Adjective clauses (a/k/a relative clauses) are one of those topics that start off appearing easy before eventually becoming more and more difficult. The devil is in the details. The basic idea is simple, but the small details make us make mistakes. Take, for instance, the following example:
- John is the sort of person who I would trust with my life.
It's a typical adjective clause, with nothing very special about it. It's the kind of adjective clause that hopefully we can make with no problems. Yet there is something interesting about it. Namely, it's equally correct to write it like this:
- John is the sort of person I would trust with my life.
What's the difference? The 'who'. Note that I've taken it out in my second sentence. In some sentences, it is possible to do this, but not all of them. Look at the following sentences, where the relative pronoun is red where it must stay but blue where it can be removed without a problem:
- Where did I put the newspaper that I was reading?
- The lady who cleans these offices is going on holiday next week.
- The box that holds my books has a hole in it.
- The children who my neighbour looks after are really very noisy.
- I don't enjoy watching movies which make me feel sad.
- The foods that are good for me are never the foods that I enjoy eating.
- I want to spend my life with people who I love and with people who love me.
- Mr. John Sciuk, who used to be my attorney, has just announced his retirement.
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