining sentences into adjective clauses. Remember to pay attention to prepositions and connectors. Remember - usually, there are many ways to express the same idea.

The Cathedral at Chartres

The Roman Empire greatly influenced architecture. It fell in the 4th century. Power moved to France and Germany. Goths lived there.

People consider themselves lucky. They live in the small French town of Chartres. They built a shrine to honor the Virgin Mary. She protects them.

The Cathedral has 2 spires. The spires are of uneven heights. This is due to a fact. The fact is that they were built at different times.

The main entrance has 3 doors. There are arches above the doors. The arches are pointed. Pointed arches are called "lancet arches". They were invented in Germany.

The Cathedral has a grandiose roof. The roof is very heavy. To hold the weight of the roof, architects designed buttresses. They designed new walls. The walls were very thin and had many windows.

In the nave of the church there is a labyrinth. Labyrinths are common in Gothic churches It is a path. Pilgrims walk along this path before worship.

Above the door, there are 13 pictures. These pictures depict Christ the King and 12 Apostles.

In the 1960s, structural engineers conducted a series of tests on the Cathedral. The tests checked the stability of the design. According to the tests, the Cathedral should have collapsed centuries ago luckily for us, it didn't, Maybe the Virgin Mary IS protecting it.