Skill 9 : Adjective Clause Connectors

An adjective clause describes a  noun. Because the clause is an adjective, it is positioned directly after the noun that it describes.

This is the house that I want to buy.
The house that I want to buy is quite expensive.

In the first example, there are two clauses : this  is the subject of the verb is and I is the subject of the verb want. That  is the adjective clause connector that joins these two clauses, and the adjective clause that I want to buy describes the noun house
In the second example, there are also two clauses :   house is the subject of the verb, is and I  is the subject of the verb want . In this sentence also, that  I want to buy  describes the noun house.

The following chart example shows how these sentence patterns could be tested in the Structure section of the TOEFL test.

example :
The job.......started yesterday was rather difficult.

1. when
2. was
3. after
4. that he  

In this example, you should notice quickly that there are two clauses; job is the subject of the verb  was, and the verb started need a subject. Because there are two clauses, a connector is also needed. Answer (1) and (3)   have connectors, but there are no subjects, so these answer are not correct. Answer (2) changes started into a passive verb; in this case the sentence would have one subject and two verbs, so answer (2) is not correct. The best answer to this question is answer (4). The correct sentence should say : The job that he started yesterday was rather difficult.  In this sentence job is the subject of the verb was, he is the subject of the verb started and the connector that joins two clauses.

The following chart lists the adjective clause connectors and the sentence patterns used with them.

ADJECTIVE CLAUSE CONNECTOR
Whom (for people)	Which (for thing)	That (for people or thing)
S             V                                adjective clause connector                S                     V
I            like the dress	That	You         are wearing
S                                                adjective clause connector                  S       V             V
The dress	That	You  are wearing  is beautiful